October 23, 1491 - July 31, 1556
Founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) and Author of Spiritual Exercises
From Spain
Served in Italy
Affiliation: Catholic
"To give, and not to count the cost, to fight, and not to heed the wounds, to toil, and not to seek for rest, to labor, and not to ask for any reward, save that of knowing that we do thy will.”
Thomas Cranmer
July 2, 1489 - March 21, 1556
Leader of the English Reformation and Archbishop of Canterbury during the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI and, for a short time, Mary I, wrote/compiled the Book of Common Prayer
From Nottinghamshire, England
Served in England
Affiliation: Anglican
Death: After a trial for treason by Mary I, he was executed
"What the heart loves, the will chooses, and the mind justifies."
Ulrich Zwingli
January 1, 1484 - October 11, 1531
Pastor, Theologian, and Leader of the Reformation in Switzerland
From Switzerland
Served in Switzerland
Affiliation: Christian
"Through Christ alone we are given salvation, blessedness, grace, pardon, and all that makes us in any way worthy in the sight of a righteous God."
John Wycliffe
1320 - December 31, 1384
Theologian, Preacher, and Translator of the Bible into English
From Yorkshire, England
Served in England
Affiliation: Catholic (Early Reformer)
Death: At mass he suffered a stroke while and died, but in 1415 his body was exhumed and his bones burned because of herasy
"Do not let friars enter your wine cellars for fear they will bless every barrel and change the wine into blood."
Dante Alighieri
Thomas Aquinas
1225 – March 7, 1274
Priest and Theologian, Known as Doctor of the Church
From Kingdom of Sicily, Italy
Served in Italy
Affiliation: Catholic
"Man’s ultimate happiness consists in the contemplation of truth, for this operation is specific to man and is shared with no other animals. Also it is not directed to any other end since the contemplation of truth is sought for its own sake. In addition, in this operation man is united to higher beings (substances) since this is the only human operation that is carried out both by God and by the separate substances (angels)."
Hildegard of Bingen
1098 - September 17, 1179
German Writer, Composer, Philosopher, and Mystic
From Germany
Served in Germany
Affiliation: Catholic
"May the Holy Spirit enkindle you with the fire of His Love so that you may persevere, unfailingly, in the love of His service. Thus you may merit to become, at last, a living stone in the celestial Jerusalem."
Venerable Bede
672 - May 26, 735
Monk, Writer, and considered the "Father of English History"
From Monkton, England
Served in Monkwearmouth, England
Affiliation: Catholic
"Whenever we enter the church and draw near to the heavenly mysteries, we ought to approach with all humility and fear, both because of the presence of the angelic powers and out of the reverence due to the sacred oblation; for as the Angels are said to have stood by the Lord’s body when it lay in the tomb, so we must believe that they are present in the celebration of the Mysteries of His most sacred Body at the time of consecration."
Augustine of Hippo
November 13, 354 - August 28, 430
Theologian and Writer
From Algeria
Served in Algeria
Affiliation: Catholic
"You wish to be great, begin from the least. You are thinking to construct some mighty fabric in height; first think of the foundation of humility. And how great soever a mass of building one may wish and design to place above it, the greater the building is to be, the deeper does he dig his foundation."
Tertullian
155 - 240
Theologian and Church Leader
From Carthage, Africa
Served in Carthage, Africa
Affiliation: Christian
"But carry on, good officials. You will become much better in the eyes of the people if you will sacrifice the Christians for them. Torture us! Your iniquity is the proof of our innocence. For this reason God permits us to suffer these things... Yet your tortures accomplish nothing, though each is more refined than the last; rather they are an enticement to our religion. We became more every time we are hewn down by you: the blood of Christians is seed."
Justin Martyr
100 - 165
Apologist and author, beheaded for his faith
From Flavia Neapolis, Judea
Served in Rome, Italy
Affiliation: Christian
"...we who valued above all things the acquisition of wealth and possessions, now bring what we have into a common stock, and communicate to every one in need; we who hated and destroyed one another, and on account of their different manners would not live with men of a different tribe, now, since the coming of Christ, live familiarly with them, and pray for our enemies, and endeavour to persuade those who hate us unjustly to live conformably to the good precepts of Christ, to the end that they may become partakers with us of the same joyful hope of a reward from God the ruler of all.”