Saint of the Day

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Introduction: Saint of the Day

Saints are celebrated according to the calendar of the Catholic Church, which is generally shared by other liturgical Christian churches.

This lens provides a collection of Saints of the Day and their broader significance. 

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Saint of the Day 

St. Ignatius Loyola (posted on July 30, 2007)
July 31 is the feast day of one of the most influential people in the history of Christianity, Inigo de Loyola. Born in 1491, he was baptized Inigo and, almost 40 years later, added Ignacio.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux (posted on Oct 1, 2007)
Today, October 1, is the feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, the Little Flower. In her short 24 years, she gave to the church a great gift, the Little Way.
St. Francis of Assisi (posted on October 4, 2007)
October 4 is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226). I once heard a priest ( a non-Franciscan) say that St. Francis was one of the great religious figures of all time.
St. Faustina Kowalska and The Divine Mercy (posted on October 5, 2007)
October 5 is the feast day of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska (1905 - 1938) whose brief life and spiritual journal inspired The Divine Mercy Movement in the Catholic Church.
Blessed Pope John XXIII (posted October 11, 2007)
October 11 is the feast day of Blessed Pope John XXIII (1881-1965). The son of Italian share croppers who worked in the fields with his brothers and served as a stretcher bearer in World War I, he became a Church diplomat, Cardinal Archbishop of Venice, and Pope.
St. Ignatius of Antioch (posted October 17, 2007)
October 17 is the feast day of St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, also known as Theophorus. He was a disciple of the Apostle St. John the Evangelist and was thrown to the lions in Rome as a martyr for the faith in 108 A.D.
St. Luke (posted October 18, 2007)
"In my first account, Theophilus," (Acts 1:1) St. Luke begins his second volume with an introduction only slightly less formal than the elegant opening lines of his gospel.
St. Isaac Jogues & Companions (posted October 19, 2007)
St. Rene Goupil (1642), Jesuit brother: St. Isaac Jogues (1646), Jesuit priest: and St. John Lalande (1646), lay missioner: St. Jean de Brébreuf (1649), Jesuit priest: and four others.
Upstate New York in late September, with its rolling plains of story book farms, was a long way from my hometown of Ventura in southern California, where I first read about the North American Martyrs.
St. Peter of Alcantara (posted October 22, 2007)
St. Peter of Alcantara (1499 -1562) exemplified the spirit of the renewal and reform undertaken by the Catholic Church in the 1500's.
Saint Saves Europe for Christianity - St. John Capistrano (posted October 23, 2007)
The feast day of St. John Capistrano (1385-1456) is October 23. He was born in Perugia and practiced law in the courts of Naples.
All Saints (posted November 1, 2007)
The feast of All Saints was originally celebrated as the feast of All Martyrs on May 13, beginning around 610, when it was established by Pope Boniface IV.
San Diego de Alcalá de Henares (posted November 7, 2007)
November 7 is the current feast of St. Didacus, a latinized form of the name Diego. (The traditional feast day was November 12).
St. John Chrysostom (posted September 14, 2007)
St. John Chrysostom (347 - 407) was born in Antioch and spent his life there until he was elected Patriarch of Constantinople. He received a broad education by non-Christian masters in a city teaming with many diverse religious groups.
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross (posted September 14, 2007
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
It is almost impossible for Catholics, Orthodox, Anglicans, and many other liturgical Christians to say these words without performing the gesture of blessing - the Sign of the Cross.
St. Robert Bellarmine (posted on September 17, 2007)
Roberto Franesco Romolo Bellarmino (1542 - 1621), a Jesuit who became a Cardinal and Doctor of the Church, was one of the major figures of the Counter Reformation. St. Robert Bellarmine has influenced Catholic Church positions on Protestantism, church-state relations, and the temporal power of the Church for 500 years.
St. Joseph of Cupertino (posted on September 18, 2007
Joseph Desa (1603-1663) was born in Cupertino, near Brindisi in the Kingdom of Naples.
Korean Martyrs (posted on September 20, 2007)
If you ever wonder about the power of books, the church in Korea owes its start to them. It is probably unique in this regard. Korea was closed to outside trade and influences at the time.
St. Matthew the Apostle (posted on September 21, 2007)
According to tradition and some internal evidence, St. Matthew was the author of the Gospel that bears his name.
St. Thomas of Villanova: Almsgiver, Father of the Poor and Model of Bishops (posted September 22, 2007)
Saint Thomas of Villanova was born to a family of modest means in Fuentellana, Spain in 1488. His father was a miller and his parents were known for their generosity to the poor.
