If chronic poor health had not prevented her, Elisabeth Leseur, a French woman who died in 1914 at the age of forty-eight, would have devoted time and talents to service of the needy. More »

The story you are about to read is the earliest known account of a Christian martyrdom. Written about AD 156, within a year of the event it describes, it is an authentic eyewitness report of the heroic death of an elderly man named Polycarp. More »

Although a priest and never married, St. John Bosco (1815–1888) was a naturally gifted parent. For nearly a half-century of ministry in Turin, Italy, Don Bosco was a wonderful dad to hundreds of homeless boys. More »

St. Paul was probably the greatest evangelist in the history of the church. He took the gospel from Jerusalem and spread it far and wide. Paul was a master builder, for he not only evangelized people: He challenged them to grow in holiness, and he formed churches wherever he went. More »

I was in my early thirties when the Holy Spirit inspired me to have a regular morning prayer time. There were only two problems: my two little ones! They were very early risers, so my best-laid plans for a quiet time were often thwarted. More »

Laura Vicuna was born just three months after a civil war had erupted in Chile in 1891, so her life was in danger soon after it began. Claudio Vicuna, a relative of her father, was a prominent figure in the war—which left him with many enemies. More »

I discerned a call to the priesthood through the many events of my life, some of which were very sad and painful. Yet it was in each one of these experiences that I most deeply felt my call to share the love of Christ Jesus with a hurting world. These events seemed to come together, almost like a puzzle, and in them I was able to hear the Lord’s will for my life. More »

You want to cheer when the magi appear on the horizon in chapter two of Matthew’s Gospel. After all, the Savior of the world, God in the flesh, has been born! History’s central event has taken place! And although Jesus slipped in among us more like an undercover agent than a conquering hero, how right and fitting that a special delegation would make a special effort to welcome the newborn King. More »