Spiritual Leaders & Religious Figures, BOS-COL
Religious and spiritual leaders have shaped beliefs, practices, and traditions throughout history. Learn more about influential religious leaders, spiritual teachers, founders, reformers, mystics, and other notable figures.
Spiritual Leaders & Religious Figures Encyclopedia Articles By Title
Bossuet, Jacques-Bénigne
Jacques-Bénigne Bossuet was a bishop who was the most eloquent and influential spokesman for the rights of the......
Boucher, Jonathan
Jonathan Boucher was an English clergyman who won fame as a loyalist in America. In 1759 Boucher went to Virginia......
Bourchier, Thomas
Thomas Bourchier was an English cardinal and archbishop of Canterbury who maintained the stability of the English......
Bourdaloue, Louis
Louis Bourdaloue was a French Jesuit, held by many to have been the greatest of the 17th-century court preachers.......
Bourignon, Antoinette
Antoinette Bourignon was a mystic and religious enthusiast who believed herself to be the “woman clothed with the......
Bourne, Francis
Francis Bourne was a cardinal, archbishop of Westminster who was a strong leader of Roman Catholics, pursuing,......
Bowman, Thea
In 1989 Thea Bowman was a keynote speaker at a semiannual conference of U.S. Roman Catholic bishops. The topic......
Bradford, Robert
Robert Bradford was a Northern Irish Methodist clergyman and politician who served as a unionist member of the......
Bradwardine, Thomas
Thomas Bradwardine was the archbishop of Canterbury, theologian, and mathematician. Bradwardine studied at Merton......
Brainerd, David
David Brainerd was a Presbyterian missionary to the Seneca and Delaware Indians of New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania......
Brant, Joseph
Joseph Brant was a Mohawk Indian chief who served not only as a spokesman for his people but also as a Christian......
Bray, Thomas
Thomas Bray was an Anglican clergyman, promoter of the Church of England in the American colonies, who was known......
Brigid of Ireland, St
St. Brigid of Ireland ; feast day February 1) was an Irish abbess who founded an important monastic community at......
Briçonnet, Guillaume
Guillaume Briçonnet was an influential Roman Catholic reformer, one of the most energetic personalities in the......
Brooks, Phillips
Phillips Brooks was an American Episcopal clergyman renowned as a preacher. A member of a wealthy old Brahmin family......
Brorson, Hans Adolf
Hans Adolf Brorson was a Danish Pietist clergyman, the outstanding writer of hymns of his day, and translator of......
Brun, Johan Nordahl
Johan Nordahl Brun was a poet, dramatist, bishop, and politician who aroused national consciousness in Norway before......
Bruno of Querfurt, Saint
Saint Bruno of Querfurt ; feast day June 19) was a missionary to the Prussians, bishop, and martyr. A member of......
Bruno the Carthusian, St
St. Bruno the Carthusian ; canonized 1514; feast day October 6) was a German-born priest who was the founder of......
Bruno the Great, Saint
Saint Bruno the Great ; feast day October 11) was the archbishop of Cologne and coregent of the Holy Roman Empire.......
Bruno, Giordano
Giordano Bruno was an Italian philosopher, astronomer, mathematician, and occultist whose theories anticipated......
Bryennios, Philotheos
Philotheos Bryennios was an Eastern Church theologian and metropolitan who discovered the Didachē manuscript, an......
Brébeuf, St. Jean de
St. Jean de Brébeuf ; canonized 1930; feast day October 19) was a Roman Catholic missionary to New France and martyr......
Buchdahl, Angela Warnick
Angela Warnick Buchdahl is a South Korean-born American rabbi who was the first Asian American to lead a major......
Bulgakov, Macarius
Macarius Bulgakov was a Russian Orthodox metropolitan (archbishop) of Moscow and internationally recognized theologian......
Bunyan, John
John Bunyan was a celebrated English minister and preacher, author of The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678), the book that......
Burg, Yosef
Yosef Burg was a German-born Jewish rabbi and Israeli politician who was the longest-serving member of the Israeli......
Burgos, José
José Burgos was a Roman Catholic priest who advocated the reform of Spanish rule in the Philippines. His execution......
Bury, Richard de
Richard de Bury was a scholar, diplomat, and bishop of Durham, who was a noted English bibliophile. After studying......
Butler, Alban
Alban Butler was a Roman Catholic priest and educator renowned for his classic Lives of the Saints. Butler was......
Butler, Joseph
Joseph Butler was an Anglican bishop, moral philosopher, preacher to the royal court, and influential author who......
Bérulle, Pierre de
Pierre de Bérulle was a cardinal and statesman who founded the French Congregation of the Oratory, reforming clerical......