St. Vincent de Paul (posted on September 27, 2007)
St. Vincent de Paul (1576? 1580? - 1660) is justifiably remembered as a great model of charity. However, his charity addressed not only the immediate needs of people but also focused on longer term solutions.
Edith Stein - A Woman For All Seasons (posted August 13, 2007)
August 9 is the feast of St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. She was not only a Carmelite nun who went to her death at Auschwitz but also one of the foremost philosophers of the twentieth century, Edith Stein.
St. Augustine: The Once and Future Giant (posted August 29, 2007)
August 28th. is the feast day of Aurelius Augustinus Bishop of Hippo. St. Augustine (354 to 430) was one of my boyhood heroes.
St. Jerome - Humanist, Scholar and Saint (posted October 2, 2007)
St. Jerome (331-420) was a man steeped in classical learning who produced the first Latin translation of the Bible. His feast day is September 30.
Pope St. Leo the Great (posted November 10, 2007)
November 10 is the feast day of St. Leo the Great, who was pope from 440 - 461. "The Great" is a title reserved for few popes. The Catholic Encyclopedia claims that he was the second most important pope after St. Gregory the Great in the ancient church.
St. Martin of Tours (posted November 11, 2007)
November 11 is the feast day of St. Martin of Tours (c.316 - c.397). We know very little of most of the early saints. Fortunately, Sulpicius Severus wrote the saint's biography before St. Martin died.
St. Josephat Kuncevyc (posted November 12, 2007)
November 12 is the feast day of St. Josaphat of Polotsk. St. Josaphat was born John Kuncevyc (Kunsevich) in 1580 or 1584 in Lithuania. He was a successful merchant and an advantageous marriage seemed imminent, when young John Kuncevyc decided to follow a religious vocation.
St. Frances Cabrini (posted November 13, 2007)
November 13 is the feast day of St. Francis Cabrini (1850 -1917), the patron saint of immigrants. She was born in northern Italy, in the province of Lombardy, and was one of 13 children.
St. Albert the Great (posted November 15, 2007)
November 15 is the feast of St. Albert the Great (c 1206 - 1280), the German Dominican who not only taught St. Thomas Aquinas, but established the basic pattern for uniting faith and reason that became medieval scholasticism.
St. Rose Philippine Duchesne (posted November 18, 2007)
Rose Philippine Duchesne was a French woman, born in 1769 to a successful middle class family. She entered the Visitation order during the French Revolution, but was forced to return home when revolutionaries expelled the nuns from their convents.
Blessed Miguel Pro, SJ (posted November 23, 2007)
November 23 is the feast day of Blessed Miguel Agustin Pro, S.J. (1891-1927). Fr. Pro was a genial easygoing young priest shot by a firing squad for exercising his ministry against the laws of Catholic Mexico.
St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions (posted November 24, 2007)
November 24 is the feast day of the Vietnamese martyrs, St. Andrew Dung-Lac and Companions. He was born Ahn Tranh around 1795 in northern Vietnam.
St. Andrew (posted November 30, 2007)
November 30 is the feast day of St. Andrew, the first apostle called by Jesus. He was the brother of St. Peter and introduced Peter to Jesus. There is very little we know about his life. The Gospels show him present in the ministry of Jesus but in the background, while Peter, James, and John are out front.
Saint Ambrose of Milan (posted December 7, 2007)
December 7 is the feast day of St. Ambrose of Milan c. 338-397, who was one of the most prominent bishops in the fourth century.

St. Ambrose had a rare combination of talents. He was a man of deep holiness, a very competent administrator, a diplomat and politician of great skill, a great theologian, and an extraordinary preacher. While his preaching garnered the the respect of his most famous convert when St. Augustine was still a pagan, it was his life that spoke most eloquently.
St. Juan Diego Cuauhtlatoatzin (posted December 8, 2007)
December 9 is the feast day of St. Juan Diego (1474-1548), who was born Cuauhtlatoatzin (kwah-oot-laht-oh-ahtzin) - Talking Eagle. St. Juan Diego was the first Native American to be declared a saint - on July 31, 2002, - by Pope John Paul II on his visit to Mexico City. The Pope declared him protector of the indigenous peoples of the Americas and reminded the thousands who gathered of their responsibility to promote social justice and equality for their oppressed and marginalized brothers and sisters.
St. Nicholas (posted December 6, 2007)
December 6 is the feast of St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra, in what is present day Turkey. He was born in the third century and lived through several official persecutions of Christians by the authorities. He was a participant in the Council of Nicea, where he opposed the teachings of Arius. He is one of the few saints of that time who were not martyrs.
