<p>Gregory was born about the year 540 into a wealthy Roman family. After serving briefly and with great distinction as Chief Magistrate of Rome, Gregory resigned to become a Benedictine monk and used his great wealth to establish several monasteries. In 578 he was ordained deacon and sent to Constantinople as papal ambassador.</p>

<p>After John's birth, his father Zechariah spoke Isaiah's prophecy ('Benedictus'), saying that his son John would prepare the way of the Lord. Luke writes that John lived alone in the wilderness until "the word of God came to him," then began to travel around the countryside, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, thus fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah.</p>

<p>Augustine lived from 354 to 430. He was born in North Africa, the son of Patricius and Monica (see August 27). He went to university at Carthage to study rhetoric, intending to become a lawyer, but there he became interested in philosophy and literature instead. Searching for an answer to the problem of evil, he became a follower of Mani, a Persian prophet, whose philosophy promised to explain all that exists.

<p>Monica was born in North Africa in 332 of Christian parents. At a young age, she was given in marriage to Patricius; they had three children. Unfortunately, Patricius was a pagan with a good heart but bad habits, a violent temper, and a mother who was hostile to Monica. Patricius criticized his wife's piety and her generosity to the poor, but was always respectful of her person. Monica's influence was such that both husband and mother-in-law converted to Christianity. In 371, a year after his baptism, Patricius died.</p>

<p>Francis of Paola is the founder of the Minim Friars, minim coming from the Latin 'minimi,' meaning 'the least' in God's household. Francis lived from about 1416 to 1507. Born in Italy, he spent his 13th year in a Franciscan friary, learning to read. Following a year's pilgrimage with his parents, he retired to a cave to live as a hermit. After 17 years, his disciples were so numerous and were so dearly loved by the townspeople that they built the young order a church and a monastery.</p>

<p>Born in 1214, Louis IX became King of France at the age of 12. His mother acted as regent until his majority, overcoming all opposition to her son's rightful claims. Louis married Marguerite, the daughter of a count, and they had a happy marriage and 11 children.</p>

<p>Born in Spain in 1350, Vincent joined the Dominicans in 1367. They sent him to study and teach philosophy throughout Europe. Despite his stern interpretation of the Christian message, Vincent became an amazingly successful preacher, converting thousands. He was also a key figure in ending the Western Schism.

<p>The synoptic gospels (Matthew, Mark and Luke) and the Acts of the Apostles count Bartholomew as one of the 12 apostles, associating his name with Philip. John's gospel links the name Nathaniel with Philip and never mentions Bartholomew. Apart from that, we know little about him.</p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 4pt 0cm 0pt;">Rose lived from 1586 to 1617, and in 1671 she became the first canonized saint of the New World. Of Spanish parentage, she was born in Lima, Peru, and stayed there all her life. While still young, Rose chose for herself a life of prayer and penance which she practised to the extreme, subjecting her body to austerities as well as deprivation of food and sleep. As a result, she endured interior periods of darkness and desolation as well as mystical experiences.

<p>John Baptist de la Salle is the founder of the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools and a patron of teachers. His great achievements for the sake of education began quite unexpectedly.</p>