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St. Sabas was born into a pious and renowned family in the mid-fifth century near Caesarea in Cappadocia. His father, an army officer, and his mother left for Egypt due to military obligations, leaving five-year-old Sabas in the care of relatives. He faced mistreatment and family discord over property.

Rejecting worldly possessions, St. Sabas traveled to Palestine at a young age and lived under the guidance of hermits, most notably St. Euthymius. He spent time in solitary caves and practiced rigorous prayer, fasting, and manual labor.

His family, regretting their maltreatment of the young man, tried to bring him back to receive his inheritance and marry. But St. Sabas, having experienced the emptiness the world had to offer, held firm to his decision to live his life serving God.

Visit our special page dedicated to St. Sabas, created to help you connect with his story and his powerful example of faith.

St. John Damascene was a monk, an apologist for the Christian faith, and a poet. His theological writings had a similar influence on the Eastern Church as those of St. Thomas Aquinas had on the Western Church.

St. John was born into a wealthy Christian family in Damascus in the late seventh century, during a time when the region was under Muslim rule. His father and grandfather served in government under the early Muslim caliphates.

St. John was educated by a Christian tutor who stirred in him a love for theology, philosophy, and the Christian faith. He studied both Greek and Arabic texts, making him adept at defending the Christian faith.

Visit our special page dedicated to St. John Damascene, created to help you connect with his story and his powerful example of faith.

St. Francis Xavier was born at the Castle of Xavier in Navarre, modern-day Spain, at the beginning of the 16th century. St. Francis Xavier came from a noble Basque family. Both privilege and loss marked his early years. His father died when St. Francis Xavier was young, and his family’s lands were caught up in political turmoil.

At the age of 19, he began his studies in Paris, where he met St. Ignatius of Loyola. St. Ignatius was planning to found the Society of Jesus. St. Ignatius soon won the confidence of St. Francis Xavier and his friend, Pierre Favre. The trio recruited four other students who would become novitiates of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits.

Visit our special page dedicated to St. Francis Xavier, created to help you connect with his story and his powerful example of faith.

St. Bibiana and her sister were born into a Roman noble family and raised in the Christian faith. Her parents were Christians and faced persecution from the Roman Governor Apronianus.

After her father was severely scourged and exiled, he died of his wounds, leaving St. Bibiana and her mother and sister impoverished. Her mother and her sister, Demetria, died a natural death, leaving St. Bibiana alone.

Visit our special page dedicated to St. Bibiana, created to help you connect with her story and his powerful example of faith.

“My God, if you exist, let me come to know you.”

These words became a prayer that St. Charles de Foucauld said in the middle of the Sahara Desert among Muslim people. While he admired their strong faith, he wanted to introduce them to Christ.

Born into an aristocratic family in Strasbourg, France, St. Charles experienced much loss in his early years. He was orphaned at the age of six and taken in by his paternal grandmother, who also soon passed away. Although a loving maternal grandfather raised him, he drifted from the Catholic Faith. Later, he served in the military and traveled in Algeria and Morocco.

Visit our special page dedicated to St. Charles de Foucauld, created to help you connect with his story and his powerful example of faith.