How Child Saints Teach Us Holiness

This post completes a trilogy on the saints. The first two focused on convert-saints from Protestantism and modern Benedictine saints.

Advent and Christmas lead us to talk about child saints. We have the patron saint of children, St. Nicholas, on December 5; we focus on the Annunciation and Visitation, which occurred when Mary herself was a very young, teenage, woman; we contemplate God’s becoming a babe for us; and we have the feast of the Holy Innocents during the Octave of Christmas. It is amazing how many young saints have died in defense of the faith and chastity, sharing in the witness of the Holy Innocents.

The fact that we have children saints at all, let alone the babies of the Holy Innocents, teaches us something about holiness. Although it involves our cooperation, it is primarily the work of God’s grace. Therefore, God can work his holiness in children, and, I would add, they can provide models for adults on how to humbly rely on God’s grace. Jesus does call us to be childlike, of course.

Working in religious education and Catholic schools, I often to have to remind educators that children can respond to God and become holy. Teachers often say, “that is too difficult for them,” or “they won’t be able to understand.” Sometimes, I think it is the opposite: they are more open to the work of God and can understand things intuitively that many adults reject.

Children can become holy, and through many child saints, including those whose canonization process is underway, God wants us to recognize reality strongly right now. For this list, I have chosen those who were sixteen and under (to emphasize their youth) and who at least have been declared venerable (although there are a good number of children who are Servants of God as well). The overall effect is overwhelming in showing the power of God’s grace in raising up young saints.

Canonized

St. José Luis Sánchez del Río (Age 14, 1913-28): He enlisted in the Cristero army to defend the Church from persecution in Mexico. He gave his horse to a general, was captured, refused to renounce his faith under torture, and embraced martyrdom.

Fatima children: Sts. Francisco (Age 10, 1908-19) and Jacinta Marto (Age 9, 1910-20): This brother and sister, along with their cousin Lucia, received revelations from Our Lady of Fatima. They showed great devotion to the rosary and to penance for sinners.

St. Maria Goretti (Age 11, 1890-1902): A martyr in defensum castitatis (in defense of chastity), she resisted the attacks of her neighbor and forgave him after stabbing her many times, leading to his later conversion.

St. Dominic Savio (age 14, 1842-57): Mentored by St. John Bosco, Dominic showed great holiness through prayer, sacrifice, and helping his fellow students.

Saint Peter Yu Tae-chol (Age 13, 1826-39): Korean martyr, who presented himself as a Christian to authorities and endured torture.

Tlaxcala Martyrs: Sts. Cristobal (Age 12-13, d.1527), Juan (Age 10, d.1529) and Antonio (d.1529): These three young native Mexicans were martyred by their own people (Cristobal by his own father) as they witnessed to their new faith with zeal.

St. Fina of San Gimignano (Age 15, 1238-53): She joyfully suffered a paralytic disease.

St. Dymphna: (Age 15, 7th century): The daughter of an Irish king, she dedicated herself to God and fled from her father’s advances, who wanted to marry her after the death of her mother, leading to her death at his hands.

Roman martyrs:

• St. Agnes (Age 13, 291-304): Tradition relates that she was handed over to Roman officials for refusing marriage. She bravely faced torture and God miraculously preserved her purity during her martyrdom.
• St. Tarcisius (mid 3rd century): Known as the boy martyr of the Eucharist who died protecting the Eucharist from a crowd of pagans who wanted to seize it.
• St. Cyricus (d.304): He was martyred along with his mother at a very young age in Tarsus.
• Justus and Pastor (Age 13 and 9, 304): They turned themselves in together as Christians and encouraged one another in their suffering.
• There are many other young martyrs from the Roman period.

Beatified for Heroic Virtue

Bl. Carlo Acutis (Age 15, 1991-2006): He had a strong devotion to the Eucharist, creating a website detailing Eucharist miracles before he died of leukemia.

(soon to be Bl.) Lorena D’Alessandro (Age 16, 1964-81): Her leg was amputated due to cancer at age 10, which did not stop her from fervent service in the Church. She did from a recurrence of cancer.

Bl. Laura Vicuña (Age 12, 1891-1904): She offered her death for the sake of her mother, with her family in a precarious position as refugees after her father’s death.

Bl. Imelda Lambertini (Age 11, 1320-33): From a noble family in Bologna, her parents allowed her to live in the Dominican convent at age 9. After receiving her First Communion at age 11, she died of joy.

Beatified Martyrs (Martyr in odium fidei)

Bl. Juan Barrera Méndez (Age 12, 1967-80): Part of a group of ten martyrs in Guatemala engaged in evangelization and who died out of hatred for the faith in the middle of political conflict. At his young age, Juan was already a catechist and was martyred after torture, being hung from a tree and shot.

