<p>Damasus was born in Rome about 305. His father, who was likely of Spanish descent, was a priest. Damasus also became a priest and in 366, he was chosen pope. He commissioned Jerome to translate the Bible into Latin, a version known as the <em>Vulgate</em>. Damasus died in 384.©2011 <em>Living with Christ, </em>Novalis - Bayard Press Canada Inc., <strong>http://www.livingwithchrist.ca/</strong&gt;. Reprinted with permission.</p>

<p>On this date in 1531, the Blessed Virgin appeared to aboriginal convert Juan Diego at Tepeyac, near Mexico City. She told him that a church should be built at the site of her appearance. On another visit, Our Lady sent Juan Diego to gather flowers and present them to the bishop. When he did so, the flowers fell from his cape, revealing a painted image of the Blessed Virgin. This relic is preserved in the Basilica of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico.

<p>Thomas was born near Aquino, Italy, about 1225 and educated at the Benedictine Monastery at Monte Cassino from the age of five. At 19, against his family's wishes, he joined the newly formed Dominicans and studied in Italy and France. With his teacher Albert the Great, he developed the theological 'Scholastic method,' which dominated Catholic teaching for centuries. He wrote many books; his most famous work is the <em>Summa theologiae</em>, perhaps the greatest exposition of theological thought ever composed.

<p>A feast dedicated to Mary's conception first appeared in the 7th century and by the 12th century it was firmly established in England. In the 13th century, great thinkers such as St Bernard and St Thomas Aquinas debated whether Mary could have been born without original sin if, as St Paul says, all persons are born in sin (Romans 5.12). By the 19th century, the theological debate was resolved and in 1854 Pius IX defined the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception as a dogma of faith.

<p>Ambrose was born into the aristocracy in Trier, Germany, about 340, and served the powerful Roman Empire. As governor, he intervened in a dispute over the election of the bishop of Milan. Although he was only a catechumen, the laity elected him as bishop. He hesitated at first, but later was baptized and ordained. Ambrose became a remarkable preacher and teacher of the faith. His most famous student was Augustine of Hippo, whom he baptized. Ambrose died in 397.

<p>Little is known about the early life of Nicholas. In the early 4th century he was made Bishop of Myra in Lycia (now Turkey). Famous for his charity, he became the focus of popular cults and devotions in the early Middle Ages. He was so popular that he was chosen joint patron of Russia with Saint Andrew; he is also a patron of sailors and children.

<p>John was born in Piedmont, Italy, in 1815. He studied for the priesthood and was ordained in Turin. After visiting a prison while still a young priest and seeing the fate of children imprisoned there, he resolved to devote himself to working among disadvantaged boys. He formed the Salesian Society, named after Francis de Sales (see January 24), and began educating boys of the poor and working classes. He held classes in the evenings, in factories, in fields - wherever there was a need.

<p>John was born into a Christian family in Damascus about 675. After working at the court of the khalif in Damascus, he became a monk and later a priest near Bethlehem. The last of the Greek Fathers of the Church, John was a renowned scholar. One of his best-known works, <em>The Fountain of Wisdom</em>, had a great influence on later theology. He also wrote hymns and homilies in honour of the Blessed Virgin.

<p>Francis was born in 1506 in Navarre, Spain. He met St Ignatius Loyola at the University of Paris, and was one of the first members of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Francis spent many years working as a missionary with the peoples of Goa, South East Asia, and Japan. He had excellent organizational skills: the communities he established continued to flourish long after his departure. Francis died while on his way from Goa to China, in 1552.

<p>Andrew came from Bethsaida in Galilee and, like his father and his brother Simon, he was a fisherman. A disciple of John the Baptist, Andrew was present at Jesus' baptism. When John stated "Behold the Lamb of God," Andrew understood and followed Jesus. Going to his brother Simon Peter, Andrew told him that he had found the Messiah. Thus Andrew is known as the first disciple of Jesus. Later, when Jesus chose his apostles, Andrew was among the Twelve.</p>