Saint Florin was a Roman soldier who advanced through the ranks to commander. He also was responsible for organizing and leading firefighting brigades. He was a Christian who did not enforce proscription ( public identification and official condemnation of enemies of the state) of Christians in his territory. Aquilinus was sent to investigate these reports. He refused to sacrifice to the Roman gods and he was sentenced to be burned at the stake. Standing on the funeral pyre he is reputed to have said, If you wish to know that I am not afraid of your torture, light the fire, and in the name of the Lord I will climb onto it. The apprehensive soldiers decided to drown him instead. They drowned him in the Enns River with a millstone around his neck. ( See painting by Albrecht Altdorfer) The name ‘Florin’ is given to many boys in Bavaria and Austria to secure the saint’s patronage against fire. Saint Florin is the patron saint of Poland and Austria. He is also celebrated in Hungary. Sources Wikipedia The Encyclopedia of Saints by Howard Loxton

Saint Francis was a friar and founder of Order of Minims. His parents were pious: they prayed for years, through the intercession of St. Francis of Assisi, for a son. As a child he showed a preference for abstinence and prayer. Aged 13 he was placed in a convent and was taught to read. He abstained from wearing linen or eating meat. Aged 14 he went on a pilgrimage with his parents to the Portiuncula at Assisi and then on to Rome. Aged just 15 he became a hermit. He made a cave and stayed alone for 6 years devoting himself to prayer and self-mortification… In 1436, aged now 20, he was joined by 2 other devoutly inclined persons. 3 cells and a chapel was built by local people. The 3 sang divine prayers every day in the chapel. A priest from the village celebrated mass with them. This marked the beginning of the order Hermits of Saint Francis of Assisi. Within 17 years the numbers had grown. In 1454 a large monastery and church were sanctioned by the Archbishop of Cosenza. Francis and his companions sought to live unknown and hidden from the world. To the 3 rules of Evangelical council - poverty, chastity and obedience they added fasting for Lent. On May17th 1474 Pope Sixtus IV gave his approval to the order. On July 28th 1506 Pope Julius 11 simplified the name of the community to Order of the Minims. Saint Francis died at Piessis on April 2nd aged 91 The order soon spread to France, Germany and Spain and continues to exist today. minims -meaning - least of the faithful – many at the beginning were laypersons not priests Sources Wikipedia The Encyclopedia of Saints by Howard Loxton

I have put together some information and some work sheets about St. George, the patron saint of England. The first sheet is a cover. The next two are information sheets followed by two large font sheets showing basic data. These are followed by two ‘gap’ pages which are differentiated. There is then a crossword which needs a picture answer followed by a word search. The next page is about St. George’s flag and the Union Jack. The last two pages are for the child’s diary - the first sheet gives ideas what to write about, the second is a clip art page for his ‘best’ copy. David Woodroffe, a professional illustrator, created the original art work. 6 extra pictures added by Super Coloring

Marie was born in London. She had an English father and a Latvian mother. She was educated at a German school in Riga before moving to Paris, France in 1940. Paris fell to Nazi Germany and she was interned in the Frontstalage interment camp at Besancon. She escaped the Nazis and helped a wounded British airman return to England. She was then recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE) i 1942. Her task was to assess and test the security awareness of trainee secret agents. Her code name was 'Fifi ’ and she had a cover identity of Christine Collard. Her reports showed that flatter and attention were all the trainees needed for them to reveal everything they knew. As a result of her reports ( documents declassified in 2014) trainee agents were sacked from SOE. It was only after her files were made public in 2014 that people became aware of her remarkable job. It is now no secret what an amazing undercover agent Marie was during WW11. She died on 5th November 2007, aged 87 taking her secrets with her. Sources Wikipedia *Great Women who changed the World by Kate Pankhurst

Tertullian was born in Carthage, modern Tunis in North Africa about 160 AD. He was fluent in Greek and Latin. He moved to Rome where he practiced as a lawyer He became a Christian about 195 AD and he began to use his legal and writing skills to champion his new faith. At some point he returned to Carthage and threw himself into the life of his local church as a layman who taught and occasionally preached. Several of his writings, that remain, are in sermon form. He acted as the church’s spokesperson against the heresies within Christendom. At some point he joined the Montanists - an ascetic break-away group. Over 36 treatises are attributed to his name. His style of writing earned him the title 'the fierce Tertullian - he wrote with zeal and passion He was one of a group of second century writers known as ‘apologists’ who on intellectual grounds put together s defence for Christianity. Up to this point believers had suffered without protests. Apologists countered by explaining the case for Christianity and refuting the false charges against them. He was the first to use certain terminology ** New Testament, penitence, resurrection, sacrament, Trinity Tertullian is remembered as the most prolific Christian writer of the second century and the major theologian of the West until the time of Augustine in the fourth century. 70 Great Christians by Geoffrey Hanks Sources Wikipedia 70 Great Christians by Geoffrey Hanks

