Saint Paul of the Cross (†1775) was an Italian Roman Catholic mystic, and founder of the Passionists. The first Retreat was opened in 1737 on Monte Argentario. Paul called his monasteries "retreats" to underline the life of solitude and contemplation which he believed was necessary for someone who wished to preach the message of the Cross. In addition to the communal celebration of the divine office, members of his community were to devote at least three hours to contemplative prayer each day. The austerity of life practiced by the first Passionists did not encourage large numbers, but Paul preferred a slow, at times painful, growth to something more spectacular. Saint Paul of the Cross was beatified in 1852, and canonized on 29 June 1867 by Pope Pius IX. His feast is celebrated in the United States on 20 October.

St. Vincenzo Strambi (†1824) (Vincenzo Maria di San Paolo) - was an Italian Roman Catholic prelate who was a professed member from the Passionists and served as the Bishop of Macerata-Tolentino. Strambi became a Passionist despite its founder Saint Paul of the Cross refusing him several times due to Strambi's frail constitution. But he practiced Passionist austerities which continued after his appointment as a bishop that saw him favor his religious habit rather than the usual episcopal garb. Strambi was known for his charitable projects that included the care of the poor and the reduction of diocesan expenditures in order to provide for them; he took special interests in the education and ongoing formation of priests. The recognition of his life of heroic virtue led Pope Leo XIII to name him as Venerable in 1894. Pope Pius XI presided over the beatification rites in 1925, Pope Pius XII canonized Strambi in 1950.

Saint Maria Gemma Umberta Galgani (†1903) was an Italian mystic, venerated as a saint in the Roman Catholic Church, especially in the Congregation of the Passion (Passionists). She has been called the "Daughter of the Passion" because of her profound imitation of the Passion of Christ. Galgani experienced stigmata on June 8, 1899, on the eve of the feast of the Sacred Heart and, in the subsequent rapture, Gemma saw her guardian angel in the company of the Blessed Virgin Mary. She was beatified on 14 May 1933 and canonized on 2 May 1940. Galgani's relics are housed at the Sanctuary of Santa Gemma associated with the Passionist monastery in Lucca, Italy. Since 1985, her heart is housed in the Santuario de Santa Gema, in Madrid, Spain.

Saint Maria Goretti († 1902) is an Italian virgin-martyr of the Catholic Church, and one of the youngest canonized saints. on June 24, 1950, Pius XII canonized Maria as a saint, the "Saint Agnes of the 20th century." Maria's body is kept in the crypt of the Basilica of Nostra Signora delle Grazie e Santa Maria Goretti in Nettuno, south of Rome. It has been often reported that it is incorrupt but this is not the case. It is kept inside a statue which is lying down beneath the altar, which has been mistakenly believed by some to be its entirety. She is a Holy Patron of victims of rape, crime victims, teenage girls, modern youth, and Children of Mary.

St. Gabriel of Our Lady of Sorrows (†1862) was an Italian Passionist clerical student. Born to a professional family, he gave up ambitions of a secular career to enter the Passionist congregation. His life in the monastery was not extraordinary, yet he followed the rule of the congregation perfectly and was known for his great devotion to the sorrows of the Virgin Mary. He died from tuberculosis at the age of 23. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XV in 1920.