Bl. Francesco Fa脿 di Bruno was a nineteenth-century Italian known for a wide range of activities in his life: mathematics, social reform, and religious music. He was a professor of mathematics and performed most of his work in calculus. He is remembered by Fa脿 di Bruno's formula, his work on elliptic functions, and the numerous students he advised who would go on to make great discoveries. While at the top of the field of mathematics, he was also dedicated to serving the poor in Turin and was a noted social reformer. He is a model of living a life of faith and reason in harmony.

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The Solemnity of the Annunciation celebrates the Angel Gabriel announcing to the Virgin Mary that God chose her to carry His son. The Annunciation thus reminds us of the Incarnation and our redemption. Throughout Church history, many theologians have expounded upon the significance of the Annunciation, and many artists have channeled their religious devotion to paintings of the Annunciation. In the case that the Solemnity of the Annunciation falls during Holy Week or the Octave of Easter, it is moved so that it can still be celebrated. 

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St. Oscar Romero was appointed archbishop of San Salvador in 1977. Romero had a bookish reputation, but this was a time of great political discontent and economic strife in El Salvador. Throughout his time as archbishop, he became known for advocating for the poor and oppressed. Romero used his radio sermons to speak out against the widespread violence and social injustices by both the Salvadoran government and rebels. Even though he knew speaking out against the violence was dangerous, he knew it was necessary to help the Salvadoran people; today he is remembered as a 鈥渧oice for the voiceless鈥�. On March 24, 1980, Romero was assassinated while saying Mass. He was canonized by Pope Francis in 2018. His feast day is recognized by the United Nations as a day to remember those who work for human rights. 

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St. Turibius was born in 1538 in Spain. He was the third Bishop of Lima, Peru when he was appointed in 1580. The diocese was facing many scandals when Turibius was installed, so he focused on reforming the diocese. He then spent his episcopate working to bring the traditions of the Church to the native languages of the people in Lima. He published a trilingual catechism and mandated all seminarians learn the indigenous language, both which helped spread Catholicism in Peru. For his work and life of holiness, he was named the patron of the Bishops of Latin America by Pope John Paul II. In a recent visit to Lima, Pope Francis referred to St. Turibius saying, 鈥淎 bishop with worn soles for walking, for going out to meet to announce the Gospel to all.鈥�

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St. Rafqa Pietra Chobok was known for her personal piety as a Lebanese Maronite nun. From a young age, she knew she wanted to be a nun, and when she was thirty, she officially joined the Mariamette Sisters. She spent her time as a nun in various monasteries throughout Lebanon where her experiences in personal prayer inspired the hard work that she performed in her order. Even as she became more well-known for her personal piety, she remained humble and obedient to her superiors. She was canonized in 2001 by Pope John Paul II.

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St. Joseph is known in the Gospels as a humble carpenter, the husband of Mary, and father of Jesus. Joseph鈥檚 paternal care of Jesus, loving protection of Mary, and his commitment to the education of Jesus led to him being declared patron of the whole Church. Many popes have written about St. Joseph, including Pope Leo XIII in Quamquam pluries and Pope John Paul II in Redemptoris custos. Throughout Church history, many famous pieces of art have depicted scenes in the life of St. Joseph, from Jesus鈥� birth and childhood, to St. Joseph鈥檚 carpentry, to his death. 

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Pilgrimage Site in the United States

• 鈥� Alameda, CA

• 鈥� Fremont, CA

• 鈥� San Jos茅, CA

• 鈥� Santa Cruz, CA

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St. Cyril of Jerusalem lived during the 4th century and is known for his many writings and lectures about theology. His writings about the Liturgy left a distinct mark on the development of the Mass as we know it today. As the Bishop of Jerusalem, Cyril combatted several heresies throughout his life. He worked to spread the developments from the Council of Nicaea, even going into exile to remain faithful to the teachings from the Council. When he returned from exile, his teachings helped spread the faith to all those in Jerusalem. He was declared a Doctor of the Church for his theological writings, many of which survive today. 鈥淭he wider our contemplation of creation, the grander is our conception of God.鈥� -St. Cyril of Jerusalem

St. Patrick was a 5th century missionary to the people of Ireland. According to his autobiography, St. Patrick was captured and sold as a slave in Ireland when he was 16. There, he was forced to work as a shepherd for 6 years until he escaped and returned to his family. Later in his life, he became a priest and heard the Lord鈥檚 call to return to Ireland and spread the Gospel. There are many stories about St. Patrick鈥檚 life, and while their historicity is uncertain, they all show St. Patrick as a fervent missionary for the Irish people.

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Pilgrimage Site in the United States

• 鈥� New York, NY

• 鈥� El Paso, TX

St. Clement Mary Hofbauer was a Redemptorist priest who served in Poland and Austria at the end of the eighteenth century and in the early nineteenth century. He helped found Redemptorist communities in Europe north of Italy since the order had not spread much in Europe since its founding. In Poland, Clement helped establish an academy for abandoned children and was a stabilizing presence to the people of Warsaw during turbulent political times. He spent the last thirteen years of his life in Vienna where he continued his charitable work and preaching, trying to provide stability during unstable times.

