ALL SAINTS CELEBRATED IN JANUARY Saints celebrated on the 4th of January WELCOME! SAINT MANUEL GONZALES GARCIA, BISHOP OF PALENCIA Saint Manuel was born in Seville, on February 25, 1877, into a Catholic family. His childhood unfolded peacefully, close to his pious parents and siblings. While nothing was lacking to the family home, some of his boyhood desires would remain unfulfilled, such as that of having a donkey of his own to ride and play with. With hindsight, he would thank God that some of these childish wishes went unattended, since this taught him to govern his personal preferences, to have a truer vision of life, and to feel compassion for the needy. In 1889, he enlisted in the seminary of Seville for studies for the priesthood. It was there that he wrote: "If I would be born a thousand times; a thousand times I would be a priest" . Saint Manuel excelled in all his studies and was held in high regard by his teachers. He earned his doctorates in both theology and c...