Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God
- St. Cecilia (+230, Rome, Roman Empire) – Virgin martyr known for her purity and devotion to sacred music
- St. Agatha (+251, Catania, Sicily) – Virgin martyr who maintained purity under torture
- St. Agnes (+304, Rome, Roman Empire) – Young virgin martyr who chose death rather than compromise her purity
- St. Lucy (+304, Syracuse, Sicily) – Virgin martyr who chose martyrdom over marriage
- St. Angela Merici (+1540, Brescia, Italy) – Founded the Ursulines, dedicated to educating young women in purity
- St. Aloysius Gonzaga (+1591, Rome, Italy) – Maintained extraordinary purity of heart from childhood until death at 23
- St. John of the Cross (+1591, Úbeda, Spain) – Mystic whose pure heart experienced intimate union with God
- St. Rose Philippine Duchesne (+1852, St. Charles, USA) – Missionary nun known for her pure devotion to prayer
- St. Francisco Marto (+1919, Aljustrel, Portugal) – Child visionary of Fatima known for his innocent purity
- St. Jacinta Marto (+1920, Lisbon, Portugal) – Child visionary of Fatima known for her innocent purity
- St. Josephine Bakhita (+1947, Schio, Italy) – Former slave whose pure heart allowed her to forgive her captors
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God
- St. Boniface (+754, Dokkum, Frisia) – Missionary who brought peace between Germanic tribes through evangelization
- St. Cyril (+869, Rome, Italy) and St. Methodius (+885, Moravia) – Brother missionaries who brought peace between cultures through evangelization
- St. Francis of Assisi (+1226, Assisi, Italy) – Traveled to speak with the Sultan during the Crusades, seeking peace
- St. Turibius of Mogrovejo (+1606, Lima, Peru) – Archbishop who brought peace to colonial Peru through reform
- St. Peter Claver (+1654, Cartagena, Colombia) – Brought peace and dignity to enslaved Africans in Cartagena
- St. Kuriakose Chavara (+1871, Mannanam, India) – Indian priest who worked for peace between religious communities
- St. John XXIII (+1963, Vatican City) – Pope who opened Vatican II and worked for peace during the Cold War and by opening Vatican II.
- St. John Paul II (+2005, Vatican City) – Pope and man of prayer, helped end the Cold War, proclaimed the hope and love of Christ around the world
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
- St. Stephen (+34, Jerusalem, Roman Judea) – First Christian martyr, stoned for preaching the Gospel
- St. James the Greater (+44, Jerusalem, Roman Judea) – First apostle martyred, killed by Herod Agrippa
- Ss. Simon (+65, Persia) and St. Jude (+65, Persia) – Apostles martyred together for their missionary work
- Ss. Peter (+64, Rome, Roman Empire) and St. Paul (+67, Rome, Roman Empire) – Apostles martyred in Rome under Nero
- St. Apollinaris (+75, Ravenna, Roman Empire) – First bishop of Ravenna, martyred for preaching the Gospel
- St. Linus (+76, Rome, Roman Empire) – Second pope who faced persecution under Domitian
- St. Ignatius of Antioch (+107, Rome, Roman Empire) – Bishop martyred for refusing to renounce his faith
- St. Polycarp (+155, Smyrna, Roman Asia) – Disciple of St. John, martyred at age 86 for his Christian faith
- St. Justin Martyr (+165, Rome, Roman Empire) – Philosopher martyred for defending Christianity
- St. Praxedes (+165, Rome, Roman Empire) – Roman virgin who suffered persecution for burying martyrs
- Ss. Perpetua and Felicity (+203, Carthage, Roman Africa) – Young mothers martyred in the arena for their Christian faith
- St. Cornelius (+253, Centumcellae, Roman Empire) and St. Cyprian (+258, Carthage, Roman Africa) – Pope and bishop martyred during Valerian persecution
- St. Lawrence (+258, Rome, Roman Empire) – Deacon martyred by being roasted alive for distributing Church wealth to the poor
- St. Maurice and the Theban Legion (+287, Agaunum, Switzerland) – Christian Roman soldiers martyred for refusing to persecute Christians
- Ss. Cosmas and Damien (+287, Cyrrhus, Syria) – Physician brothers martyred for their faith and refusal to recant
- St. Anastasia (+304, Sirmio, Roman Empire) – Martyr who died for ministering to persecuted Christians
- Ss. John and Paul (+362, Rome, Roman Empire) – Roman brothers martyred under Julian the Apostate
- St. Polydore Plasden (+1591, Tyburn, England) – English priest martyred during the Reformation
- Bl. Michaôl Nakashima Saburoemon (+1628, Nagasaki, Japan) – Japanese Christian martyred during persecution
- St. Lorenzo Ruiz (+1637, Nagasaki, Japan) – Filipino martyr killed in Japan during Christian persecution
- St. Isaac Jogues (+1646, Ossernenon, New Netherland) – Jesuit missionary martyred by the Mohawks in North America
- St. Peter Chanel (+1841, Futuna, Oceania) – Marist missionary martyred in the South Pacific
- St. Paul Chong Hasang (+1839, Seoul, Korea) – Korean lay martyr during the persecution of Christians
- St. Christopher Magallanes and Companions (+1927, Colotlán, Mexico) – Mexican priests and others martyred during the Cristero War
- Bl. Miguel Pro (+1927, Mexico City, Mexico) – Mexican Jesuit priest martyred during religious persecution
- St. Maximilian Kolbe (+1941, Auschwitz, Poland) – Priest martyred in Auschwitz for his faith and charity
– Fr. Dominic signing off. May all these saints help us all to become great saints! And let us pray for each other as well for that same end! (I’ll be around Cathedral until mid-August, so I will see you around between now and then. We’ll just be enjoying Fr. Daniel’s reflections from here and out in the Cathedral Weekly).