Festive Recipes - Santa Lucia Buns
An easy recipe for sweet rolls which can be used in family celebrations of the feast of St. Lucy, AKA Santa Lucia.
St. Lucy of Syracuse: Hope for an End to Religious Violence (posted December 13, 2007)
December 13 is the feast day of the early Christian martyr, St. Lucy of Syracuse (283-304). There is really very little that is known about her, except that she was killed under the persecution of the Emperor Diocletian. She was revered by the early church and her name has been included in the Eucharistic prayer of the Mass in Rome from the early centuries.
St. John of the Cross (posted December 14, 2007)
December 14 is the feast day of St. John of the Cross (1542-1591), a mystic, reformer, and one of the greatest poets of Spanish literature's Golden Age. He was born Juan de Yepes y Alvarez into a "converso" or converted Jewish family. His father died when he was young and he and his two older brothers, along with their mother, moved from village to village in Castilla, suffering from poverty and rejection by both Jews and Christians. At Medina del Campo, from 1559 to 1563, he studied humanities at the Jesuit school. In 1563, he entered the Carmelite Order and in 1564, he studied philosophy at the Colegio San Andres at the University of Salamanca. In 1567, he was ordained a priest and wanted to join the Carthusians, since he felt called to a life of silent contemplation. St. Theresa of Avila convinced him to help her reform the Carmelites instead.
St. John the Evangelist (posted December 27, 2007)
December 27 is the feast day of the beloved disciple, St. John the Evangelist. St. John was one of the 12 apostles. He and his brother James had been followers of St. John the Baptist. They were fisherman who worked with their father Zebedee. Sts. Peter, James, and John have a special place in the Gospels. They are called away by Jesus to hear and witness things in which the other disciples are not included. St. John is presented in the Gospels as a youn
St. Thomas Becket - When Religion and Politics Don't Mix (posted December 29, 2007)
December 29 is the feast of St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury. Thomas Becket was born to an upper middle class family around 1118 in London. As a boy, he learned the ways of the upper class from family friends, including hunting, jousting, horsemanship, and how to behave as a gentleman. He was educated in civil and canon (Church) law in England, France, and Italy. Upon his return to England, he began working for Theobald, then Archbishop of Canterbury. Theobald was so impressed with his abilities that he gave Thomas a variety of positions, including Archdeacon of Canterbury.
St. Anthony the Great - January 17 (posted January 17, 2008)
The feast of St. Anthony the Great (251-356) is January 17. In the Egyptian or Coptic Orthodox and Coptic Catholic Churches, the feast day is January 30. He is also known as St. Anthony the Abbot and is an early example of the Christian monk. What we know of his life comes from a biography written by St. Athanasius, the patriarch of Alexandria in Egypt. The account was written in Latin and had a major impact on the development of monasticism in the West. Devotion to St. Anthony is less prominent in the East.
St. Agnes of Rome - January 21 (posted January 21, 2008)
St. Agnes (291-304) was a twelve year old Roman girl who was killed on January 21, 304 because she refused to marry the son of the Prefect Sempronius. Agnes was killed because she was a Christian virgin and wished to remain so. She is an early heroine of the church at Rome and is mentioned in the Eucharistic Prayer - the Great Thanksgiving - of the Mass.
St. Francis de Sales - January 24 (posted January 24, 2008)
St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) is an interesting counterpoint to John Calvin (1509-1564) who preceded him. Both men are united by the City of Geneva. Calvin was its spiritual leader and made it a great center of the Reformation and St. Francis de Sales would become bishop of Geneva, although his headquarters were in Annecy, since Geneva no longer permitted Catholicism. Both men were well educated. Their fathers had intended for them to be lawyers and high government officials. Both studied theology and were perplexed by the issue of predestination - that certain people were saved and others were not because it had all been determined by God from eternity.
Conversion of St. Paul - January 25 (posted January 25, 2008)
January 25 is the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul (Acts 22). Most of us are familiar with the story. Saul - his original name - was a Pharisee who was persecuting the very first Christians. (At that early stage believers called themselves Followers of the Way. The name Christian would come about later in Antioch)
Sts. Timothy and Titus - January 26 (posted January 26, 2008)
Everybody needs friends - a real support network. St. Paul was no exception and he was very fortunate to have Timothy and Titus, not only as helpers and proteges in his missionary work, but as very close friends.
