Reverend Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D. Bishop | Archdiocese of Louisville

Paris is not just a city; it embodies a rich Catholic culture evident in its people and places. As the city prepares for the 2024 Olympics and the reopening of the iconic Notre Dame Cathedral, here are nine Parisian saints to accompany Catholics during this significant year.

St. Denis arrived in Paris in the mid-third century as its first bishop. Martyred by decapitation under Emperor Decius, legend says he carried his severed head while preaching repentance. St. Genevieve later oversaw the construction of a church on his tomb, now the site of the present-day cathedral bearing his name north of Paris. His feast day is October 9.

St. Genevieve dedicated her life to God from a young age, encouraged by St. Germain of Auxerre. Known for her miraculous intercessions, she played a crucial role in converting Clovis I, France's first Catholic king, around 500 AD. Her relics were destroyed during the French Revolution but some remain preserved at St. Étienne-du-Mont in Paris. Her feast day is January 3.

St. Louis IX reigned as king of France during the 13th century and supported both intellectual and religious life, including establishing what would become the Sorbonne. He led two Crusades and built Sainte Chappelle to house Christ’s crown of thorns relic. He died in Tunisia in 1270 and his feast day is August 25.

Ordained in 1600, St. Vincent de Paul focused on reforming clerical life and aiding those on society's margins through founding organizations like the Congregation of the Mission and Daughters of Charity with St. Louise de Marillac. He died in Paris in 1660; his feast day is September 27.

St. Louise de Marillac was instrumental in forming charitable associations that evolved into Daughters of Charity after her husband’s death in 1625. She was canonized three centuries later, with her feast day on March 15.

Born into an agrarian family, St. Catherine Laboure joined the Daughters of Charity despite familial resistance and became known for visions from the Blessed Virgin Mary leading to the creation of the Miraculous Medal devotion starting from visions received in 1830 until her death in 1876; her feast day is November 28.

Post-French Revolution, St. Madeleine Sophie Barat founded nearly 100 institutions dedicated to education under Sacred Heart principles before her death in 1865; she was canonized in 1925 with a feast day on May 25.

St. Marie-Eugenie Milleret established a congregation focused on educating the poor inspired by Virgin Mary after being influenced by sermons at Notre Dame Cathedral; she was canonized in 2007 with her feast day on March 10.

Brother Salomon Leclercq was martyred amid anti-Catholic persecutions following the fall of French monarchy in September 1792 along with many others who refused to pledge loyalty to new government mandates; he was canonized in 2016 with his feast day on September 2.