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St. Paul -

Paul becomes an important figure in the spread of the Gospel, but he was not always the exemplary Christian he became known as. Paul the Apostle was in fact the opposite.

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St. Paul -

Between 30 and 33 CE, Paul, who was known as Saul of Tarsus back then, led the crusade against early Christians.

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St. Paul -

This came to an end when Saul headed to Damascus. Christ appeared to him and he converted and started preaching about Jesus. Saul became Paul. The whole story can be found in Acts 9.

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St. Olaf -

Olaf II Haraldsson, also known as Olaf II of Norway, was king of Norway between 1015 to 1028. Olaf, who later became a saint, converted the country to Christianity.

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St. Olaf -

But Olaf was actually a Viking, and as such he engaged in violent raids as a youngster. This, of course, until he had a vision on his way to Jerusalem. He then returned to his country, became king, and went on a mission to convert everyone.

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St. Olaf -

This included the persecution of anyone who celebrated pagan rituals, such as harvest feasts. Olaf was very unpopular among the people of Norway, but was canonized by the Church just a year after his death.

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St. Julian the Hospitaller -

Julian was born into a noble family. He learned that he was cursed to kill his own parents, so he ran away from home and tried to escape his fate. Julian's parents went looking for him and, after many years, found him. But Julian was not home and his wife received them and let them sleep in their bed. Upon his return, Julian, believing to have encountered his wife and her lover in bed, killed them both.

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St. Julian the Hospitaller -

Julian then went on to open a hostel for travelers and devoted his life to helping those in need in search for forgiveness of his sins.

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Vladimir the Great -

Vladimir was the youngest of three brothers. When their father, Kyiv's Grand Prince Sviatoslav Igorevich, died, he left the country—only to return with an army, kill his brother Yaropolk, and claim the throne!

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Vladimir the Great -

And if that wasn't enough, Vladimir forced his brother's widow to become one of his (many) concubines. So, how does this man become a saint?

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Vladimir the Great -

Well, after being baptized in 988, Vladimir did a lot for Christianity, including a strong campaign for conversion and the building of churches and destruction of any signs of pagan worship.

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St. Colmcille -

St. Colmcille is one of the patron saints of Ireland. At one point his life as a monk, St. Colmcille copied a book of Psalms. But he did so without permission from his teacher. Things escalated all the way up to the king, who took his teacher's side. Did St. Colmcille accept that he did wrong? No way. He started a war instead!

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St. Colmcille -

St. Colmcille instigated the Battle of Cúl Dreimhne, which became known as one of the earliest conflicts about copyright ever! Thousands of people died as a result. St. Colmcille then devoted his life to converting others as a way to repent for his sins.

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Olga of Kyiv -

Olga is one of the most iconic figures in Ukraine. Olga's husband, Prince Igor, was gruesomely executed by local men. His killers then courted the widow to marry their leader.

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Olga of Kyiv -

Olga refused and told them to go back to their boats. Which they did. Except, the boats were at the bottom of a pit, and they were then buried alive on the spot. Olga then went on to massacre around 5,000 people who had shown up for Prince Igor's funeral feast.

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Olga of Kyiv -

Olga eventually struck a peace deal with the city of Korosten (then known as Iskorosten). The deal was for three pigeons and three sparrows to be  collected from each home and gifted to her.

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Olga of Kyiv -

Olga then tied sulfur cloths to each bird, lit them, and released them. The birds eventually set fire to buildings as they returned home. Olga was then baptized by Emperor Constantine, and then canonized.

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Junípero Serra -

The Spanish Franciscan monk is known to have headed to California in 1769. His goal was reportedly to protect the native people from abuses by the Spanish military and colonialists.

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Junípero Serra -

He inspired numerous Catholic missions. Except, these missions were more like "a series of picturesque charnel houses," according to historian Carey McWilliams.

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Junípero Serra -

Native Americans' families were separated, natives were being used for slave labor, and, of course, disease and death were rampant. Indeed, Serra and other missionaries have been accused of "cultural genocide."

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St. Moses the Black -

St. Moses the Black, also known as Moses the Ethiopian of Scete, was a slave whose master drove him out for bad behavior. He joined a gang and committed numerous crimes, including robberies and murder.

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St. Moses the Black -

One day, Moses was searching for a man to take revenge on, and all of a sudden found himself in a monastery. There, he met the monks and eventually became one of them. Moses also got the members of his criminal gang to convert and become monks. He was killed by thieves in an attack and became one of the patron saints of nonviolence.

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St. Christopher -

The patron saint of travelers is usually depicted carrying a child (Jesus Christ). But according to Arabic studies historian Daniel Peterson, he was not always devoted to Christ. In fact, it was quite the opposite.

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St. Christopher -

St. Christopher's given name was Reprobus, which basically means "rejected." He was a devil-worshiping giant, who converted after he met a bandit who wouldn't go near a crucifix. Reprobus then was convinced that Christianity was more powerful, so he went with it.

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St. Augustine -

Augustine of Hippo is better known as a theologian, philosopher, and writer. Though it turns out he was also a bit of a womanizer.

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St. Augustine -

St. Augustine is known to have had a child out of wedlock (which was a big deal back then),  because he refused to marry the mother of his child. He went on to hook up with numerous women.

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Blessed Bartolo Longo -

Longo was born in 1841, and was raised in a Catholic family. Though after the death of his father, Longo's faith took a turn. After enrolling at the University of Naples, Longo delved deep into spiritualism and the occult, and even claimed to be possessed by a demon and became a full-blown Satanic priest.

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Blessed Bartolo Longo -

His devilish ways came to an end when he reportedly heard his father tell him to "return to God!" With help from a Dominican priest, Longo became a lay brother and went on to restore Pompeii's Our Lady of the Rosary Shrine.

Sources: (Grunge)

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