The First Martyrs of the Church of Rome
The First Martyrs of the Church of Rome were early Christians persecuted and killed under Emperor Nero's reign, post the Great Fire of Rome, in 64 A.D.
Saint Peter
Saint Peter, Prince of the Apostles, the 1st Pope, and founder, with Saint Paul, of the see of Rome. The Rock upon which Christ built his Church.
Saint Paul
Saint Paul converted on the road to Damascus, preached Jesus Christ as the Son of God, and fled due to opposition.
Saint Irenaeus
Saint Irenaeus was an Early Church Father who exposed Gnosticism through influential writings, defending and preserving the Catholic faith.
Saint Cyril of Alexandria
Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Patriarch of Alexandria, was an anti-Nestorian theologian who clarified doctrines of the Trinity and Incarnation.
Saint Josemaria Escriva
Saint Josemaria Escriva was the founder the Priestly Society of the Holy Cross, united to Opus Dei.
Saint William of Vercelli
Saint William of Vercelli, orphaned young, made a pilgrimage at 15, living in austere contemplation on a mountain near Zaragoza.
Solemnity Of The Nativity of John The Baptist
The birth of St. John the Baptist was foretold by an angel of the Lord to his father, Zachary, who was offering incense in the Temple. It was the office of St. John to prepare the way for Christ, and before he was born into the world he began to live for the Incarnate God. Even in the womb he knew the presence of Jesus and of Mary, and he leaped with joy at the glad coming of the son of man. In his youth he remained hidden, because He for Whom he waited was hidden also.
Saint Ethelreda
Ethelreda, known as Saint Audrey, was an English princess who founded Ely Abbey and is the namesake for the word "tawdry."
Saint Thomas More
Saint Thomas More is the patron Saint of politicians, statesmen, and lawyers. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London for refusing to acknowledge Henry VIII as supreme head of the Church of England. He was eventually beheaded on July 6, 1535 his last words being ""I die the king's good servant, but God's first."
