Mothers and fathers
Explore the different responsibilities of raising children, caring for a household, and praying through family difficulties. These mothers and fathers lived in very different circumstances. Each story gives space to the people and relationships involved.
St. Monica
Feast day: May 4
A mother whose long concern for Augustine included prayer, painful disagreements, and a journey that ended at Ostia.
Read the life →St. Joseph
Feast day: March 19
A craftsman, husband, and foster father whose care protected Mary and Jesus through danger and uncertainty.
Read the life →St. Elizabeth of Hungary
Feast day: November 19
A wife and mother who shared her resources and personally cared for the poor and sick, through marriage and widowhood.
Read the life →St. Thomas More
Feast day: June 22
A husband and father who cared about his children's education while serving as a lawyer and public officer, before imprisonment tested his fidelity.
Read the life →St. Bridget of Sweden
Feast day: October 8
A mother of eight whose family life included care for sick people, pilgrimage with her husband, and lasting ties with her children.
Read the life →
These are selected lives to explore, with a reason for each choice. Each saint’s page includes the story and its sources.