Their story, as told in the Acts of the Apostles and the Pastoral Epistles, shows their work on behalf of the Gospel. Yet there is so much more between the lines. Timothy
St. Thomas Aquinas - January 28 (posted January 28, 2008)
St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic Doctor (c. 1225 - 1274), has been and continues to be one of the most influential forces shaping Catholic theology and philosophy. He was born at Roccasecca castle, the home of his father, Count Landulf, in the Kingdom of Naples. His mother was Theodora, Countess of Theate, and was related to the Hohenstafuen dyanasty of Holy Roman emperors. St. Thomas's uncle, Sinbald, was the abbot of the first Benedictine monastery, Monte Cassino, and the family planned for him to succeed his uncle as abbot.
St. John Bosco - January 31 (posted January 31, 2008)
St. Giovanni M. Bosco (1815-1888) is commonly known in English as St. John Bosco or as Don Bosco. The English honorific title of Don for a professor is well suited to a man who changed the teaching method from one of violence to one of encouragement and respect.
St. Blaise, Bishop & Martyr - February 3 (posted February 2, 2008)
St. Blaise was martyred for the faith around 316. That is all we actually know about him. However, his feast has been celebrated from the very early centuries. The Catholic Encylopedia and other scholarly sources reject the Acta or Deeds of the life of St. Blaise as history and regard them as legend. According to this old story, St. Blaise was bishop of Sebastea in Armenia and was tortured and executed under the persecution of Licinius after he had been discovered in the countryside. As he was being led off by his captors, a mother brought him a baby who was choking on a fish bone. St. Blaise prayed for the baby, who was immediately cured.
St. Agatha - February 5 (posted February 5, 2008)
St. Agatha was a virgin martyr around the year 251 in Catania, Sicily. That is all we really know about her. She was honored widely in many parts of Europe and, centuries later, legends were written about her martyrdom. However, The Catholic Encyclopedia gives little credit to this story, since it appears that it was written much later to depict heroism and miracles without any real historical information.
St. Josephine Bahkita - February 8 (posted Feb. 8, 2008)
St. Josephine Bahkita (1869-1947) was born in Olgossa in the province of Darfur, Sudan. She was kidnapped and sold into slavery at the age of 7 and was sold 5 times in the markets of El Obeid and Khartoum. Her suffering and abuse were immense. Her fourth owner, an Ottoman army officer, had her and his other slaves tatooed and scarred to mark them as his property. Once the sons of her owner beat her so severely that she could not move from her straw pallet for a month. Her fifth buyer was the Italian consul ,who treated her more humanely, but nevertheless gave the 16 year old to one of his friends, who made her a nanny to his daughter. St. Josephine and the girl she cared for were sent to the Canossian Sisters in Venice while the parents returned to Africa.
St. Anselm of Canterbury - Faith Seeking Understanding (posted April 23, 2008)
Fides Quaerens Intellectum - Faith Seeking Understanding - is the theme of the philosophy and theology of St. Anselm (1033 - 1109). His feast day is April 21. St. Anselm is regarded as the greatest philosopher of the 11th century and set the tone for the scholastic thinking of the early Middle Ages. Anselm represents a new beginning of a new civilization that ends the Dark Ages. His thinking is very much in line with the Neo-Platonism of St. Augustine.
St Mark the Evangelist - Following the Lord's Call Doesn't Always Happen the Way Others Expect (posted April 24, 2008)
St. Mark was a young man in the earliest days of the church and by the end of his life had played an important role in spreading the Good News of Jesus in Asia and North Africa. He even touches us as well, through the Gospel which bears his name.
The Feast of St. Joseph the Worker (posted May 1, 2008)
The Feast of St. Joseph the Worker is a relatively new one in the Catholic liturgical calendar, though feasts of St. Joseph are not. Celebrating St. Joseph's vocation as a carpenter, a worker, dates formally to 1955 when the feast was proclaimed by Pope Pius XII as a response to Communist celebrations of a festival honoring workers on May 1.
St. Boniface - June 5 (posted June 5 2008)
St. Boniface is known as the Apostle of Germany and is its patron saint. He was born in England around 672 and named Winfrid. He studied at Benedictine monasteries near Exeter and Nursling in the diocese of Winchester. He was noted for being a fine student and scholar, compiling a Latin Grammar during his time there
St, Ephrem the Syrian - June 9 (posted June 9, 2008)
The Feast of St. Ephrem the Syrian is celebrated June 9 in the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. It is celebrated January 28 in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the 7th Saturday before Easter in the Syriac Orthodox Church. Whatever the day on which the feast is celebrated, he was a remarkable man!
