Athanasius was born at Alexandria, in Egypt. He was very fond of reading books about the Catholic faith and studied the classics and theology at the university in Alexandria.

He became a deacon and secretary to Bishop Alexander of Alexandria, then later a priest. At that time the Arians did not believe that Jesus was God and tried to spread these false teachings. Athanasius attended the council of Nicea, fought against these teachings and got the council to accept the Nicene Creed. He spent his life proving that Jesus is truly God.

This saint became the archbishop of Alexandria when he was not yet thirty years old. For forty-six years, he was a good and brave shepherd of his flock. Four Roman emperors tried but failed to make him stop writing his clear and beautiful explanations of our holy faith.

His enemies did every thing they could to make him suffer. Five times he was sent away from Alexandria. Once, when he was sent to the city of Trier a kind bishop, St. Maximinius, welcomed him warmly.

At other times Athanasius was hunted by people who wanted to kill him. He was kept safe in the desert by some monks for seven years and his enemies just could not find him.

Once when the emperor’s soldiers were chasing Athanasius down the Nile River, his friends began to panic as the soldiers began to catch up with them. But Athanasius was not worried. “Turn the boat around,” he said calmly, “and row toward them.” The soldiers in the other boat shouted, “Have you seen Athanasius?” “You are not far from him!” was the reply. The enemy boat quickly went past them, and the saint was safe!

The people of Alexandria loved St. Athanasius. He was a real father to them. As the years passed, they appreciated more and more how much he had suffered for Jesus and the Church.

Now the people made sure that Athanasius was protected and had some well-deserved peace. He spent the last seven years of his life safe with them. His enemies hunted but could never find him.

During that time, St. Athanasius wrote The Life of St. Anthony the Hermit who had been a close friend when Athanasius was young. St. Athanasius died quietly on May 2, 373. He remains one of the greatest, bravest saints of all time.

Elodie Paradis was born in the village of L’Acadie in Quebec, Canada. Her parents were poor but good Catholics and they loved their little girl. When Elodie was nine, her parents wanted her to have the best education they could afford, so they sent her to a boarding school. The Sisters of Notre Dame warmly received their new student but Elodie and her family missed each other very much.

Mr. Paradis had a flour mill and although he worked hard, the mill did not make enough money to support his wife and children. He heard wonderful stories about large amounts of gold that was to be found in California. He was so worried about his family that he decided to go.

But in California, Mr. Paradis did not find the wealth he hoped for. When he returned to L’Acadie, he was shocked to find that his little Elodie had joined the convent to become a nun. She had entered the Holy Cross convent on February 21, 1854.

Mr. Paradis went to the convent and he begged his daughter to return home, but she really wanted to stay there. Finally, her father agreed and she took her vows as a nun in 1857.

Blessed Marie-Leonie taught school in different cities. She prayed and lived her life joyfully. As time went on, Sister Marie-Leonie was led by Jesus to begin a new religious order in the Church. The Little Sisters of the Holy Family were begun in 1880.

These loving sisters are committed to serving and caring for priests in the household. This helps the priest to carry out their important ministries without difficulty. The Little Sisters of the Holy Family now have sixty-seven convents in Canada, the United States, Rome and Honduras.

Although Mother Marie Leonie was weak and often sick, she worked for her sisters until the last few hours of her life. But she never stopped caring for God’s people. She completed the book of rules she had written to help give her sisters the guidance they would need for their life.

On Friday, May 3, 1912. Mother Marie-Leonie said she felt very tired. She went to rest and died a few hours later. She was seventy-one years old.