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St. Frances of Rome was born in Rome in 1384, and from a young age, she dreamed of becoming a religious. At her father鈥檚 wishes, she reluctantly married a wealthy member of Roman society. From her position of wealth, she would care for the poor and sick in Rome, inspiring other wealthy members of society to do the same. She learned to find sanctity in her vocation as a wife and mother. Frances became a Benedictine oblate, so she could be joined in prayer with the local Benedictine community while doing her familial work. 

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St. John of God spent the beginning of his adult life as a soldier in Spain. After his time in the military, he worked odd jobs, trying to find something he felt called to. When he was 42 years old, St. John of God heard a sermon by St. John of Avila that led to his spiritual conversion. With the spiritual direction of St. John of Avila, St. John of God devoted the last years of his life helping the poor and sick in his city in Spain. Shortly after John of God鈥檚 death in 1550, his followers founded the Brothers Hospitallers to continue caring for the sick throughout the world, modeling after St. John of God. 

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St. Manuel M铆guez Gonz谩lez鈥檚 life spanned the end of the eighteenth century and the beginning of the nineteenth century. During that time, he was known for his scientific interests as well as his focus on educating women who otherwise would not have gotten an education. During his time as a priest in the Piarists, he was transferred to many places throughout Spain. Wherever he went, he would try to use his understanding of the natural sciences to find remedies for the illnesses of his parishioners. Later in his life, he encountered women who were not given the chance to receive any academic training, so he devoted the rest of his life to providing avenues for all women to be educated.

Sts. Perpetua and Felicity were martyrs who lived during the early persecution of the Church. Perpetua and Felicity lived very different lives before their eventual martyrdom. Perpetua was a well-educated noblewoman while Felicity was a slave woman. They became acquainted in prison, awaiting their death for being Christians. The Passion of Perpetua and Felicity is Perpetua鈥檚 diary of their time in prison together before their martyrdom. Being from the early 200s, it is one of the oldest surviving first person writings of the Church. 

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St. Casimir was born into a royal family in the 15th century. Although he was in line to be king, he remained committed to his faith, especially through a life of prayer. He rejected the luxuries of a royal family, even sometimes opting to sleep on the floor. St. Casimir died when he was 25, but even in his young life, his piety left a lasting impact. He is remembered as a patron saint of Lithuania and Poland, and even today there are many celebrations in the Lithuanian capital for his feast. 

St. Katharine Drexel of Philadelphia devoted her life to working with Native American and African American populations. She founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament whose main mission was to support these under-served communities. The order, under Katharine Drexel鈥檚 direction, founded school systems and missions across the country for Native Americans and African Americans. In 1915, at the request of the Archbishop of New Orleans, Katharine started Xavier University of Louisiana, the only Catholic, historically black university in the United States. 鈥淚f we wish to serve God and love our neighbor well, we must manifest our joy in the service we render to Him and them.鈥� -St. Katharine Drexel

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Pilgrimage Site in the United States

• , 鈥� Philadelphia, PA

St. Gabriel Possenti was born in 1838 in Italy and spent much of his teenage years pursuing girls and social recognition. After great tragedy struck his family at the end of his teenage years, he decided to enter the Passionists because of his new devotion to Christ in the Passion. He took the name Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows because his own grief led to a growing devotion to the sorrows of Mary. When he was still a Passionist student and only twenty-three years old, he died of tuberculosis. Pope Benedict XV declared him a patron of youth and of those studying to be priests.

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Saint Gregory of Narek was an Armenian Abbot who lived at the end of the 10th century. Even though little is known about his life, much of his literary work survives today. Gregory penned many works and commentaries throughout his life, including commentaries on the Song of Songs and the Book of Job. His most famous piece is the mystical compilation of prayers titled Book of Lamentations. This piece includes 95 prayers written as a long poem, discussing the pursuit of perfection and the inability to achieve it. It is considered a masterpiece of Armenian literature, and recently it has been translated into many languages. "I am a living book/Written like the scroll in the vision of Ezekiel/Inside and out, Listing lamentations, moaning, and woe." -Book of Lamentations

St. Polycarp was a follower of St. John the Evangelist. He had the opportunity to learn about the life of Jesus from those who had walked with the Lord during his time on earth. St. Polycarp was in the second generation of Church leaders, and he had to navigate a lot of questions and heresies in the absence of the apostles. When making challenging decisions for the early Church, he tried to imitate the grace and charity of Jesus. Polycarp became Bishop of Smyrna. His preaching influenced St. Irenaeus, many of whose works survive today. For Polycarp鈥檚 work developing theology in the early Church, he is considered one of the Apostolic Fathers, a group of theologians in the early Church who directly knew the Apostles.

St. Lazarus Zographos was the first saint to be canonized specifically as an iconographer. He lived in the ninth century in Armenia. Unfortunately, this was a period of strict resistance to religious icons, so the writing of icons was outlawed. Lazarus, however, believed in the power of icons to help people contemplate the deep mysteries of the faith. When he wrote icons, he sought to draw upon his own prayer and faith in order to help those who would view his icons in the future. His life was cut short due to the persecution he faced as he continued his iconography, even writing icons while in jail for opposing iconoclasm.

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The Feast of the Chair of St. Peter is celebrated to remember the words that Jesus said to Peter; 鈥淵ou are Peter, and on this rock I shall build my Church.鈥� -Matthew 16:18. The chair serves as a symbol of authority, particularly of the papacy. It symbolizes the Pope鈥檚 role as both a teacher and a pastor. 鈥淲hatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.鈥� -Matthew 16:19

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