There are three saints who were actually born in what would be, or later became, the United States: Mother Seton, Catherine Drexel, and Kateri Tekakwitha, the Iroquois virgin. And one Blessed, Sister Miriam Theresa Demjanovich from Bayonne, New Jersey. Father … Continue reading
Category: Lives of the Saints
Feast of St. John Fisher: His Last Hours and Words
As recorded by the Protestant minister Thomas Fuller in his Church History of Britain Rorate Caeli: After the lieutenant of the Tower had received the writ for his execution, because it was then very late, and the prisoner asleep, he was loath … Continue reading
Saint Ferdinand III: Catholic Spain Personified
Below is a YouTube video from an older episode of Reconquest. For this show, I am joined by Dr. Alexandra Wilhelmsen. Our subject is Saint Ferdinand III, the Crusader and liberator of Catholic Spain, who united the two Iberian Kingdoms of … Continue reading
1959: Our Lady of Fatima Visits Padre Pio and Cures Him
National Catholic Register, Joseph Pronechen: Most everyone knows of Our Lady of Fatima. Most everyone has heard of St. Padre Pio. But how many know that Padre Pio was very seriously ill, bedridden, and Our Lady of Fatima visited him … Continue reading
The Gypsy Saint and Martyr Who Refused to Give Up His Rosary
Aleteia, Meg Hunter Kilmer: Towards the end of his life, Blessed Ceferino Giménez Malla (1861-1936) probably looked like a thousand other old men praying the Rosary after daily Mass. But his path to holiness wasn’t typical, nor was his pursuit of … Continue reading
The Penitent Blessed Carino, the Man Who Murdered S. Peter the Martyr
New Liturgical Movement, Gregory DiPippo: One of the most unusual true stories in the annals of Catholic hagiography is that of Bl. Carino, the assassin of the Saint whose feast is traditionally kept today, Peter the Martyr. Carino was one of … Continue reading
Some Inspiring Facts About the Last Days of Blessed Francisco of Fatima
Spirit Daily: When we last looked at Fatima, it was the death of little Jacinta Marto — youngest of the three seers. Likewise incredible was her brother, Francisco, little also, for in 1919, when he died a year before she did, … Continue reading
Maronite Martyrs of Damascus (1860)
Clinging to Onions: “The days in which we live now require heroic Catholicism, not casual Catholicism,” declared Peoria Bishop Daniel Jenky in 2012. “We can no longer be Catholics by accident, but instead be Catholics by conviction.” This is especially … Continue reading
Salesian Martyrs in China and a Dream of Don Bosco
Aleteia, Meg Hunter-Kilmer: The history of the Church in China is a long and complicated one, with mission after mission that lasted only a time before being driven out by persecution. In the 19th century, St. John Bosco (who influenced … Continue reading
The Martyr Who Smiled for the Photographer a Moment Before Execution
ChurchMilitant, Christine Niles: Blessed Fr. Martin Martinez Pascual left a lasting testament to the grace of martyrdom when, on August 18, 1936, he smiled for a photo just moments before being shot. More here with photo.
St. Cornelius the Centurion an Italian and First Gentile Convert
Good article here by Angelo Stagnaro. And with a bit of humor. I hope, however, that Angelo does not think Saint Patrick was Italian. Well, he may have been, on his father’s side. Saint Patrick’s mother, however, was the sister … Continue reading
A Martyr Born of the Blood of Campion That Splattered Him Beneath Tyburn Tree
National Catholic Register, Stephanie Mann: Four hundred and thirty-five years ago, on December 1, 1581, an infamous priest was executed at Tyburn. Edmund Campion, SJ was a traitor in nearly all Englishmen’s eyes (except for the Catholics whom he served). … Continue reading
A Little Christmas Joy from a Little Saint in the Making
Catholic World Report, Russell Shaw on Saint Thérèse of Lisieux : For many people, the season of good cheer is a deeply trying affair. I don’t mean unhappy souls who have good reason to be sad—the loss of loved ones, poor … Continue reading
A Wordly Knight to a Hermit Saint, Galgano Guidotti and His Miraculous Sword
Here is a story for every Knight of the Immaculata, featuring Our Lady, the Apostles, and most prominently, Saint Michael the Archangel. Could it be the source of the legend of King Arthur’s sword? This is a saint of whom I … Continue reading
38 Albanian Martyrs, Killed by Communists, to Be Beatified Nov 5
CNA: During 40 years of communist rule in Albania – which in 1967 declared itself the first completely atheist country in the world – praying, making the sign of the cross, wearing a crucifix around one’s neck, or any other evidence … Continue reading