St. Henry II was born in Bavaria in 973. He succeeded his father in ruling Bavaria as duke and was later elected Holy Roman Emperor in 1014. He proved extraordinary in his work for Church reform and expanded missionary activity. He died in 1024 and...
A 14 minute podcast for the Feast of St. Benedict on July 11. Sonrise Morning show host Anna Mitchell interviews Dr. Italy about the significance that Benedict and the Benedictine life of prayer, work and stability holds for Christians today....
Here Anthony of Padua, one of the greatest preachers of the Middle Ages. interprets the tongues of Pentecost as different "love languages" whereby we witness to Christ by words and, even more importantly, actions. For his feast on June 13th....
Writing in the early 8th century, Bede explains why the Magnificat, Mary's prayer on the occasion of her Visitation of Elizabeth, is used daily in the liturgy of the hours (a.k.a the divine office) for evening prayer....
In this 7 minute podcast, Anna Mitchell of the Sonrise Morning show interviews Dr. Italy on the profound meaning of the Magnificat, Mary's canticle uttered on the occasion of the Visitation, and how it manifests her as the Queen of Humility and the Queen of...
San Bernardino of Siena (a.k.a. St. Bernadine of Siena) was a great Franciscan preacher from Tuscany who died in 1444. He was very successful at fostering devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus....
Because he was a witness to the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Saint Matthias was chosen by the other apostles to take the place of Judas (Acts 1;15-26). Matthias is remembered by the Church each year on May 14, and reads this reflection on Matthias' call...
The Regina Caeli, Latin for "Queen of Heaven," is a hymn and prayer dating back to around the 12th century, by an unknown author. In this jubilant Eastertide hymn of praise, we celebrate with the Blessed Mother the joy of Christ's Resurrection, and ask her...
Saint Joseph always appears in Manger scenes during Advent and Easter time and even has a special Solemnity or Feast in his honor, St. Joseph's Day, March 19. This essay makes a case that St. Joseph teaches us some crucial things about the nature...
This excerpt from a Easter letter by St. Athanasius was written around 340 AD to prepare the people of Alexandria, Egypt for the celebration of the Paschal Feast of Easter. It clearly demonstrates the sacramental and liturgical nature of worship in the early church....