<p>John was born in Portugal on March 8, 1495. He worked variously as a soldier of fortune, an overseer of slaves, a shepherd, a crusader, a bodyguard, and a peddler. Wracked by guilt over his wasted life, he sought the counsel of John of Avila, a preacher and missionary, who helped him find a new purpose in life. John of God dedicated himself to the care of the sick and the poor. Others joined him and they became known as the Order of Brothers Hospitallers or Brothers of St John of God. John died on his birthday in 1550 and was canonized in 1690.

<p><strong>[Antoine Daniel, Gabriel Lalemant, Charles Garnier, Noël Chabanel, René Goupil and Jean de la Lande]</strong></p>

<p>Francesco Forgione (1887-1968) was born in the Italian village of Pietrelcina. He entered the novitiate of the Capuchin Friars at the age of 16, taking the name Pio ('pious'), and was ordained in 1910. He lived for over 50 years at the friary of San Giovanni Rotondo, devoted to a life of ministry through sacramental reconciliation and celebration of the eucharist, and helping countless people who sought his counsel. Pope Paul VI said of him: "Look what fame he had, what a worldwide following gathered around him! But why? Perhaps because he was a philosopher?

Frances was born in 1384 in Rome. She was happily married and had three children. The death in infancy of two of her children taught Frances compassion for others who were grieving and less fortunate. She took food to the poor, visited the sick and the needy in their homes to care for them, even bringing them firewood to heat their rooms.

<p>The apostle Matthew has two names in the gospels: Matthew and Levi. Since only the name Matthew is entered in the gospel lists of the 12 apostles, it is commonly held that his name was Levi until Jesus called him to be a disciple, then he was called Matthew which means 'gift of God' in Aramaic.</p>

<p>In the early 1600s, Christian communities began to flourish in Korea under the leadership of lay people. In 1836, missionaries from France, members of the Paris Foreign Mission Society, secretly entered the country. The Christian communities began to encounter hostility and, during the persecutions of the mid-19th century, over 10,000 Christians were killed. Andrew Kim, the first Korean priest, was one of these. Paul Chong, a seminarian and catechist, was one of the many lay people who suffered.

<p>Although legends abound concerning the life and work of Patrick, Apostle of Ireland, he tells us about himself in his <em>Confession</em>, a document written near the end of his life. His father was a Roman tax collector and held a position in the government of the Roman settlement, now in Wales. At 16, Patrick, along with many others, was carried off in a pirate raid and sold as a slave in Ireland. He was made a swineherd, living in solitude on a mountain.

<p>Little is known about the life or martyrdom of Januarius. His fame is centred on a relic, said to contain his blood, which is kept in the cathedral at Naples. Early devotion to the saint was based on the belief that Januarius, an Italian bishop, lived in the 4th century and was martyred during the Diocletian persecution, but the records are not reliable.</p>

<p>Robert Bellarmine is one of the Church's great apologists. Born in Tuscany, Italy, in 1542, he entered the Jesuits in 1560 and was renowned for his preaching even before he was ordained in 1570. After years of study and teaching, he was made Professor of Controversial Theology at the Roman College. His lectures were published in his 4-volume <em>Disputations on the Controversies of the Christian Faith against the Heretics of this Time</em> (1586-93).

<p>When Cornelius was elected pope during the Decian persecution (250-51), the Roman See had been vacant for many months following the martyrdom of the previous pope, Fabian, and dissension was rampant in the church. A priest named Novatian tried to usurp Cornelius' place as Bishop of Rome. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, supported Cornelius, his friend and ally, and the teaching of Novatian was condemned in a synod. In 253, under renewed persecution, Cornelius was arrested and banished. He died in exile the same year.</p>