Reformer Saints

Throughout Christian history, many have sought to reform the church, including some who have gone on to be declared saints.  Even Jesus himself sought justice within his own faith tradition.

Here are some of our favorite fellow church reformers who have changed our church for the better.

Saint Hildegard of Bingen

A prophet is someone who listens to God’s voice in a special way and communicates what is heard to his or her own community. It is easy for us to think of prophets only as John the Baptist or as those mentioned in the Hebrew Scriptures -- but that is not the case. Hildegard von Bingen was recognized as a prophetess in her day, and her words continue to reveal God to us today.

To learn more about Hildegard, click here: Saint Hildegard of Bingen Biography and Prayer

Venerable Ignacia del Espíritu Santo

Ignacia was born in the Spanish-colonial Philippines to a Filipina mother and Chinese father. Like many parents, Ignacia’s dreamed for her to get married – truly there were not many other realistic options for them to hope for their daughter. However, from an early age, Ignacia had other ideas.

To learn more about Ignacia, click here:  Venerable Ignacia del Espiritu Santo Biography and Prayer

Saints Perpetua and Felicity

Sts. Perpetua and Felicity were two young women who chose to die as martyrs under the Roman empire. Perpetua’s account,“The Passion of Sts. Perpetua and Felicity,” (203 CE) which scholars today believe to be indeed her own work, is one of the earliest surviving examples of Christian writing by a woman.

To learn more about Perpetua and Felicity, click here: Sts. Perpetua and Felicity Biography and Prayer

Blessed Pope John XXIII

Conventional wisdom held that Roncalli would be a mere placeholder, but within his first hundred days in office, Pope John XXIII embarked on a revolution.

To learn more about Blessed Pope John XXIII, click here: Pope John XXIII Biography and Prayer

Joseph of Nazareth

Despite suffering under an empire that kept working people in poverty, Joseph carried out his trade, provided for his family and taught Jesus to do the same work. He knew hard days of toil in the heat and Sabbath days where the world went still.

To learn more about St. Joseph, click here: Joseph Biography and Prayer

Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz

As a woman and an intellectual in a seventeenth-century Catholic context, Sor Juana was in a unique, liberated, and dangerous position.

To learn more about Sor Juana, click here: Sor Juana Biography and Prayer