Notes

Catherine of Siena April 29
Catherine received her first vision of Christ at the age of 16. She suffered the stigmata. She is the second woman in history to be declared a Doctor of the Church

Patroness of girls, rape victim and youth.
Maria Goretti was born into a poor family of Italy. Her story surrounds her evasion of a man named Alessandro who was captured and punished for his crimes. He repented while in prison and was present at her canonization in 1950 by Pope Pius XII

Ambrosia
immortal
Saint Ambrose of Milan was called "the honey-tongued doctor" because of his gift of preaching and his reputation as an expert on Church doctrine. Words were very important to him and he said, "Let no word escape your lips in vain or be uttered without depth of meaning."

Camille
Camelia, Camilla
temple servant
Saint Camillus de Lellis repented from a wild-spent youth and gambling addiction to serve God, and although he was incurably diseased, he took care of others who were sick. He founded the Congregation of the Servants of the Sick, believing that the suffering people were living images of Jesus.

Elizabeth
God has sworn
Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton was a mother and an educator, and devoted her life to children.
Saint Elizabeth of Portugal was married to a king, and her spiritual life was often interrupted by politics and family arguments. She regained her inner peace by spending time in prayer and doing works of charity.
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary was a princess who married a prince. Concerned for the poor, she donated to them her portion of the prince’s income and then sold her luxurious possessions to give them more. After her husband died, she renounced worldly wealth, built a hospice for the weak and sickly, and invited the most wretched to dine with her.

Gabriela
Gabriella, Gabrielle, Briel
God's strength
God had given us archangels to assist us during our pilgrimage on earth. Saint Gabriel is a messenger of the Good News; he can help us hear God's voice and to teach us the truth.

Grace
grace
Grace is a supernatural gift of God to intellectual creatures (humans, angels) for their eternal salvation. Saint Gratia worked a trade of the sea until, at age thirty, he happened into a church and was deeply moved by a sermon from an Augustinian friar. He joined that order and as a lay-brother. A mysterious light was seen above his cell, and his intercessions resulted in miracles.

Hope
hope
According to legend, there was a Roman widow, Saint Wisdom (or Sofia), who had three daughters, Saint Faith, Saint Hope, and Saint Charity, and they all suffered for Jesus. Faith, age 12, miraculously survived being scourged and thrown into boiling pitch, and was finally beheaded; Hope, age 10, and Charity, age 9, were unharmed when tossed into a furnace, so they also were beheaded; their mother suffered while praying over the bodies of her children.

Isabel

Saint Isabel of France was the daughter of a king, but this did not make her haughty. Since early childhood, she had an extraordinary desire for piety, modesty, and other virtues. She persisted in remaining solely dedicated to God, despite the opinions and advice of others.

Michelle
Michaela, Micaela
(fem. of Michael)
who is like God?
Saint Michael the Archangel led the army of angels that defeated Satan and the demons when they rebelled against God. Because his name means "Who is like God," Pope Saint Gregory the Great said, "Whenever some act of wondrous power must be performed, Michael is sent, so that his action and his name may make it clear that no one can do what God does by his superior power."

Rose
Rosa, Rosalie, Rosalinda, Rosalyn, Rosetta, Roseanne, Rosemarie, Rosemonde
rose
Saint Rose of Lima was a mystic and visionary who received invisible stigmata, and yet she often suffered from the feeling that God was distant. Despite how lonely this felt, she persisted in believing that He was indeed with her all the time, and she continually prayed to grow stronger in her ability to trust Him.