“My Lord and my God”

Thomas, also called Didymus (which means “Twin”), was part of the small group of disciples chosen by Jesus from the very beginning of His public ministry. He was one of the Twelve Apostles, as emphasized by the Evangelist John. John also recounts several episodes that help us understand Thomas’s personality.

A Theologian in the Service of Pastoral Ministry

Inspired by the example of his cousin Pietro, who was a few years older, Giovanni Becchetti entered the Augustinian convent in Fabriano, in the Marches region of Italy, at a very young age. We do not know the exact date of his birth, but it can be placed in the second half of the fourteenth century.

True Witnesses of the Gospel

The center of the veneration of Saints Julius and Aaron is Caerleon, a Celtic name meaning “City of the Legions” (Quadrata Legionum). Caerleon, located in southern Wales, was a fortress permanently occupied by the Second Augustan Legion from 75 to 431 AD.

Faithful to Christ unto the ultimate sacrifice

The memory of the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome is celebrated immediately after the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. This commemoration has always been connected to the location of the Circus built by Emperor Caligula, later known as Nero’s Circus. It stood in the Gardens of Agrippina (Caligula’s mother), on the southern slope of the Vatican Hill, from where the Via Aurelia, Via Cornelia, and Via Triumphalis began.

United in martyrdom for the love of Christ

“Basing itself on the tradition of the fathers, knows that they did not actually suffer in the course of the same day between sunrise and sunset. So Paul suffered on Peter's birthday (natalitium), not the day he emerged from his mother's womb to join the ranks of mankind, but the one on which he was released from the bonds of the flesh and born into the light of the angels.

Doctor unitatis

“Saint Irenaeus of Lyon, who came from the East, exercised his episcopal ministry in the West: he was a spiritual and theological bridge between Eastern and Western Christians. His name, Irenaeus, expresses that peace which comes from the Lord and which reconciles, restoring unity.” Thus spoke Pope Francis in the decree conferring the title of Doctor of the Church upon Saint Irenaeus of Lyon.

Defender of the title “Mother of God”

He is described as the “guardian of exactness,” that is, the guardian of the true faith, and the “seal of the Fathers.” This is Cyril, probably born in Alexandria around 370. He spent several years in a monastery and later, in 403, accompanied his uncle Theophilus, Bishop of Alexandria, to Constantinople to take part in the Synod known as the Synod of the Oak, during which Patriarch John Chrysostom was condemned and deposed.

The Saint of everyday life

He is known as “the Saint of everyday life” because he taught that even the simplest actions of daily life can lead to holiness. This is Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer, founder of the movement Opus Dei. Born on January 9, 1902, in Barbastro, Spain, he received a strong Christian upbringing.

Pilgrim, founder of the Abbey of Montevergine and of the Benedictine Congregation closely linked to the monastery. He is known as William of Vercelli or William of Montevergine.

Born in Vercelli Italy around 1085 into a noble family, William began journeying across Europe at just 14 years old. He abandoned his noble garments, donned a simple cloak, and set out barefoot on a long pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of Saint James of Compostela in Spain.