religion people

St. Peter

The Rock, leader of the Apostles, and the first Pope of the Catholic Church.

St. Paul

The Apostle to the Gentiles who wrote the Epistles following his conversion on the road to Damascus.

St. Stephen

The first Christian martyr (protomartyr), stoned to death by the Sanhedrin.

St. Justin Martyr

Early Christian philosopher who wrote the 'First Apology' to defend the Eucharist.

St. Ignatius of Antioch

Early bishop and martyr who wrote a famous 'Letter to the Romans' on his way to execution.

St. Ignatius of Antioch

Early bishop and martyr who wrote a famous 'Letter to the Romans' on his way to execution.

St. Maximilian Kolbe

Franciscan priest who voluntarily took the place of a stranger marked for death in Auschwitz.

St. José Sánchez del Río

A 14-year-old Mexican boy martyred during the Cristero War, known for saying 'Viva Cristo Rey!'.

Blessed Miguel Pro

Jesuit priest executed during Mexican religious suppression, shouting 'Viva Cristo Rey.'

St. Benedict of Nursia

Founder of Western monasticism at Monte Cassino; wrote the Rule of St. Benedict 'ora et labora'.

St. Anthony of Egypt

The father of Christian monasticism who practiced intense asceticism in the desert.

St. Dominic

Founder of the Order of Preachers (Dominicans) to combat heresy; spread the Rosary.

St. Ignatius of Loyola

Soldier turned mystic; founded the Jesuit Order and authored the 'Spiritual Exercises.'

St. Teresa of Avila

Carmelite reformer, mystic, and Doctor of the Church who wrote extensively on prayer.

St. Thérèse of Lisieux

The Little Flower, a Carmelite nun who taught the 'Little Way' of spiritual poverty.

St. Augustine of Hippo

Son of Monica; a monumental theologian who wrote 'The Confessions.'

St. Monica

The mother of St. Augustine who prayed faithfully for decades for his conversion.

St. Thomas Aquinas

Dominican friar and brilliant theologian who wrote the 'Summa Theologica.'

Pope St. John Paul II

Modern Pope who championed human dignity ('Evangelium Vitae') and faith and reason ('Fides et Ratio').

St. Francis of Assisi

Saint who embraced radical humility, simplicity, and poverty; received the stigmata.

Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Founder of the Missionaries of Charity, dedicated to serving the poorest of the poor.

Blessed William Joseph Chaminade

Priest who survived the French Revolution and founded the Society of Mary (Marianists).

Venerable Marie-Thérèse Charlotte de Lamourous

Collaborator with Father Chaminade who founded 'The Miséricorde' refuge in Bordeaux.

Blessed Marie of the Conception (Adèle de Batz)

Collaborator with Father Chaminade who helped found the Daughters of Mary Immaculate.

Blessed Jakob Gapp

Marianist priest who spoke out against Nazi ideology and was martyred.

St. Ulric

The first saint in history to be officially canonized by a Pope (993 AD).

Patriarch Michael Cerularios

The Patriarch of Constantinople who excommunicated Cardinal Humbert, sparking the Great Schism of 1054.

Cardinal Humbert

Papal legate who placed a bull of excommunication on the altar of Hagia Sophia, triggering the Great Schism.

Constantine

Roman Emperor who legalized Christianity across the Roman Empire with the Edict of Milan in 313 AD.

Martin Luther

German monk who posted the Ninety-five Theses in 1517, kicking off the Protestant Reformation.

Johannes Tetzel

Dominican friar infamous for aggressively selling indulgences, which provoked Martin Luther.

Philip Melanchthon

Luther's collaborator who drafted the Augsburg Confession, defining Lutheran doctrine.

John Calvin

Protestant reformer who wrote 'Institutes of the Christian Religion' and established a strict theocracy in Geneva.

Henry VIII

King of England who broke away from the Catholic Church to form the Church of England after being denied an annulment.

Catherine of Aragon

The first wife of King Henry VIII; her inability to produce a male heir led to Henry's split from Rome.

St. Isaac Jogues

Jesuit missionary who brought the Gospel to North America and was martyred.

St. Kateri Tekakwitha

The first Native American saint, recognized for her deep faith and virtue.

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

The first native-born American saint; founded the Catholic parochial school system in the US.

St. John Neumann

Bishop of Philadelphia who organized the first diocesan parochial school system.

Mother Cabrini (St. Frances Xavier Cabrini)

Patron saint of immigrants; founded schools and hospitals for Italian immigrants in America.

Pope John XXIII

The Pope who called and convened the Second Vatican Council (Vatican II) in 1962.

Pope Paul VI

The Pope who concluded Vatican II and wrote the encyclical 'Humanae Vitae' defending traditional marriage and life.

Pope Benedict XVI

Brilliant theologian Pope who focused on re-evangelizing the West and served until his resignation.

Pope Francis

Pope, noted for his focus on mercy, humility, and the margins of society.