St. Anthony of Padua - June 13 (posted June 13, 2008)
St. Anthony (ca. 1195 - 1231) was Portuguese and is sometimes referred to as St. Anthony of Lisbon, where he was born and baptized Fernando Martin de Bulhoes. His parents were wealthy and powerful nobles. How his life took him from Lisbon as a member of the Canons Regular of St. Augustine to become the Franciscan St. Anthony of Padua in northern Italy is a story with many twists and turns.
St. Romuald - June 19 (posted June 19, 2008)
St. Romuald the Abbot was born around 950 into a powerful, wealthy family. He entered a Benedictine monastery at the age of 20. He had lived the life of a powerful, wealthy young man until the day he had to serve as his father's "second" in a duel with a relative over a piece of land. His father killed the opponent, but Romuald was so horrified by the experience that he turned away from the life he had been living.
St. Aloysius Gonzaga - June 21 (posted June 21 2008)
St. Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591) is often portrayed as a weak dreamy sort of figure. Worse, he has been presented to young people as a patron and role model who rejected all of the fun, adventure, and rebellion of youth. The real story is far more compelling.
St. John the Baptist - June 24 (posted June 24, 2008)
St. John the Baptist is the last of the prophets and the first of those to approach the Kingdom. He occupies a place of transition. Christ acknowledges him in a strange way in Luke 7:24-28: When the messengers of John had left, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John. "What did you go out to the desert to see - a reed swayed by the wind? ...
The Feast of Sts. Peter and Paul - June 29 (posted June 30, 2008)
It's the time of year when we remember and celebrate the witness of two men who played foundational roles in the community of believers that has grown to include well over 1 billion people - St. Peter and St. Paul.
Blessed Junipero Serra - The comic book and in real life (posted July 1, 2008)
Somewhere, lost in the depths of a bookcase, my family has a comic book about Junipero Serra. It is set in the year 20something, still in the future from now, on board a space craft. The story is about a priest telling a friend of his about Serra. I first picked up the book, (actually I found it), in fourth grade, the time when all California kids study the California missions. That was the first real intro I had to Serra and the founding of the missions, because I found the book just before we started studying the missions in school. His story fascinated me, but soon I forgot about him and the book, until today when I started doing research for this post. Some might say that comic books never tell the truth, but they would be wrong about this one. The research I did showed me that the comic book is actually rather accurate at portraying his life.
Saint Benedict - July 11 - Solitude and Community (posted July 11, 2008)
Benedict of Nursia is called the founder of Western Monasticism. He was born at Nursia around 480 AD to a noble family. According to tradition, his had a twin sister, Scholastica, who became the founder of a similar form of monasticism for women. As the son of a noble family, he was educated well and lived a comfortable life. The world and all its opportunities were open to him. Presumably he sampled some of its treats as a young man.
Saint Bonaventure - July 15 (posted July 15, 2008)
Faith and reason are often seen as opposites in today's controversies. Some people say that faith has to be subject to reason and others say that there can be no reason if one has faith. St. Bonaventure shows not only how faith and reason are reconciled but how they are fulfilled in each other and lead us to that transcendent mystical encounter beyond words and comprehension for which we were all created.
St. Camillus de Lellis - July 18 - "The Original Red Cross" (posted July 18, 2008)
St. Camillus de Lellis is one of those saints that remain quietly in the background of our Catholic lives, despite having sown seeds that continue to bear fruit into our present day. He was born in Italy in the mid-1500s and lived to the age of 64. His mother died when he was thirteen and his father was in the military, so he did not receive as much attention and loving care as he should have as an adolescent. He grew up to be an agressive, hot-headed, compulsive gambler. He worked as a mercenary soldier, selling his services to whichever ruler's army would pay him. Between stints as a soldier, he spent time working in a hospital for the incurably ill. But his gambling and agressive behavior cut short that employment and he returned to being a soldier, serving in the war against the Turks in 1569.
St. Mary of Magdala - July 22 (posted July 22, 2008)
One of the most striking sayings of Jesus is perhaps His simplest. It is one word, "Mary." He is not referring to His mother or Mary of Bethany or any of the several other Marys of the Gospels.
Mary of Magdala is utterly distraught. She has come with other women to anoint the body of Jesus. The stone has been rolled away. The tomb is empty. She sees a man whom she mistakes as a gardener or caretaker and wants to know where the body of Jesus has been taken. (John: 20). Jesus utters her name, and through her, the Apostles and all of us learn of the unthinkable. Christ is risen.
