Saint Agnes was a young girl of only 12 years of age who was martyred in Rome during the latter half of the third century or at the beginning of the fourth century, during the fierce persecution of Diocletian. Pope Damasus (ca. 380) honored her...
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....
Quodvultdeus on the story recounted in Matthew's gospel of innumerable babies in Bethlehem by Herod's soldiers in an attempt to kill Jesus, the newborn king. These children are considered martyrs and are remembered on the Feast of the Holy Innocents, December 28, the 4th...
Andrew, born at Bethsaida, was a disciple of John the Baptist before he left John to follow Jesus. The Gospel of John tells us that it was actually Andrew who brought his brother Peter to Christ. With Philip he presented the Gentiles to Christ and...
St. Anthony Claret here writes about evangelization and the apostolic zeal characteristic of the missionary spirit. He himself exemplified this in his own life, having founded a society of missionaries and serving as a zealous missionary bishop of Cuba....
Between the years 1642 and 1649 eight members of the Society of Jesus were killed in North America after brutal torture. These Jesuits had worked diligently to bring the native Americans of the region of what is now Upper New York and Canada to the...
St. Teresa of Avila's comments on the Lord's Prayer, specifically, on the petitions "Hallowed be thy Name" and "Thy Kingdom Come." The excerpt is from her book The Way of Perfection....
St. Bernard of Clairvaux on the respect and gratitude owed to our guardian angels to whom God has entrusted us as our protectors and teachers. [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']H[/dropcaps]e has given his angels charge over you to guard you in all your ways (Psalm...
These words of St. Vincent de Paul so clearly capture the essence of his vocation and ministry that they are read every year on the occasion of his feast day on September 27. The poor, when viewed with eyes of faith, give us the...
St. Gregory the Great teaches us about the Archangels and why they are distinct from angels. For the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael on September 29....