20 Gen Y-Aged Saints, Blesseds and Venerables

Have you ever felt alone in your struggles? That nobody gets your pain and suffering? Have you ever wondered how many saints were about your age? Did you ever consider young saints have shaped the Church? Have you heard of the 33 year old woman saint that convinced the papacy to move? What did these people look like? Where are they from? What was so special about them? Were they all religious?

There are times I think holiness is a far off wish. There are days that I ponder being a saint sometime in the future but just not yet. There are days that I struggle with vices and to fight these temptations seems unrewarding. There are those pesky venial sins that constantly remind me I should not try to be holy. There is the busyness of life that competes with my attention for God. There are days of just flat out tiredness, laziness, and apathy.

The lives of the saints encourage me that I am called to holiness, that intimate relationship with Jesus Christ, and the saints of my particular generational age gives me confidence that God even wants me to be a great saint. Here is list of 20 saints, blesseds, and venerables that were between 18 and 35 years old when they passed to their heavenly reward. Each of these people had different backgrounds, unique characteristics, centuries, charisms, and/or vocations.

1. St. Therese of Lisieux (24)
2. St. Margaret Clitherow (30)
3. Bl. Teresa of the Child Jesus and St. John of the Cross (27)
4. Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati (24)
5. St. Aloysius Gonzaga (23)
6. St. Catharine of Siena (33)
7. St. David Galvan Bermudez (34)
8. St. Elizabeth of Hungary (24)
9. Bl. John Fernandez (19)
10. St. Isaac of Corboda (27)
11. St. Irene (20)
12. Bl. James Byrd (18)
13. St. Joan of Arc (19)
14. Bl. Josef Kowalski (19)
15. St. Kateri Tekawitha (24)
16. Bl. Peter To Rot (33)
17. Ven. Benedetta Bianchi Porro (28)
18. St. Paul Suzuki (34)
19. St. Rosalia (30)
20. St. Marie Amandine (28)

Did I miss any that inspire you?

Photo: Public Domain