Cabasilas, Nilus
Nilus Cabasilas was a Greek Orthodox metropolitan, theologian, and scholar, whose treatises critical of medieval......
Cabrini, St. Frances Xavier
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini ; canonized July 7, 1946; feast day November 13) was an Italian-born Roman Catholic......
Caesarius of Arles, Saint
Saint Caesarius of Arles ; feast day August 27) was a leading prelate of Gaul and a celebrated preacher whose opposition......
Caesarius Of Heisterbach
Caesarius Of Heisterbach was a preacher whose ecclesiastical histories and ascetical writings made him one of the......
Caesarius of Terracina, St
St. Caesarius of Terracina ; feast day November 1) was a 1st-century Christian deacon and martyr who is celebrated......
Cain
Cain, in the Bible (Hebrew Bible, or Old Testament), firstborn son of Adam and Eve who murdered his brother Abel......
Caird, John
John Caird was a British theologian and preacher, and an exponent of theism in Hegelian terms. Ordained as a Presbyterian......
Cajetan
Cajetan was one of the major Catholic theologians of the Thomist school. Entering the Dominican order in 1484,......
Cajetan of Thiene, St.
St. Cajetan of Thiene ; canonized 1671; feast day August 7) was a Venetian priest who cofounded the Theatine order......
Calderwood, David
David Calderwood was a Scottish Presbyterian minister and historian of the Church of Scotland. About 1604 Calderwood......
Caleb
Caleb, in the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament), one of the spies sent by Moses from Kadesh-barnea in southern Palestine......
Callistus
Callistus was the patriarch of Constantinople, theologian, and hagiographer, an advocate of a Byzantine school......
Callixtus I, St
St. Callixtus I ; feast day October 14) was the pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, from about 217 to......
Campbell, Sister Simone
Sister Simone Campbell is an American Roman Catholic sister, attorney, and poet known as an outspoken advocate......
Campeggio, Lorenzo
Lorenzo Campeggio was an Italian cardinal, humanist, and lawyer who, upon entering the service of the church in......
Campion, St. Edmund
St. Edmund Campion ; canonized October 25, 1970; feast day October 25) was an English Jesuit priest who was martyred......
Cannon, Harriet Starr
Harriet Starr Cannon was a 19th-century American religious leader, a cofounder of the Community of St. Mary, an......
Cano, Melchor
Melchor Cano was a Dominican theologian and bishop who upheld the rights of the Spanish crown against the claims......
Cantelupe, Saint Thomas de
Saint Thomas de Cantelupe ; canonized 1320, feast day October 3) was a reformist, educator, English church prelate,......
Canute IV
Canute IV ; canonized 1101; feast days January 19, July 10) was a martyr, patron saint, and king of Denmark from......
Caprara, Giovanni Battista
Giovanni Battista Caprara was a Roman Catholic churchman and diplomat who negotiated between the Vatican and Napoleon......
Cardenal, Ernesto
Ernesto Cardenal was a Nicaraguan poet and revolutionary and a Roman Catholic priest who became a widely admired......
Carey, George
George Carey is a theologian noted for his evangelical beliefs. He was the archbishop of Canterbury from 1991 to......
Carey, William
William Carey was the founder of the English Baptist Missionary Society (1792), a lifelong missionary to India,......
Carranza, Bartolomé de
Bartolomé de Carranza was a Dominican theologian and archbishop of Toledo who was imprisoned for nearly 17 years......
Carroll, John
John Carroll was the first Roman Catholic bishop in the United States and the first archbishop of Baltimore. Under......
Carstares, William
William Carstares was a Presbyterian minister and leader of the Scottish church at the time of the Revolution Settlement.......
Cartwright, Peter
Peter Cartwright was a Methodist circuit rider of the American frontier. His father, a veteran of the Revolutionary......
Carvajal y Mendoza, Luisa de
Luisa de Carvajal y Mendoza was a missionary who, moved by the execution of the Jesuit Henry Walpole in 1595, decided......
Cassian, St. John
St. John Cassian ; Eastern feast day February 29 (observed on February 28 during non-leap years); Western feast......
Catherine of Alexandria, St
St. Catherine of Alexandria ; feast day November 25) was one of the most popular early Christian martyrs and one......
Catherine of Bologna, Saint
Saint Catherine of Bologna ; canonized 1712; feast day May 9) was an Italian mystic and writer whose spiritual......
Catherine of Sweden, Saint
Saint Catherine of Sweden ; feast day March 24) was the daughter of St. Bridget of Sweden, whom she succeeded as......
Cayce, Edgar
Edgar Cayce was an American self-proclaimed faith healer and psychic. A Sunday-school teacher with little formal......
