As I write this, it is the Feast of the Holy Family, the first Sunday after the Epiphany. On this day, the Church celebrates Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, the human holy trinity that perfectly images the divine Holy Trinity. In … Continue reading
Category: Lives of the Saints
Saint Joseph: The Hero of Christmas
(The following meditation on Saint Joseph was recently sent out as our Christmas Letter. I hope you enjoy it.) Contemplating a Nativity scene, we behold a divine Infant, an immaculately conceived Mother, and a foster father who somehow remains the … Continue reading
The Father of California: Saint Junípero Serra
(The title of this artcile was changed from “…Blessed…” to “…Saint…” after the September 23, 2015 canonization of our subject by Pope Francis. The body text of the article has not been edited.) “For I trust that God will give … Continue reading
A Letter Home
This is the only complete letter from the first thirty-five years of Blessed Junípero Serra’s life. Today it is kept in the Capuchin Convent (monastery) in Barcelona. “Most Dear Friend in Jesus Christ, Father Francisco Serra, “Words cannot express the … Continue reading
Louis IX: King, Crusader, and Saint
François Marie Arouet, known to literature and history as Voltaire, a name he assumed while serving time in prison, was an enemy of the Faith who did much to generate the intellectual atmosphere in which the French Revolution, once it … Continue reading
Saint Olaf and the End of the Viking World
One thousand years ago, an entire world was coming to an end. It was the world of the pagan Vikings. It would be replaced by another: that of Christian Scandinavia. The vanished world and the one that replaced it are … Continue reading
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina: A Short Biography of the Padre
There were many saints who were renowned for their fiery devotion to Jesus in the Blessed Eucharist. Saints Peter Julian Eymard and Philip Neri come to mind at once. But, surely, Saint Pio of Pietrelcina is among the most seraphic of all adorers because he was literally nailed to the cross with Christ as he offered the holy sacrifice of the Mass. Continue reading
Saint Gabriel and the Lizard
One could not imagine a more unlikely person to be honored as the patron of marksmen than the humble and gentle Saint Gabriel Possenti, also called by Pope Benedict XV, who canonized him, the patron saint of youth. He was … Continue reading
It’s All or Nothing
(Dealing with two common objections against the Faith.) A Note of Introduction: In its first part, this article employs the use of some fundamental concepts of logic, the art and science of correct reasoning. As an aid to the reader, … Continue reading
To My Young Friend
LET’S HAVE A LITTLE TALK, my young friend, just you and I. It is private, yes.
Blessed Père Frédéric Janssoone
BOOKSELLING is a word that has special meaning to the disciples of Father Leonard Feeney. While historically it has been a noble profession, in the twentieth century the Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary elevated the art and profession … Continue reading
The Poet’s Eye: Gerard Manley Hopkins’ “Margaret Clitheroe”
Of all the books I have read on the lives of saints and holy personages, none has ever moved or inspired me as did Dr. Malcolm Brennan’s Martyrs of the English Reformation. Perhaps it was because, beside such luminaries as … Continue reading
Saint Catherine of Alexandria
The groaning of the peddler’s cart Is droning slowly through the mart of Alexandria. The climbing sun blows as he goes Higher still and higher, A wreath of golden burning fire, On that far city of the Orient. The wilting … Continue reading
Saint Therese of Lisieux: The Strong Virgin
(As published in 1953) The co-patron of all the Catholic missions in the world is not another daring and tireless priest who journeyed to remote lands to bring the Faith to the pagans, nor some intrepid and fiery missioner who … Continue reading
Saint Christopher, Patron of Travelers
“Bow down to the god Apollo,” advised the torturers as they advanced toward Christopher with thin rods of iron, white with heat. This is the great Saint Christopher whose Feast Day was removed from our calendar of Saints on May … Continue reading