Saint Cyprian of Carthage was a bishop of Carthage in the third century. He was brought up in a rich, heathen family and became a lawyer. Apparently he enjoyed arguing with Christian converts. Middle aged (35) he was converted and became a Christian ( See Early life to read his thoughts about his conversion and baptism) . In 249, three years after his conversion, he became bishop of Carthage having first served as a deacon and priest. When Christian persecution in 250 AD broke out, lead by the Emperor Decius ,he left the city. Some thought him a coward but he quoted Scripture to them. On his return he quickly built up a Christian community. He treated with justice and mercy those who had been frightened by the threats of the persecutors and had given up their faith. ( See * Bishop during the Decian persecution and Contested election as bishop )*. In 256 a new persecution of Christians broke out under Emperor Valerian. Pope Sixtus 11 was executed in Rome. Saint Cyprian was brought before the Roman proconsul Aspasius Paternus . He refused to sacrifice to the pagan deities and firmly professed Christ. In 257 he was banished to Korba. A year later he was recalled and house bound. On September 13th, 258 he was imprisoned by the new proconsul, Galerius Maximus. On the 14th he was beheaded by the sword. He had stood the test well and departed this life in a blaze of glory - Geoffrey Hanks He had been bishop of Carthage for 10 years using his time and energy dealing with troubles within the church as well as facing the constant threat of persecution. He had also become a notable Christian writer and many of his Latin works still exist. Saint Cyprian’s works were edited in volumes 3 and 4 of the* Patrologia Latina.(See Writings ) His skillful rhetoric led to him being considered the pre-eminent Latin writer of Western Christianity of his day. In my research I found two accounts about his martyrdom. Both contain the trial and conversation between Saint Cyprian and the governor Galerius Maximus. I have included both - it is incredible how much has survived approximately over nearly 1800 years ago. His martyrdom at Carthage established his reputation and proved his sanctity in the eyes of the church. Cyprian regarded Tertullian, the great second century Christian writer, as his ‘master’. There is another Cyprian - Cyprian of Antioch who was reputedly a magician before his conversion. Sources used Wikipedia The Church’s Year by Charles Alexander Britannica Online Encyclopedia Crossroads Initiative

Constantine Flavius Valerius Constantinus was the first Roman Emperor to convert to Christianity. He was a Roman emperor from AD 306-337 (alone from 19th September 324 after defeating Maxentius and Licinius and ending the civil war). He played a pivotal role in elevating the status of Christianity in Rome by decriminalizing Christian practice and ceasing Christian persecution in a period referred as the Constantinian shift. This initiated the Christianization of the Roman Empire. He spent much of his life as a pagan. Sources differ on when he was baptised 2 sources suggest In 312 he became a Christian and was baptised by either Eusebius of Nicomedia or Pope Sylvester1. Another source suggests he was baptised just before he died. In 313 he played an influential role in the proclamation of the Edict of Milan which declared tolerance for Christianity in the Roman Empire. In 321 he legislated that the venerable Sunday should be a day of rest for all citizens In 325 he convoked the First Council Nicaea - result the Nicene Creed. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was built in Jerusalem on his orders and declared to be the holiest place in all Christendom. Before Constantine fought Maxentius in 324 he is said, by Lactantius, to have had a dream. He was told to put the Greek letters Chi Rho, Christ’s initials, on the shields. He won the battle. ( Read Constantine adopts the Greek Letters Chi Rho for Christ’s initials) The Historiography I have included has different historians rating the greatness of Constantine. They come to different conclusions. I am not an historian -read their thoughts and come to your own conclusion. Nevertheless he is venerated as a saint in Eastern Christianity, and he did much to push Christianity toward the mainstream of Roman culture Wikipedia Sources Wikipedia 70 Great Christians by Geoffrey Hanks