Cecilia, St
St. Cecilia ; feast day November 22) was one of the most famous virgin martyrs of the early Christian church and......
Celestine I, Saint
Saint Celestine I ; feast day July 27, Irish feast day April 6) was the pope from 422 to 432. He was a Roman deacon......
Celestius
Celestius was one of the first and probably the most outstanding of the disciples of the British theologian Pelagius......
Ceolnoth
Ceolnoth was the 17th archbishop of Canterbury, who played a conciliatory role during the invasions of England......
Chad, Saint
Saint Chad ; feast day, March 2) was a monastic founder, abbot, and first bishop of Lichfield, who is credited......
Chalmers, James
James Chalmers was a Scottish Congregationalist missionary who explored the southwest Pacific, where he became......
Chalmers, Thomas
Thomas Chalmers was a Presbyterian minister, theologian, author, and social reformer who was the first moderator......
Chandidas
Chandidas was a poet whose love songs addressed to the washerwoman Rami were popular in the medieval period and......
Chase, Philander
Philander Chase was a U.S. clergyman and bishop in the Protestant Episcopal Church, educator, and founder of Kenyon......
Cheney, Charles Edward
Charles Edward Cheney was a controversial American clergyman who helped found the Reformed Episcopal Church. Cheney......
Chevalier, Jules
Jules Chevalier was a priest, author, and founder of the Missionarii Sacratissimi Cordis Jesu (Missionaries of......
Cheverus, Jean-Louis Lefebvre de
Jean-Louis Lefebvre de Cheverus was the first Roman Catholic bishop of Boston. He was made assistant, then pastor,......
Chilembwe, John
John Chilembwe was a Western-educated Nyasaland missionary who led an abortive, largely symbolic, uprising against......
Choniates, Michael
Michael Choniates was a Byzantine humanist scholar and archbishop of Athens whose extensive Classical literary......
Christodoulos
Christodoulos was the archbishop of Athens and All Greece and head of the Orthodox Church of Greece (1998–2008),......
Christopher, St
St. Christopher ; Western feast day July 25; Eastern feast day May 9) is a legendary martyr of the early Christian......
Chrysostom, St. John
St. John Chrysostom ; Western feast day September 13; Eastern feast day November 13) was an early Church Father,......
Chu Ki-Chol
Chu Ki-Chol was a Korean Presbyterian minister who suffered martyrdom because of his opposition to Japanese demands......
Chŏng Yak-jong, Saint
Saint Chŏng Yak-jong ; canonized 1984) was one of the most eminent leaders in the early propagation of Roman Catholicism......
Clare of Assisi, St
St. Clare of Assisi ; canonized 1255; feast day August 11) was an abbess and founder of the Poor Clares (Clarissines),......
Clarke, Mary Frances
Mary Frances Clarke was an Irish-born religious leader and educator, a founder of the Sisters of Charity of the......
Clement I, St
St. Clement I ; feast day November 23) was the fourth pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, from 88 to......
Clement of Alexandria, St.
St. Clement of Alexandria ; Western feast day November 23; Eastern feast day November 24) was a Christian Apologist,......
Clitherow, St. Margaret
St. Margaret Clitherow ; canonized 1970; feast days March 25 and October 25) was one of the Forty Martyrs of England......
Clovio, Giulio
Giulio Clovio was an Italian miniature painter and priest. Clovio is said to have studied at Rome under Giulio......
Codrington, R.H.
R.H. Codrington was an Anglican priest and early anthropologist who made the first systematic study of Melanesian......
Coggan, Donald, Baron
Donald, Baron Coggan was an Anglican archbishop of Canterbury from 1974 to 1980, theologian, educator, and the......
Coindre, André
André Coindre was the founder of the Fratres a Sacratissimo Corde Iesu (Brothers of the Sacred Heart), a Roman......
Coke, Thomas
Thomas Coke was an English clergyman, the first bishop of the Methodist Church, founder of its missions, and friend......
Colenso, John
John Colenso was a controversial liberal Anglican bishop of Natal. He made numerous converts among the Zulus, who......
Colette, St
St. Colette ; canonized 1807; feast day March 6) was a Franciscan abbess, reformer of the Poor Clares and founder......
Collier, Jeremy
Jeremy Collier was an English bishop and leader of the Nonjurors (clergy who refused to take the oaths of allegiance......
Colman Of Lindisfarne, Saint
Saint Colman of Lindisfarne ; feast day, Scottish diocese of Argyll and the Isles February 18, elsewhere August......
Columba, St
St. Columba ; feast day June 9) is an Irish saint who is credited with having had a main role in the conversion......