Saint James the Apostle - July 25 - Big Jim Learns About the Kingdom (posted July 25, 2008)
James, son of Zebedee and Salome, was one of the first disciples of Jesus. He was a fisherman, son of a fisherman, and was called by Jesus, along with his brother John, from his boat on the Sea of Galilee. He followed immediately, being a man who acted decisively and sometimes brashly all his life. Jesus called James and John the "Sons of Thunder." They were two of his closest disciples, present throughout his ministry, including private experiences such as the Transfiguration and the Agony in the Garden.
St. Ignatius Loyola - In the Presence (posted July 31, 2008)
Every year, July 31 is a special day for me. St. Ignatius continues to play a very pivotal role in my life. What most captivated me as a young man, and still amazes me today, is his vision. His personal, intense love of God and a sense of the Divine Presence that is acutely close, warm, and reassuring all came to me in my journey through the Spiritual Exercises as a Jesuit novice.
St. John Vianney - August 4 (posted August 5, 2008)
St. Jean Baptiste Marie Vianney (1786-1859) was the parish priest of the village of Ars and is known primarily by that title even in English, "The Cure d'Ars". Canonized in 1925 St. John Vianney is the patron of parish priests. In many respects he is a thoroughly modern saint.
St. Dominic - August 8 (posted August 8, 2008)
For the feast of St. Dominic, I asked several Dominicans what they would like people to know about the founder of their order, the Order of Preachers. These were responses I received in the order received.
St. Edith Stein - August 9 (posted August 9, 2008)
Sr. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, a Carmelite nun, was born Edith Stein in 1891in Poland and was killed in Auschwitz on August 9, 1942. Edith and her sister Rosa, along with other Jews who had become Catholics, were arrested by the Nazis occupying the Netherlands in retaliation for the denunciation by the Dutch bishops of Nazi anti-Semitism.
St. Clare of Assisi - August 11 (posted August 11, 2008)
St. Clare of Assisi was born in 1194. She was one of the early followers of St. Francis of Assisi and with him co-founded the Order of Saint Clare, now commonly known as the Poor Clares.
Clare was from a wealthy family and left it all to lead a life of absolute poverty in a cloistered monastery. She and her sisters passed their days working and praying. The order has continued into our times, with monasteries of sisters in communities around the world.
St. Maximilian Kolbe - August 14 (posted August 14, 2008)
St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Conventual Franciscan, is widely known as the saint of the Nazi death camp Auschwitz, where he voluntered to take the place of a young husband and father who was one of ten innocent men condemned to death by starvation as a reprisal. As courageous as this was, he is also considered a martyr because of the abuse and torture he endured when he affirmed his faith in Christ.
St. Jane Frances de Chantal - August 18 (posted August 18, 2008)
St. Jane Frances de Chantal was born in France in 1582, the daughter of the president of the Parliment of Burgundy. She married Baron de Chantal and had 6 children, three of whom died shortly after birth. She became a widow at the age of 28 as the result of a shooting accident. She was heart-broken and vowed never to marry again. She lived with her children in the home of her father-in-law for seven years before she was allowed to visit her father in 1604.
St. Gregory the Great - September 3 - Preaching the Gospel to the Ends of the Earth (posted September 3, 2008)
St. Gregory the Great was born in Rome around 540 AD. This was a time when the Goths and Franks were invading Rome. The emperor was in Constantinople. The Senate had been disbanded. Italy was still one country, called Rome, and late classical Latin was the language of the people.
St. Monica - August 27 (posted August 27, 2008)
St. Monica, mother of St. Augustine, was born in North Africa in 333 AD. She was raised a Christian but her parents arranged her marriage to a non-Christian. It was not a happy marriage for many years, but eventually both her husband and her mother-in-law became Christians as well.
Blessed Teresa of Kolkata - September 5 (posted September 5, 2008)
Mother Teresa was born in Albania in 1910. She went to India in 1929 to become a Sister of Loreto, an order of teaching nuns. She took her first vows in 1931 and began working as a teacher, work she deeply enjoyed. She chose the name Teresa in honor of St. Therese of Lisieux, patroness of the missions.
St. Peter Claver - September 9 - Patron Saint of Slaves (posted September 9, 2008)
Peter Claver was born in Catalonia in 1581. He attended the University of Barcelona before entering the Jesuits at the age of 20. During his study of philosophy in Majorca, he was encouraged by the porter, Br. Alphonsus Rodriguez, to travel as a missionary to the Americas. In 1610, Peter Claver arrived in Cartagena, in present day Colombia.