Bl. Nelson Rutilio Lemus Chávez (Age 16, 1960-77): A lay catechist, who was killed on his way to serve Mass in the midst of political conflict in El Salvador.

Bl. Thomas Khampheuane Inthirath (Age 16, 1952-68): He was studying to become a catechist like his father and was martyred in Laos.

Bl. Rolando Rivi (Age 14, 1931-45): An Italian seminarian, he was martyred by a Communist group.

Beatification on September 10, 2023: Ulma family (Ages 8, 7, 6, 4, 3, 2, unborn, 1944): Martyred by Nazis for hiding Jews in Poland. Killed after their parents, the children’s names were Stanisława, Barbara, Władysław, Franciszek, Antoni, and Maria.

Bl. Adílio Daronch (Age 15, 1908-24): Born of Italian parents in Brazil, he was martyred accompanying a priest on a missionary journey.

Ugandan martyrs: Jildo Irwa (Age 12, 1906-18) and Daudi Okelo (Age 16, 1902-18): The pair worked together as catechists.

Thai Martyrs: Bl. Maria Phon (Age 11, 1929-40); Bl. Bibiana Khampai (Age 15, 1925-40); Bl. Sesilia Butsi (Age 16, 1924-40): The three young girls were martyred along with the sisters who teaching them during a nationwide attack against the Church.

Bl. Lorenzino Sossio (Age between 7 and 9, d.1485): Said to the be the victim of an anti-Christian ritualistic death.

Bl. Panacea De’ Muzzi (Age 5, 1378-83): Her piety led her to focus more on prayer and charity than her chores, leading her stepmother to beat her to death.

Beatified for Defending Chastity (Martyr in defensum castitatis)

Bl. Anna [Anka] Kolesárová (Age 16, 1928-44): A devout Catholic from Slovakia, she resisted the rape attempts of Soviet soldiers.

Bl. Antonia Messina (Age 15, 1919-35): From Italy, she dropped out of school to help her sick mother, was a member of Catholic action, and died resisting assault from a teenage boy.

Bl. Albertina Berkenbrock (Age 12, 1919-31): She was of German descent in Brazil, a catechist of other children, and died defending her chasity against one of her father’s workers.

Bl. Benigna Cardoso da Silva (Age 12, 1919-31): Orphaned in Brazil, she was known for protecting other children, and she died defending her own chastity.

Bl. Karolina Kózka (Age 16, 1898-1914): She developed a strong prayer life at a young age and died resisting a Russian solider in Poland during the First World War.

Bl. Marguerite la Fière/of Louvain (Age 12 or 13, 1207-20): Intending to become a Cistercian nun, she was murdered when thieves broke into her uncle’s inn.

Venerable

• Ven. Alexia González-Barros González (Age 14, 1971-85, her parents were supernumeraries of Opus Dei. She died of spinal cancer)
• Ven. Silvio Dissegna (Age 12, 1967-79, died of bone caner)
• Maria Orsola Bussone (1954-70, Focolare member, died in accident)
• Ven. Nelson [Nelsinho] Santana (Age 9, 1955-64, offered his suffering with cancer)
• Ven. Faustino Pérez-Manglano Magro (Age 16, 1946-63, postulant with Marianists)
• Ven. Angelo [Angiolino] Bonetta (Age 14, 1948-63, member of the Silent Workers of the Cross)
• Ven. María del Pilar [Pilina] Cimadevilla López-Dóriga (Age 10, 1952-62, suffered heroically with Hodgkin’s lymphoma)
• Ven. Bernhard Lehner (Age 14, 1930-44, seminary school student)
• Ven. Rachelina Ambrosini (Age 15, 1925-41, died of meningitis)
• Ven. María del Carmen González-Valerio Sáenz de Heredia (Age 9, 1930-39, died of scarlet fever, offered suffering during the Spanish Civil War)
• Ven. Antonietta [Nennolina] Meo (Age 6, 1930-37, offered up suffering with bone cancer, showed a mystical love of Jesus)
• Ven. Pasquale Canzii (Age 15, 1914-30, seminarian)
• Ven. Anne de Guigné (Age 10, 1911-22, died of meningitis)
• Ven. Maggiorino Vigolungo (Age 14, 1914-18, seminarian in the Society of St. Paul)
• Ven. Galileo Nicolini/Gabriele of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart (Age 14, 1882-97, seminarian with the Passionists)

Others

There are dozens of additional causes that have been opened or are in preparation for children. One that has influenced me particularly is : Little Nellie of Holy God, Ellen Organ (age 4, 1903-08): Orphaned and lived with the Sisters of the Good Shepherd in Ireland, showing extraordinary piety and mystical insights. She inspired Pope Pius X to lower the age for First Communion.