Saints

Born in 1117, the son of prosperous merchants, Rainier enjoyed a wild youth. He loved music and dancing, partying all night with friends, then sleeping all day. But when he was about 23, his aunt introduced him to a wandering monk who persuaded him there was more to life than dissipation and self-indulgence. St Ranier's change of heart was so dramatic, his parents feared for his sanity. He walke... Read More

St John Regis French Jesuit priest. Born near Narbonne in 1597, John Francis Regis was the son of a well-to-do merchant. He joined the Jesuits at 18 and was ordained in 1631. as a young priest he longed to work as a missionary among the indigenous peoples of Canada, but he was to live out his vocation in France, running missions in the very poor rural areas of the Auvergne and Languedoc. A tirel... Read More

Matt Talbot can be considered the patron of men and women struggling with alcoholism. Born in Dublin in 1856, his father worked on the docks and had a difficult time supporting his family. After a few years of schooling, Matt obtained work as a messenger for some liquor merchants; there he began to drink excessively and soon became an alcoholic. For 15 years, until he was 30, he drank heavily. ... Read More