After hearing Father Damian say during his homilies that we are all called to be saints, I needed to know what saints are like to know the standard that I should achieve. To do that, I decided to find out more about the lives of saints by researching about one saint per month. I started in August 2021 by reading more about the life of St. Monica. Since then, I have learned about the lives of different saints, including St. Francis of Assisi, St. Damian of Molokai, St. Maria Goretti, and St. Thomas More. Some of the saints devoted themselves to Christ early on in their lives, while others took longer, such as St. Augustine, the son of St. Monica, who prayed for 17 years before he dedicated his life to God. Some of the saints came from privileged backgrounds, while others did not. Some were highly educated and others were not. They have one 'common denominator' though --- their total and complete dedication to God. Despite the challenges that they faced, their commitment to God never waivered. I try to remember what I learned about the saints in my own spiritual journey, drawing inspiration from their lives.

Submitted by E.L.M.