St. Teresa of Calcutta

Sept. 5

Although the entire world knows of Mother Teresa now, her sainthood is still fairly new! This legendary missionary was moved by a vision of Christ who revealed to her his pain due to the neglect of the poor and the sorrow he experienced at their ignorance of his saving grace. St. Teresa dedicated her life to serving the poorest of the poor, bringing Christ to the neediest corners of India even in the face of her own inner turmoil and feeling as though she was separated from God’s love. She is the patron saint of Missionaries of Charity and World Youth Day, and was canonized by Pope Francis in 2016. 

St. Peter Claver

Sept. 9

This Spaniard left his homeland permanently to dedicate himself to the service of enslaved Africans in Colombia. Calling himself “the slave of the slaves,” St. Peter Claver worked tirelessly to catechize thousands of slaves and help provide for their needs while preaching in the city square. He avoided planter and owner hospitality during country missions and chose to stay in slave quarters. At the end of nearly 40 years of this ministry, Peter had baptized around 300,000 slaves. He was canonized by Pope Leo XIII in 1888 and declared the patron of missionary work among Black slaves. His legacy lives on through the Knights of Peter Claver, who serve and deepen the faith of Black Catholics in the U.S.

St. Hildegard of Bingen

Sept. 17

Being one of the first great German mystics and a Doctor of the Church, St. Hildegard of Bingen was a busy woman who experienced periods of illnesses that were attributed to disobeying God’s will (with subsequent recoveries once his will was followed). God instructed her in a vision to record all that she saw and heard, and as a result she produced 69 musical compositions; wrote 400 letters to popes, emperors, abbots and abbesses; authored two volumes of material on natural medicine and cures; invented a language; wrote Gospel commentary and hagiography; produced three volumes of visionary theology; and composed perhaps the oldest surviving morality play, Ordo Virtutum (Play of the Virtues). In the end, her physical health was tied directly to her willingness to “be not afraid” when it came to obeying the will of God.

St. Robert Bellarmine

Sept. 17

This saint is one of the 37 Doctors of the Church, one who wrote extensively and contributed to the deposit of faith to help the faithful understand Scripture and Catholic doctrine. St. Robert Bellarmine devoted himself to systematizing Catholic doctrine against the attacks of the Reformation, penning his famous three-volume Disputations on the Controversies of the Christian Faith. Alongside his devoted studies of the faith, Robert put his faith into action by limiting expenses and giving as much to the poor as he could. He was canonized by Pope Pius XI in 1930 and declared a Doctor of the Church the following year.

St. Padre Pio

Sept. 23

Another famed saint is celebrated in September, an Italian priest who experienced stigmata, painful marks in the same location as the wounds Christ received during his crucifixion. St. Padre Pio was a renowned spiritual director and confessor who spent up to 16 hours daily in the confessional hearing thousands who traveled from all over to make their confessions specifically to him. Because of this, Padre Pio helped those who came to him receive God’s mercy and resolve to make permanent changes in their lives for their salvation. He was canonized by St. John Paul II in 2002.