SaintBiography

Name: Saint Maxwell Year of Birth: 1901 Year of Death: 1988 Date of Canonization: May 26, 2003

At the start of Saint Maxwell's life, he was not a follower of Christ. In other words, he wasn't always someone worthy of being a saint. However, Saint Maxwell turned toward Jesus Christ when he lost both of his parents to cancer at the age of eleven. He became so devoted to Christ, the Catholic faith, and preaching God's word. Because of it, he became recognized as a Saint after his holy death. His life teaches us a great lesson about how we need to turn to God whenever we need help. Saint Maxwell is a model for Catholics today of how God can guide you through times of trouble.

Saint Maxwell's feast day is February 21. This is the day that Saint Maxwell got into Jesuit Catholic High School. Getting into Jesuit was a big day for him because this school gave him a Catholic foundation and taught him about Christ. This knowledge gained from Jesuit High School was the main reason that he turned into a missionary and holy follower of Christ. Saint Maxwell is the patron saint of animals because he had sixteen dogs, nine cats, seven birds, and two snakes. He is best-known for being an animal lover and someone who treats animals like humans.

There are five important pieces of information about Saint Maxwell's early life that make him unique. First of all, he went on six missionary trips as a teenager. These missionary trips converted many people to Christianity. Therefore, he had a huge influence in the popularity of Christianity in the 1900's. Secondly, Saint Maxwell held "Food for the Hungry" every Saturday. This event gave food to the people who don't have what we have. Third of all, Saint Maxwell prayed for six hours a day as a teen. He never skipped a day of praying, and this showed his loyalty and passion toward getting closer to God. Fourthly, Saint Maxwell raised money for the sick as a teen in an event called "Help Sickness." This event would help with treatment of the sick and would help their families have enough money to care for their sick family member. Last of all, Saint Maxwell was expelled from middle school as a kid. Instead of staying as a misbehaved and bad kid, he turned to God. God helped him change his ways, and Saint Maxwell was forever molded into a new person.

There are three important actions, events, qualities, and other pieces of information about Saint Maxwell that lead to his canonization. First of all, Saint Maxwell was one of the hardest working people in the Catholic faith way before becoming a Saint. In other words, he devoted everything in his life to the greater glory of God. He did everything he could to get closer to God. Secondly, Saint Maxwell was beaten many times by his parents at a very early age. Saint Maxwell turned to God for help and guidance in these hard times. This defined Saint Maxwell as being someone who always looked for God in times of need. Last of all, he was surrounded by drugs and alcohol at a very early age. However, Saint Maxwell managed to stay away from them. This showed him being someone who would do everything that God wants him to do. Overall, these three things lead to his canonization because they showed God that he was worthy to become a role model in the Catholic faith.