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Winchester, VA - Saint Aurelius was the son of a Moor and a Spanish woman who lived during the Moorish persecutions of the 9th century. When he was orphaned, he was raised by his Christian aunt. He married a half-Moorish woman named Sabigotho, who upon her conversion to Christianity took the name Natalia. They were beheaded together by the Muslims along with their friend George, a monk from Jerusalem, for the […]

Winchester, VA - Saints Anne and Joachim are the grandparents of Our Blessed Lord. Their names were recorded in the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James, dating to the mid-second century, and other early sources dating up to the sixth century include details about their lives. Joachim was a Galilean who settled down with Ann at the Sheep Gate of Jerusalem. They lived a charitable existence, but remained childless, which at the time […]

Winchester, VA - James was the son of Zebedee and Salome, and the brother of Saint John the Beloved. The brothers were out repairing their nets one day with their father when Jesus called them to be his disciples. They followed without delay and earned the name “Sons of Thunder.” James was one of the three witnesses of the Transfiguration. After Jesus' ascension, James evangalized peoples across Israel, the Roman Empire, […]

Winchester, VA - Saint Kinga, also called Cunegonde, is the patroness of Poland and Lithuania. She was born in 1224, the daughter of King Bela IV of Hungary. Her sisters are  Saint Margaret of Hungary and Blessed Jolenta of Poland. But her saintly connections do not end there! She was also the niece of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary and great grand-niece of Saint Hedwig. It was arranged that Kinga would marry […]

Winchester, VA - Caesare de Rossi was born in the year 1559 in Naples and joined the Capuchins at Verona at sixteen, taking the name Lawrence. Having completed extensive higher studies he was assigned to work on converting the Jews and combating Lutheranism. Lawrence raised a victorious army among German rulers to fight the Turks, who were on the verge of conquering Hungary. He was Vicar General of the Capuchins and […]

Winchester, VA - There is not a lot of information about Saint Paul of Saint Zoilus. What we do know of him is that he was a deacon from Cordoba, Spain who was a member of the monastery of Saint Zoilus. He ministered to the Christians who were imprisoned by the Muslims and was beheaded by the Muslims in 851. St. Paul of Saint Zoilus was one of 48 Christians, mostly […]

Winchester, VA - Born around the year 330, Saint Macrina the Younger came from a religiously illustrious family. Her grandmother, parents, and four siblings are all Catholic saints. She was engaged to be married at 12, but her fiance died before the wedding. She then proceeded to consecrate herself to Jesus as a virgin, living a life of prayer, study of sacred texts, and sacrifice, spending much time helping to form […]

Winchester, VA - Patron saint of nurses, Camillus de Lellis was born in Italy in 1550.  First a soldier with an aggressive temperment and a penchant for gambling, Camillus had a conversion at the age of 25 and tried to join the Capuchins but a persistent leg injury prevented his admission. He then went to Rome and entered the Hospital of Saint James, and while there, noticed the poor treatment received […]