Each month offers an opportunity for us to become acquainted or reacquainted with some well-beloved and lesser-known canonized saints.  These fourteen March saints all exemplified extraordinary charity in their various apostolates.  While many are known for founding monasteries or living austerely, others are recognized for their decision to abandon luxurious lifestyles in favor of religious life serving the poor, orphaned, uneducated, sick, and minority groups.  Regardless of age or vocation, era or geographical location, everyone who shares in the communion of saints has a commonality: they cannot bear to live false lives and their thirst for authenticity compels them to uphold humility and charity – sometimes in the most extreme forms.  All of this stems from love of God, which pours into love of neighbor.  Perhaps we may follow in their footsteps, requesting their aid during this remaining time we spend in reflection for Lent.

1. St. Katharine Drexel

Born to a wealthy American family, Katharine was drawn from a young age to the virtue of charity, especially toward Black and Native American people.  She initially satiated this love through donations to assist them, but this love blossomed into something beyond monetary assistance.  By the time she was in her early thirties, Katharine founded the first mission school for Native Americans, and several other schools quickly followed suit.  She could only accomplish this by allocating her entire fortune.  Katharine also founded Xavier University and the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament religious order.  She was both beatified and canonized by St. John Paul II, and her feast day is March 3.

2. St. Colette

Orphaned at the age of seventeen, Colette (baptized as Nicolette) was drawn to Franciscan spirituality and became a tertiary in the order, embracing the ascetic life for a time.  However, her apostolate turned public following a mystical dream in which she was instructed to leave her cell and reform the Poor Clares.  Colette, known for her mystical spirituality that included ecstasies, visions of the Passion, and sublime wisdom, persisted in this directive.  She was eventually successful in reforming several existing convents and in founding new ones under a reformed rule.  The Collettines remains a branch of the Poor Clares today.  St. Colette was canonized in 1807, and her feast day is March 6.

3. Sts. Perpetua and Felicity

St. Perpetua’s final recorded words were, “Stand fast in the faith and love one another.”  The Catholic Church is fortunate to have accurate documentation pertaining to Sts. Perpetua’s and Felicity’s martyrdom, which occurred in the early third century during the persecution under Septimus’ rule.  Perpetua was considered the leader of the Christians imprisoned and martyred with her because of her courage and her gift of “the Lord’s speech.”  Perpetua was a new mother and, once separated from her baby, steadfastly faced her imminent death in the midst of a dark and crowded arena.  There she met Felicity, a slave woman who gave birth shortly before her death.  We honor these valiant women for their undying love of God, so much so that they were willing to face mockery, humiliation, and an unthinkable death.  We celebrate their feast on March 7.

4. St. John of God

John’s life as a young Spanish soldier in the early sixteenth century was full of impulsivity and frivolous living (which included gambling, drinking, and carousing). John had always made hasty decisions on account of his magnanimous heart that was eager to assuage grief experienced by those in need or those who were suffering; and in the same way, a near death experince caused him to impulsively (but steadfastly) give up all of his intemperate revels. Many times John found himself in precarious situations due to his ardor, and often the consequences included humiliation, ostracization, and even, on one occasion, a long and cruel confinement in a mental hospital.  His heroic charity got him into trouble on more than one occasion, especially the time he stole food to nourish starving people he had met.  Because he was a bookseller, St. John of God is the patron of booksellers, and also of the sick, of nurses, of firefighters, and of heart patients.  His feast day is March 8.

5. St. Frances of Rome

Born to a noble family in the late fourteenth century, Frances inherited a difficult temperament, mixed with zeal, stubbornness, piety, and quiet devotion.  She was drawn to the religious life at a young age, but her father had already arranged her marriage to another nobleman and though he was kind, Frances was devastated.  She relented to the marriage and soon discovered that the social affairs which she was expected to attend far surpassed in suffering any fasting or scourges she would have experienced as a nun.  In time, she acquiesced to God’s will and found a friend who shared her love of religious devotion.  They attended Mass and prayed together.  In the end of her life, St. Frances was nursed by her devoted husband, whom she had grown to love deeply.  Her last words were, “The angel has finished his task – he beckons me to follow him.”  Her feast day is March 9.

6. St. Matilda

Born the daughter of a Danish count, Matilda lived among dukes and other nobility but was essentially raised by her grandmother, an abbess of a local convent.  Matilda married and bore two sons.  Once she was widowed, she relinquished her inheritance to her sons and retreated to a nearby country home so that she could live a solitary life.  Known for her wisdom, piety, and charity, she was sought by her sons for advice and successfully thwarted a potential revolt.  When her son, Henry, died, Matilda founded three convents and a monastery, plus led the kingdom her other son, Otto, left behind when he became Emperor of Rome.  Her later years were spent at one of the convents she built, and she is buried there with her son, Henry.  Her feast day is March 14, and she is the patroness of large families.

