Saints

St John Neumann American bishop. John Neumann was born in 1811 in what is now the Czech Republic. After studying in Prague, he came to New York at 25 and was ordained a priest. He did missionary work in New York until he was 29, when he joined the Redemptorists and became its first member to profess vows in the United States. He continued missionary work in Maryland, Virginia and Ohio, where he ... Read More

St Elizabeth Seton Wife and foundress. She was the first native-born American woman to be canonised. Born in New York in 1774 to a prominent Episcopalian family, her father Richard Bailey, was a professor of anatomy. At 20 she married William Seton, an import-export trader. Their marriage was a happy one and they had five children, but in 1803, Richard died. Elizabeth became a Catholic in 1805 ... Read More

Canadian laybrother. Alfred Bessette was born on August 9, 1845, near Montreal in Quebec province, Canada, the eighth of twelve children. When Alfred was nine, his father, a wood cutter, died in a work accident. Three years later, his mother died of TB. The children were separated and placed in different homes. Alfred went to live with an aunt and uncle. Because his family had been so poor and h... Read More