Christianity in Credo: Popes & Saints

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Pope (1572–85), an Italian named Ugo Buoncompagni, b. Bologna; successor of St. Pius V. He is best known for his work on the calendar, and the reformed calendar, the Gregorian, is named for him. He was prominent at the Council of Trent and in the work of reform thereafter.

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Pope (1513–21), a Florentine named Giovanni de' Medici; successor of Julius II. He was the son of Lorenzo de' Medici, was made a cardinal in his boyhood, and was head of his family before he was 30 (see Medici).

Original name Guiliano della Rovere. 1443-1513, pope (1503-13). He completed the restoration of the Papal States to the Church, began the building of St Peter's, Rome (1506), and patronized Michelangelo, Raphael, and Bramante.

Original name Francesco della Rovere. 1414-84, Italian ecclesiastic; pope (1471-84). Notorious for his nepotism and political intrigue, he was also a patron of the arts and commissioned the building (1473-81) of the Sistine Chapel.

From The Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Pope (1305-14), the first to reside at Avignon, France. He became archbishop of Bordeaux in 1299 and was elected pope six years later. By creating a majority of French cardinals, he ensured the election of a line of French popes. He moved the seat of the papacy to Avignon.

One of the first disciples of Jesus and the brother of Simon Peter, Andrew appears in all the lists of the apostles.

From Britannica Concise Encyclopedia
Franciscan friar, Doctor of the Church, and patron saint of Portugal. He joined the Augustinian order in 1210 and was probably ordained a priest.

Augustine was born and died in North Africa, then part of the Roman Empire. He taught philosophy in Rome and Milan where he converted to Christianity in 387. He returned to North Africa to spearhead the assault on the Manichean religion and the Donatist and Pelagian heresies. He was consecrated bishop of Hippo in 395.

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
1182–1226, founder of the Franciscans, one of the greatest Christian saints, b. Assisi, Umbria, Italy. His baptismal name was Giovanni (John), his father's name was Pietro de Bernardone; from his birth Giovanni di Bernardone was called Francesco, because his father was a frequent traveler in France and admired much that he saw there.

1491–1556, Spanish churchman, founder of the Jesuits (see Jesus, Society of), b. Loyola Castle near Azpeitia, Guipúzcoa, Spain.

Fr. Jeanne D'Arc (zhän därk), 1412?–31, French saint and national heroine, called the Maid of Orléans; daughter of a farmer of Domrémy on the border of Champagne and Lorraine. MORE

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
C.385–461, Christian missionary, the Apostle of Ireland, b. Bannavem Taberniae (an unknown place in Britain, possibly near the Severn or in Pembroke). He was one of the most successful missionaries in history.

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Most prominent of the Twelve Apostles, listed first in the Gospels, and traditionally the first bishop of Rome. His original name was Simon, but Jesus gave him the nickname Cephas, which was translated into Greek as Petros.

From Chambers Biographical Dictionary
Born in Lima and known as Rosa from an early age, she lived a life of self-imposed austerity from girlhood, refusing the attentions of young men attracted by her beauty (which she tried to destroy by defacing her smooth skin) and working hard to alleviate her parents' financial hardship.

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
Spanish Carmelite nun, Doctor of the Church, one of the principal saints of the Roman Catholic Church, one of the greatest mystics, and a leading figure in the Counter Reformation.

From The Columbia Encyclopedia
French Carmelite nun, one of the most widely loved saints of the Roman Catholic Church, b. Alençon. Her original name was Thérèse Martin, and her name in religion was Theresa of the Child Jesus; she is known as the Little Flower of Jesus.

Italian theologian, scholastic philosopher, and Dominican friar, whose works include Summa contra Gentiles (1259-64) and Summa Theologiae (1267-73), the first attempt at a comprehensive theological system.

(Saint Thomas More), 1478–1535, English statesman and author of Utopia, celebrated as a martyr in the Roman Catholic Church. He received a Latin education in the household of Cardinal Morton and at Oxford.