Imperfect and infamous: Meet 6 Saints Not Very Saints in the Church

For an individual to be canonized and considered a saint, in addition to going through a long process of evaluation, he must at least prove that he has led a lifetime of virtually perfect virtue, right? Well, not necessarily!

The process of sanctification must have become more rigorous for a while now, for there is no shortage of saints who spent much of their lives getting ready - until they decided to repent of their sins and devote themselves entirely to the Lord. thus ensuring their entry into the Kingdom of Heaven. Check out some of them below:

1 - Olga from Kiev

Saint Olga lived between the 9th and 10th centuries and, before becoming blessed, had a fit of fury that resulted in the shedding of much blood. The girl was the happy Grand Duchess of Kiev, until one day her husband was murdered by the prince of a neighboring kingdom while collecting taxes.

Maddened by hatred, Olga not only had his mate's killer tortured to death, but massacred the entire neighboring kingdom, selling the few survivors as slaves. Years later, during a trip to Constantinople, the noblewoman visited a church and marveled at the demonstrations of faith. It was only after this that she decided to devote herself to Christianity and convert her countrymen.

2 - St. Callisto

Before becoming a saint, Callisto of Rome, who lived between the 2nd and 3rd centuries, is said to have pocketed the money from the donations of believers, was troublemaker - he set up the biggest mess in a synagogue that ended in a violent riot - and tax evader .

However, Callisto decided to take the form and dedicate his life to the Church. So much so that, after redeeming himself, he became the deacon in charge of the Appian Way catacombs - now known as the "Callisto Catacombs" - and later became Pope.

3 - Cortona Daisy

Venerated as the “Godmother of the Sick”, Margarida was not very holy until she decided to dedicate her life to God. Imagine what things were like in the 13th century! For when she was still a teenager, the girl ran off with an Italian noblewoman - with whom she lived as a lover and had a child.

Unfortunately, the boy was murdered during a hunt, and Daisy, who was thought to be a rebel, was left in her hand after being abandoned by her own family and that of her lover. It was then that the Italian repented of her sins and gave herself to the spiritual life, spending the rest of her days devoted to prayer, charity and penance.

4 - Augustine of Hippo

Popularly known as Saint Augustine, this figure lived between the 4th and 5th centuries - and the prayer “ Lord, grant me chastity and continence, but not yet ” is his own. The guy was from a wealthy family, half womanizing and, according to reports, had not one, but two lovers!

Augustine enjoyed it until, at one point, he decided to become engaged to one of the women, changed his mind, and when he was about 31, decided to quit his playboy life, become celibate, and devote himself exclusively to conveying the teachings of Christ. .

5 - Mary of Egypt

We here at Mega Curioso have talked a little bit about Saint Mary of Egypt before - in a story you can access through this link - but we think that, given the subject, she deserved to appear again on our list. Mary lived at the same time as St. Augustine and, according to legend, when she was 12 years old, she began working as a prostitute in Alexandria.

She would have spent several years in this life, but after a pilgrimage to Jerusalem - which Mary accompanied for the sole purpose of seducing the young pilgrims - the prostitute would have been visited by the Virgin Mary. The experience had a strong impact, because after the alleged conversation with the mother of Jesus, the woman abandoned everything and went to live in complete isolation in the desert. Today, for those who do not know, Saint Mary of Egypt is revered as the patron of penitents.

6 - Camille de Lellis

Considered to be the protector of the sick and the hospitals, St. Camille de Lellis was born in a noble family and lived between the 16th and 17th centuries. According to reports, Camille was a cranky and troubled child and, after growing up, became a military man. However, because of his aggressive character, he was eventually expelled from the army - which led him to become a mercenary addicted to games and other profanities.

After spending many years in this decaying life, Camilo repented of everything and began to serve the poor sick. He eventually found peace in charity and eventually founded the Camillian Order, which is still dedicated to helping the sick.

Bonus

Saint Dimas

Perhaps one of the best examples of individuals who lived a sinful existence and became saints is St. Dimas. According to legend, Dimas was one of the thieves who were crucified with Jesus, and he would have repented of everything before he died on the cross - which gave him the passport to paradise.

In fact, St. Dimas corresponds to the character of the "good thief" - mentioned in the Gospel of Luke and also in the New Testament - who is also known as Rakh. Regardless of the name, the saint became, ironically, the protector of houses and property against theft, as well as the patron saint of prisoners and jails.