January 23 - St. Josef Freinademetz

Happy memorial of St. Josef Freinademetz. He was an Italian-German priest who effectively became Chinese because of his love for the people to whom he ministered in China. Like St. Paul, he became all things to all people.

January 17 - Bl. Joseph Vaz

Happy memorial of Bl. Joseph Vaz. He was amazing! A priest from India, he worked in secret in Calvinist-held territory on Sri Lanka, where Catholicism was outlawed. He was so successful all over the island, he is called the apostle of Sri Lanka.

Here are some other links to stories on Bl. Joseph. Everyone should know more about this incredible man.

http://josephnaikvaz.org/
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/15317b.htm
http://josephvazmandram.webs.com/historyofjosephvaz.htm
http://www.oxfordoratory.org.uk/bl-joseph-vaz.php

January 16 - Bl. Giuseppe Antonio Tovini

A happy memorial of Bl. Giuseppe Antonio Tovini. He was simply extraordinary in the truest sense of the word, the absolute perfect example of a Christian layman.

January 15 - St. Paul of Thebes

Many people say St. Anthony the Abbot was the first of the Desert Fathers. He wasn't. That distinction belongs to St. Paul of Thebes, who is featured in St. Who? 39 Holy Unknowns. He was a rich youth who fled the world and Roman persecution and found the perfect place to live in the desert. He lived to 100 years old. Today is his memorial. Happy Feast Day!

January 14 - Bl. Petrus Donders

A happy memorial of Bl. Petrus Donders, a Dutch St. Damian of Molokai. He served in Surinam, South America, ministering to black slaves, native Indians, and a leper colony. Quite a guy.

January 10 - Bl. Maria Dolores Rodriguez-Sopena Ortega

A happy memorial of Bl. Maria Dolores Rodriguez-Sopena Ortega. She was a reluctant debutant who became a foundress. It was ingenious how she involved the laity in her work. http://bit.ly/1d6OERV

January 9 - St. Adrian (Hadrian) of Canterbury

A blessed memorial of St. Adrian of Canterbury. He was a Berber (i.e., native of N. Africa) & abbot of a monastery near Naples. Pope St. Vitalian made him go to Canterbury, where he became abbot of the monastery there. He is credited for igniting England's fire of learning and reason (faith and reason are not opposed!), a legacy that lasted centuries.