7. St. Louise de Marillac

Foundress of the Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, St. Louise longed to enter the religious life but instead ended up marrying at the advice of her confessor.  Following her husband’s death twelve years later, Louise met St. Vincent de Paul, who became her spiritual director.  She dedicated her life to the work he began, which included caring for the poor, sick, and neglected.  After she took formal vows, she became Mother Superior and traveled throughout France to place her Sisters in orphanages, hospitals, and other places where the sick and suffering languished.  She is the patroness of social workers, and her feast day is March 15.

8. St. Cyril of Jerusalem

Belonging to a group called the Solitaires, Cyril consecrated himself to lifelong chastity, asceticism, and service to others.  Cyril lived during the rise and fall of Arianism, and many heretics harassed him, driving him into exile.  Despite this, he eventually was ordained a priest and served as bishop under the direction of St. Maximus.  He primarily served catechumens with instruction in the Faith, but he also served the local poor and was sought for his exemplary charity.  His feast day is March 18.

9. St. Enda (Irishman)

Once an Irish warrior, St. Enda became the founder of monasticism in Ireland.  He was constantly fighting in battles as a soldier, but his sister (St. Fanchea) convinced him to settle down and marry.  When Enda's fiancée died, he decided to devote his life to God as a monk and was ordained in Rome.  Upon his return to his homeland, Enda built several churches and the monastery of Killeaney, which sprung ten others from its foundation.  St. Enda’s feast day is March 21.

10. St. Lea

What we know of St. Lea’s life is recorded in an eloquent letter from St. Jerome to St. Marcella.  In the letter, Jerome describes Lea’s life of renunciation, particularly of vanity, wealth, and worldly pleasures.  It seems that he was inspired by her austere preference of sackcloth and evangelical poverty.  Lea chose this life after her husband passed away and she realized her calling to the monastic life.  She eventually became Superior of a Roman monastery where she spent the remainder of her life.  Jerome urged others to follow Lea’s example of self-abnegation in favor of the riches of Heaven.  “Let us live a life of renunciation,” he wrote, “for our bodies will soon be dust and nothing else will last any longer.”  Her feast day is March 22.

11. St. Toribio Alfonso de Mogrovejo

A sixteenth century Spanish bishop, St. Toribio is most known for two accomplishments: practicing law during the Spanish Inquisition and defending the Native Americans who were oppressed at that time.  After his appointment as archbishop of Lima, Peru, his zeal for supporting the rights of the disenfranchised natives grew as he “founded schools, churches, hospitals, and the first seminary in the New World.”  He is the patron of Native rights, Latin American bishops, and Lima, Peru.  His feast day is March 23.

12. St. Margaret Clitherow

Margaret was born into a Protestant family, and it seemed that she was the exemplar of every woman with her beauty, charm, and witty sense of humor.  She married a “well-to-do grazier and butcher” and had two children, but her troubles began after she chose to convert to Catholicism.  Once she made this leap of faith, she began harboring fugitive priests, as this was in the mid-sixteenth century when England was especially hostile to Catholicism.  After several imprisonments, she was eventually condemned to death by crushing.  That was her call to sainthood – martyrdom in the form of having her bones crushed beneath a door loaded with weights.  She recalled to a friend shortly before her death that her body was weakening as the day approached, yet her soul rejoiced in honoring God in such a way.  Her feast day is March 26.

13. St. Dismas

Commonly known as the Good Thief, St. Dismas joined Jesus in crucifixion.  His famous last words are what most remember from the Passion readings: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”  We recall them often, because we acknowledge our own sinfulness and yet rejoice at the prospect of our salvation – even at the hour of our death – because of St. Dismas’ humility and conversion as he hung next to Jesus.  In reply, Jesus said, “On this day you will be with me in paradise.”  So we are also aware of Jesus’ mercy, despite the many faults and failures we commit.  St. Dismas reminds us that no sin is too great for God’s mercy and forgiveness.  We honor St. Dismas on March 25.

14. St. Venturino of Bergamo

An exemplary preacher and teacher, Venturino joined the Dominicans and attracted large crowds who came to hear him talk.  Because of his eloquence and zeal, the crowds grew in number, and Venturino decided to take a pilgrimage to Rome.  Once this news reached Pope Benedict XII, however, Venturino was banned from the pilgrimage.  He didn’t receive this news in time and continued with his plans.  When he arrived in Avignon, he was arrested and imprisoned for a short stint.  St. Venturino also assisted Pope Clement VI in organizing a crusade against the Turks, so he is also known for his missionary zeal.  His feast day is March 28.

Saints become our companions in our journey of life.  Regardless of where we are in that journey or how long we have traversed the road toward salvation, the very concrete lives of the saints become our compass to navigate the struggles and temptations we face every day.  We know they suffered immensely, and yet they exhibited heroic faith and virtue that overcame whatever hardships or impediments they faced.  In this, we find our own means of growing in virtue as we attempt to model our lives after theirs, knowing that the struggle yields perseverance to the end of our earthly lives and the beginning of our eternal lives in Heaven – where we will finally meet and join these men and women who gave all for love.

Do you have a devotion to any of these March saints?