One of my new readers asks: “Are there any Saints that are siblings?”
Yes, there are. A few come to mind straight away:
The Apostles Simon and his brother Jude;
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The Apostles James and his brother John;
Update: The Apostles Simon Peter and Andrew
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Saint Benedict and his twin sister, Saint Scholastica (left);
And then there are the blesseds:
Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto, Visionaries of Fatima (right)
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We also must consider that there most likely are sibling martyrs, but I could not find any specifically.
And what about in the future? This is a possibility.
In 2008, a cause for Friar Enrico Beretta (back row-fourth from left), Italian missionary who served in Brazil for thirty-three years, to review his sanctity. He was known as the ‘Padre Pio of Brazil’! He is the brother of Saint Gianna Beretta Molla (below, front row-first on left), an Italian woman who died in 1962, opted to risk her life to save her unborn child, was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2004.
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These examples – and I’m certain there are many other unsung saintly heroes – encourage us to consider the role of the family in raising good Christian disciples of our Lord. May they intercede for us, in our prayers for our families, especially for our brothers and sisters.
If you know of others, could you please add them in the comments? Thanks! God Bless!
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This post is linked at National Catholic Register
This post is linked at The Pulpit
Thanks, New Advent (5/17/11) for the link!
nunspeak 
There are Marie-Francoise Theres and Pauline .
Please allow me as I confuse your ideas .
Thank you, Mizue. Yes, I had just been reading about the family of St Therese of Lisieux and her family. We should consider them under the category of potential future saints (recognized). God bless you!
a couple more come to mind:
St. Macrina the Younger was the granddaughter of Macrina the Elder and sister of St. Basil, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Peter of Sebastea
St. Humbeline – Benedictine abbess and younger sister of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, France
Thank you. God bless!
J.M.J. There are indeed many sibling martyrs: Sts. John and Paul, Sts. Crispin and Crispinian, Sts. Cosmos and Damian (who had two other brothers who were also martyrs).
Oh yes, Our dear martyrs – how could I leave out Cosmos and Damian! Thank you!
Though not siblings, how about St. Augustine and His Mother, John the Baptist and his Father or Mother, though I’m not sure if they are official Saints. How about the Virgin Mary and St. Anne.
Don’t forget about Basil and Macrina. And their whole family for several generations.
Saints Medard and Gildard, brothers, twins I think, both bishops and martyrs from France (Gaul) 3rd century.
The other sister in St Macrina’s family is St Theosevia. And then there are :
Martyr Kalliste and her two brothers
Menodora, Metrodora and Nymphodora, martyrs
Herlindis and Relindis, sisters and Nuns in Valenciennes, c.750
Anastasia, Virgin Martyr
St Wenn of Cornwall and St Non of Wales (Non was the mother of St David)
St Emerentiana sister of St Agnes
Sts Mary, Martha and Lazarus
St Philip the Evangelist and his sister, St Mariamne
St Gregory the Theologian and his sister, St Gorgonia.
St Colgan and his sister, St Foila.
St Cyneswith and Cyneburg, sisters and successive abbesses of Castor in Northumberland 7th century.
St Photini (the woman at the well) had five sisters whose names I have forgotten.
St Patrick and his sister, Darerca, who had ten sons all of whom became priests (now there is a patron for the Year for Priests if ever there was!)
St Victoria, martyr of Cordova, with her brother Acisclus.
What an awesome list, Sr Margaret! Thank you for adding them! God bless you!
It turns out that there is a book which has researched saintly siblings. Check out the book:
Saintly Companions: A Cross-Reference of Sainted Relationships
by Vincent J. O’Malley
Publisher: Alba House (May 17, 1995)
If it is not at your local Catholic bookstore, it should be at an online Catholic store, if not use Google! I have a copy myself.
Hey neat! Thanks for letting me know bt!
St Bernard of Clairvaux was written up in a book with his parents and siblings as “The Family that overtook Christ” (Don’t recall the author; the book was in our high school library in the 1940s) I think that several of Bernard’s siblings were Saints, with the rest Blesseds.
Check this out, anyone?
TeaPot562
I am prompted to add to the list the proposed causes for sainthood of all four of St. Therese of Lisieux’s sibling sisters: Mother Agnes of Jesus (Pauline), Sister Marie of the Sacred Heart (Marie) , Sister Francoise-Therese (Leonie),
and Sister Genevieve of the Holy Face (Celine). Though not yet even venerable, these four siblings to St. Therese are worth taking notice because they are the fruit of their beloved parents, Blessed’s Louis and Zelie Martin!
May we parents ask the intercessions of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin to bring about a renewed purity into the lives of our children in today’s culture, and to help us raise saints!
Thank you, April. I was just reading about the Martin family this morning! Truly a remarkable family and an example for us all. God bless you!
[…] Sibling Saints – Sister Lisa Marie Doty F.D.C.C., Nunspeak […]
St. Bernard of Clairvaux has many blesseds & holy family members. There is a wonderful historical fiction that discusses the true life activities of Bernard & his brothers, most of whom followed him into the monastic lifestyle. The book is called “The Family that Overtook Christ”…it’s available on Amazon.com. I would recommend the version printed by IVE Press!
[…] Créditos (Credits): Nun Speak […]
Did anyone mention St Peter and St Andrew?
Thank you. In writing the post, I got a bit hasty and inadvertently left them out :-/ God bless!
Saints Nunilo and Alodia.
Our saints, little girls, were 9th c. virgin martyrs in Huesca, Spain. They were born to a Muslim father and Christian mother. However, they chose their mother’s Christianity.
During the Emirate of Abd ar-Rahman II it came to pass that these little girls were executed as apostates according to Sharia law.
more at Fr.Z
http://wdtprs.com/blog/tag/sts-nunilo-and-alodia/
The Loeb family…Parents were Dutch Jewish Catholic Converts. They had 8 children, only one survived the Nazi’s. The 3 oldest sons were Cistercian priests/brother and the 3 oldest girls were Cistercian nuns and I believe their Cause has been opened. They died in Auschwitz.
Also, Bl. Miguel Pro and his brother, Humberto were martyrs in the Mexican revolution.
St. Edith Stein and her sister Rosa, also martyrs at the same time as the Loeb family members.
Are the causes for St. Therese of Lisieux sisters opened?
Wow double the blessing. Some are a revelation to me.
From the old calendar, February 15: Faustinus and Jovita.
Very nicely done. I do think that Martha, Mary and Lazarus are probably saints too.
Thank you, Liz. And yes…Martha, Mary and Lazarus are excellent examples for us too! God bless!
Saint Chad of Mercia and his brother Saint Cedd
Thank you, Bob. I wasn’t aware of these. God bless!