Franciscan Media

A man of humble background, and wanting to maintain a simple lifestyle, Saint Pius X endured the trappings of the papacy as best he could.

Wanting to be a simple monk in the quiet of a monastery, Bernard of Clairvaux was called instead to be a very active member of the Church in his day.

Saint John Eudes was a noted preacher and confessor. He founded several seminaries because he saw the need for clerical formation. He also founded a couple of religious communities to address other needs that he saw. Saint John had a great devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Born into royalty and headed for the throne of his father, Saint Louis of Toulouse renounced his status, became a Franciscan, and was named a bishop. It was during the years that he was held hostage and under the tutelage of the Friars, that Saint Louis began to realize his call to something other than the throne.

Transformation from greedy and surly businesswoman to saint is the story of Saint Joan of the Cross. Her conversion is credited to an elderly woman who most people thought was crazy, but who reached Saint Joan’s heart. Joan of the Cross went on to found a religious congregation and several charitable institutions.

Stephen of Hungary was both a king and a Christian. So, he embodied both the civil and the religious aspects of life in his person. Saint Stephen expressed those aspects in the best way he knew how according to his culture and period of history.