Our Lady of Sorrows - September 15 (posted September 15, 2008)
The Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows follows the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross by one day. On this day we remember the prophecy of Simeon when Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple for the first time. Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, "Behold, this child is destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be contradicted; and you yourself a sword will pierce, so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed." (Lk 2:33-35)
St. Vincent de Paul - September 27 (posted September 27, 2008)
St.Vincent de Paul is one of those saints whose mark on society has been so great that we often take their contributions for granted. Men and women through the centuries have been moved to serve the poor because of his example, as priests, nuns, and lay persons. Through the society which bears his name, the St. Vincent de Paul Society, members work across the United States and around the world, providing help both for those who face long term challenges and those who are "down on their luck" for a short time.
Celebrating the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael
The Feast of the Archangels - Michael, Gabriel and Raphael - brings a day for fun and celebration at our house. My father's name is Michael, so even as a child, this was a day to note. We didn't particularly celebrate it, but I knew it was his feast day. Each of these archangels had their special day, but the feasts have since been combined into one. So today many men in my family celebrate feast days, including my father, brother, cousin, nephew, husband and sons. We don't have a Gabriel, but Michael and Raphael (Rafael) are common.
Saint Jerome - September 30 (posted September 30, 2008)
St. Jerome (340 - 420) is one of the most interesting personalities among the fathers of the early Church. We generally envision saints as fairly moderate and gentle persons. It is safe to say that St. Jerome never believed in moderation. He was one of the most brilliant and well educated men of his time, a man who lived and wrote with incredible energy and passion. St. Jerome's Latin translation of the scriptures, which is a literary and scholarly tour de force even by today's standards, would become the intellectual standard for western civilization.
Blessed Marie-Rose Durocher - October 6 (posted October 6, 2008)
Eulalie Durocher was born on October 6, 1811, in San Antoine sur Richelieu near Montreal. Her life can be summarized very briefly. She was the tenth of eleven children and one of her older brothers was a priest. When she was 18, her mother passed away and Eulalie and her father went to live with her brother, Theophile, at his parish in Boleil. The young Eulalie took charge of the priest's home as housekeeper, hostess, and parish assistant. Although she was reputed to be lively and something of a tomboy, her health was never really robust.
St. Teresa of Avila - October 15 (posted October 15, 2008)
St. Teresa of Avila, also known as St. Teresa of Jesus, was a Carmelite nun, reformer of her order, mystic, and writer. She is one of only three women who have been named "Doctor of the Church." She had a lively intellect and loved people and parties. She wasn't afraid to argue with the Lord or to oppose those of her time who believed her reforms unnecessary and even dangerous. She experienced many years of illness, including three of paralysis. She found prayer difficult for many years and even refused to try. It wasn't until she was middle-aged that she began her great work of prayer, reform and teaching.
St Francis of Assisi - October 4 (posted October 4, 2008)
October 4 is the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Francis was born in Assisi, Italy in about 1182 and died at the Porziuncola, a chapel outside Assisi's walls, in 1226. He is one of the best known saints, founder of the Order of Friars Minor or Franciscans, the Poor Ladies or Order of St. Clare (Poor Clares - founded with St. Clare of Assisi) and the Third Order Franciscans, including lay men and women who also wanted to live in accordance with the Gospels in a Franciscan manner. There are many sub-groups of Franciscans.
St. Peter Damian - February 21 (posted February 21, 2008)
St. Peter Damian lived in the 11th century. He was orphaned at a young age and raised by two of his brothers. The first treated him as little more than a slave, but the second treated him kindly, took him into his own home and sent him to school. Peter took this second brother's name, Damian, as part of his own name.
Our Lady of Lourdes - February 11 (posted February 11, 2008)
"The Lady took the rosary that she held in her hands and she made the sign of the cross. Then I commenced not to be afraid. I took my rosary again; I was able to make the sign of the cross; from that moment I felt perfectly undisturbed in mind. I knelt down and said my rosary, seeing this Lady always before my eyes. The Vision slipped the beads of her rosary between her fingers, but she did not move her lips. When I had said my rosary the Lady made a sign for me to approach, but I did not dare. I stayed in the same place. Then, all of a sudden, she disappeared. I started to remove the other stocking to cross the shallow water near the grotto so as to join my companions. And we went away. As we returned, I asked my companions if they had seen anything. 'No,' they replied. 'And what about you? Did you see anything?' 'Oh, no, if you have seen nothing, neither have I.'
St. John of Damascus - December 4 (posted December 4, 2008)
St. John of Damascus (676 - 794), a monk and priest, was a native of Damascus and was also Chief Councilor to the Caliph. As a Christian, he held an hereditary position of great importance under the Ummayid dynasty of Syria. The Caliph was the chief religious and political leader of the Islamic world. This post tells of his contributions and unique role in the society of his time.
