Feast day: April 30 (optional memorial) Patron of: No widely recognized patronage; remembered especially for the feast of the Rosary. About Pope St. Pius V Michele Ghislieri was born in 1504 in Bosco, in northern Italy, to a poor family, and worked as a shepherd before joining the Dominicans at fourteen. He became a respected teacher of theology, a bishop, and a cardinal, known for his austerity and strict devotion to duty. In 1566 he was elected pope and took the name Pius V

Catholics have always prayed for the Successor of Peter, the Bishop of Rome, who has the task of teaching, sanctifying, and governing the universal Church and of preserving its unity. The Pope is named in every Eucharistic Prayer at Mass, and praying for him personally is a simple act of love for the Church. This traditional collect, used in the Mass and in old prayer books, asks God to help the Holy Father lead by word and example and reach eternal life together with the flo

Feast day: December 11 (optional memorial) Patron of: Archaeologists (by popular association). About Pope St. Damasus I St. Damasus I was pope from 366 to 384. Born in Rome around 305, the son of a priest of Spanish origin, he served as a deacon of the Roman Church before his election, which was bitterly contested by a rival faction and led to violence in the city. Despite this difficult beginning, his long pontificate strengthened the Church at a time when Christianity was b

St. Peter, the fisherman Simon whom Jesus renamed "Rock," was the first among the Apostles. When he confessed, "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God," Jesus answered, "Thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church" (Matthew 16:16-18). Although Peter denied the Lord three times, he wept bitterly, was restored by the risen Christ, and ultimately gave his life as a martyr in Rome. This prayer asks St. Peter for a strong, living faith and the grace never to deny

Feast day: November 10 (Memorial of St. Leo the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church) Patron of: No widely recognized patronage. About Pope St. Leo the Great St. Leo I, pope from 440 to 461, is one of only two popes whom history calls "the Great." Probably born in Tuscany or Rome, he served as a deacon of the Roman Church and was an influential adviser before being elected pope while away on a diplomatic mission in Gaul. Leo's pontificate came as the Western Roman Empire was

Feast day: October 22 (optional memorial) Patron of: World Youth Day and families (by popular devotion). About Pope St. John Paul II Karol Wojtyła was born in 1920 in Wadowice, Poland. By the age of twenty he had lost his mother, his only brother, and his father. During the Nazi occupation he worked in a quarry and a chemical plant, acted in an underground theater, and studied for the priesthood in a secret seminary. Ordained in 1946, he became a professor, a much-loved chapl

Feast day: September 3 (Memorial of St. Gregory the Great, Pope and Doctor of the Church) Patron of: Popes, teachers, musicians, and singers. About Pope St. Gregory the Great St. Gregory was born into a noble Roman family around 540 and served as prefect of the city before giving away his wealth, turning his family home into a monastery, and becoming a monk. He was sent as papal representative to Constantinople and, in 590, was elected pope, very much against his own wishes,

Feast day: August 21 (Memorial of St. Pius X, Pope) Patron of: First communicants (by popular devotion). About Pope St. Pius X Giuseppe Sarto was born in 1835 in Riese, a village near Venice, the son of a village postman and a seamstress. He was ordained a priest in 1858 and served as a curate, a parish priest, a seminary director, bishop of Mantua, and patriarch of Venice, never losing his simple pastoral warmth. In 1903 he was elected pope and took the name Pius X, with the

Feast day: June 29 (Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul); February 22 (Feast of the Chair of St. Peter) Patron of: Popes, the universal Church, and fishermen. About St. Peter the Apostle Simon, a fisherman from Bethsaida working on the Sea of Galilee, was one of the first disciples called by Jesus. When Simon confessed, "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God," Jesus gave him a new name: "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church," and promised him the keys o

Feast day: January 20 (optional memorial) Patron of: No widely recognized patronage. About Pope St. Fabian St. Fabian was a layman who became bishop of Rome in the year 236. The historian Eusebius records a remarkable story about his election. When the Christians of Rome gathered to choose a new pope, a dove came down and settled on Fabian's head, and the people, taking it as a sign from the Holy Spirit, acclaimed him at once, although he was not even among the candidates bei

Feast day: December 31 (optional memorial) Patron of: No widely recognized patronage. About Pope St. Sylvester I St. Sylvester I was bishop of Rome from 314 to 335, one of the longest pontificates of the early Church. He was elected just after the emperor Constantine had granted freedom of worship to Christians, and so he guided the Church through the great change from persecution to peace. Many later legends grew up around him, including the story that he baptized Constantin