Saint Dymphna

Are you crazy? Meet your patron. Saint Dymphna was the daughter of a pagan king in Ireland during the seventh century. When her mother (who had passed on her exquisite beauty to her daughter) died, the pagan king wanted to … Continue reading

Our Lady of Europe

Gibraltar houses a Marian shrine that was once a mosque.  Gibraltar was under Islamic rule from 711 to 1462, except for the short interval from1309 to1333. The name of the peninsula is an Anglicized version of the Arabic “Jabal [Mount] … Continue reading

The Last Dance of Salome

The gyrating daughter of Herodias met her death in a gruesome, winter-time danse macabre. Salome, it should be recalled, was the damsel whose shameful dancing was rewarded by Herod Antipas with the head of St. John the Baptist (Mt. 14:6-8; … Continue reading

The Zionist and the Saint

Theodore Herzl (1860-1904), one of the pioneers of Zionism, had the distinction of winning Western Jews and European leaders to the cause of a Jewish state in Palestine. Toward the end of his career, he met with, among others, the … Continue reading

Japanese Martyr a Mexican Export

We English-speaking American Catholics often overlook (or are ignorant of) the accomplishments of our non-English-speaking Catholic forerunners on this continent. One such forerunner, who should be a household name to American Catholics, is St. Philip of Jesus. In 1597 — … Continue reading