St. John Kanty (Cantius) - December 23 (posted December 23, 2008)
St. John of Kanty (June 24, 1390 - December 24, 1473) was born in the town of Kenty near Oswiecim (Auschwitz) in the diocese of Cracow, Poland. St. John of Kanty had an easy going personality and a brilliant mind. At the age of 23 he enrolled in one of the oldest universities in Europe, the Cracow Academy. This post tells a bit about his life and legacy.
St. Hilary of Poitiers - January 13 (posted January 13, 2009)
St. Hilary of Poitiers was born to a non-Christian family in the early years of the 4th century. He became a bishop and defender of traditional Christian beliefs against Arianism. This post briefly presents his life and contributions to development of Christian thought.
St. Catherine of Siena - April 29 (posted April 30, 2009)
April 29 is the feast of St. Catherine of Siena, O.P. Catherine Benincasa was born in 1347 in Siena, Italy. She was the 25th and final child born to her parents. Her father was a wool dyer and her mother was mistress of a large and active household. (Catherine was actually a twin, but her sister died shortly after birth.) This post includes details about her life and comments from contemporary scholars.
St. Maria Goretti - July 6 (posted July 12, 2009)
The feast of St. Maria Goretti often leaves me feeling conflicted. Maria Goretti died in 1902 of stab wounds inflicted during an attempted rape when she was 11 years old. On her deathbed, she forgave the man (a 20 year old) who had mortally wounded her. He was the son of the family with whom Maria and her family were living. After serving his prison term, he lived an exemplary life as a lay member of the Capuchins (one branch of Franciscans). He was present for Maria's canonization in 1950. This post examines some of the issues related to violence against girls and women.
St. Joseph Marello - May 30 (posted May 30, 2009)
St. Joseph Marello was born in Turin on December 26, 1844. While he was still a young child, his mother died and his father moved the family back to San Martino Alfieri where they would be closer to their grandparents and other family members as they grew up. This post tells about his life and legacy.
The Birthday of Mary - September 8 (posted Sept. 8, 2009)
The birthday of the mother of Jesus, Mary, daughter of Joachim and Ann, is celebrated on September 8. It is an ancient feast, dating from the fifth century dedication of a church in Jerusalem. The church is known today as the basilica of St. Ann, mother of Mary. The feast is celebrated both in the Eastern and Western churches.
The Feast of St. Dominic - August 8 (posted Aug 7, 2009)
St. Dominic was one of the first founders of a religious order to emphasize the importance of education and logic in thinking and teaching about God. He had noticed that Cathar/Albigensian preachers were not ignorant men but rather cultured, educated people living righteous lives. He reasoned that only equally educated and rational teachers/preachers would be able to turn the followers of the Cathar preachers away from heresy and back to traditional Christian beliefs. He and his companions set out to do just that, while always seeking truth wherever it might be found.
Having a Martha-like Day on the Feast of St. Martha - July 29 (posted July 29, 2009)
I've spent the feast of St. Martha doing a lot of very Martha-like things. You'll remember the story of the day Jesus came to visit Martha, her sister Mary, and their brother Lazarus. Jesus always traveled with something of an entourage in those days. There were the apostles, of course. But there were also many others who followed along the way or came out to see Him as He passed through their towns. When He came to visit, it was a big deal. Here are some thoughts on Martha and life today.
Who Was That Saint Who Was a Mercenary, Mom? (posted July 17, 2009)
St. Camillus de Lellis (feast day July 18) was the man in question. A post written last year gives more details of his life. However, in brief, here's a thumbnail sketch of it. Born in the mid-1500s, he founded an order of religious men who dedicate their lives to the care of the sick and dying. But before be became the founder of a religious order, he was a soldier, a mercenary, a gambler, and overall rowdy fellow. ...
St. Henry of Germany, Holy Roman Emperor - July 13 (posted July 13, 2009)
Holy Roman Emperor = Saint - Is that even possible? Apparently so. Here's the story.
St. Maria Goretti - July 6 (posted July 12, 2009)
The feast of St. Maria Goretti often leaves me feeling conflicted. Maria Goretti died in 1902 of stab wounds inflicted during an attempted rape when she was 11 years old. On her deathbed, she forgave the man (a 20 year old) who had mortally wounded her. He was the son of the family with whom Maria and her family were living. After serving his prison term, he lived an exemplary life as a lay member of the Capuchins (one branch of Franciscans). He was present for Maria's canonization in 1950.

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Theologika.net and this lens are the creation of two anthropologists, Randolfo R. Pozos, Ph.D. and Kathleen Brewer de Pozos, Ph.D. Despite doing some... (more)

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