<p>François de Montmorency Laval (1623-1708) was the first bishop of Quebec City. Born in France to a noble family, he was educated by the Jesuits and ordained in 1647. Despite controversy, he was made bishop in 1658 and arrived in New France the following year. In 1663, he founded the Seminary of Quebec (now Laval University) in order to supply priests for his vast diocese which extended to all the French-speaking territory of North America. He later established a minor seminary and an industrial school.

<p>Paulinus was born in Bordeaux, around the year 353. Rich in land, culture and learning, he became a prominent lawyer and held public offices while still young. He married a Spanish noblewoman, Therasia, and was baptized in 389, after the death of his infant son. This event changed his life. He and his wife moved to Spain where they began to divest themselves of their estates for the benefit of the poor. About 394, at the insistence of the people of Barcelona, he was ordained a priest.

<p>(John) Mark is the author of the earliest and shortest Gospel. All our knowledge of Mark is gleaned from Scripture. He was a member of the first Christian community in Jerusalem. His mother, Mary, owned a house in Jerusalem, which the Christians used as a place of prayer during Peter's imprisonment under Herod Agrippa I (see Acts 12.12).</p>

<p>Julian was born in 1811 near Grenoble, France. His father expected his only son to take over the family business and so repeatedly refused Julian's requests to be allowed to study for the priesthood. Working in the family's walnut-oil press, Julian secretly studied whenever he found a spare moment. At age 17, he worked briefly for a chaplain in a home for the mentally ill but, when his mother died, he returned home to help his father.

<p>The life of Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) virtually spanned the 18th century. Born in Naples of distinguished parents, he demonstrated intellectual ability at an early age and became a doctor of civil law at 17. His brilliant career as a lawyer suddenly came to an end when, in 1723, he lost a very important case by overlooking a small point in the evidence. He admitted his error and subsequently resigned.</p>

<p>This title honouring Mary appears early in Christian history. In return for financial assistance in renovating the church of Saint Mary Major in Rome, Pope Sixtus III (432-440) granted land to the people of Genazzano, Italy. Eventually, a church consecrated to Our Lady of Good Counsel was built on this land and entrusted to the care of the Augustinian Order.</p>

<p>Born in Saint-Malo, France, Louis-Marie Grignion (1673-1716) was the founder of the Company of Mary, the Daughters of Wisdom and the Brothers of Saint Gabriel. Ordained in 1700, he was first appointed chaplain to a hospital in Poitiers. While his introduction of much needed reforms led to the beginning of a congregation for women staff members, it also stirred up resentment and he was forced to leave. He began instead to preach missions for the poor and again, his success caused resentment and he was forced to stop.</p>

<p>The gospels tell us nothing about Mary's parents, Jesus' grandparents, not even their names. All we know comes from writings excluded from the canon of Scripture, in particular the Protogospel of James. Nevertheless, the cult of Saint Anne existed in the 6th century in the Church of Constantinople and early in the 8th century in Rome. In the 13th and 14th centuries, popular devotion to Anne increased, as seen by the number of churches bearing her name. At the request of some English bishops petitioned by parishioners, Pope Urban VI made her feast an annual celebration.

<p>The apostle James, son of Zebedee and brother of John the Evangelist, was a fisherman. The gospels tell us that James and John left their father and followed Jesus as soon as he called them. The brothers must have shared an impetuous temperament since Jesus refers to them as "Sons of Thunder." Along with Peter, the brothers were particularly close to the Lord, being present at the raising of Jairus' daughter, the transfiguration, and in the garden of Gethsemani.</p>

<p>Catherine was born in Siena, Italy, in 1347. She was the twenty-fifth and youngest child of Jacopo and Lapa Benincasa. At the age of seven, following a vision of Christ in glory, she is reported to have vowed her virginity to God. She joined the Dominican Third Order in 1365 and spent some years in seclusion from the world, fasting and praying. In 1368, after a vision where Christ accepted her as his "bride," she felt called to carry this love to others.