Summary: St Peter Claver SJ, a Catalan Jesuit missionary, who worked in Colombia, South America. At the height of the slave trade, he befriended and baptized some 300,000 African slaves over a 40-year period. He died on 8th September 1654.
Paul Hurley tells his extraordinary [...]
Summary: St Ciarán of Clonmacnoise’s, supposedly born Ciarán mac an tSaeir, was one of the ‘Twelve Apostles of Ireland’ and the first abbot of Clonmacnoise. He is sometimes called Ciarán the Younger to distinguish him from the 5th-century Saint Ciarán the Elder who was bishop of Osraig
Summary: The Nativity of Our Lady The Catholic Church observes the actual birthday/date of only two saints: Saint John the Baptist (June 24), and Mary, Mother of Jesus ( In the case of all other saints, especially martyrs, they are venerated on the day of their [...]
Summary: St Magnus, a monk and missionary. An interesting story involves him bringing reconciliation between St Gall and his master St Columban. He is also venerated as one of the Holy Helpers invoked in time of plague such as the Black Death.
Patrick Duffy tells his story.
Summary: St Finnian There are many St Finians and at least two Movilles. The Movilla of this saint is not – as many people may think – the village of Moville in Co Donegal, but Movilla in Co Down, just outside Newtownards. A graveyard and the [...]
Summary St Ultan, abbot-bishop at Ardbraccan in Co Meath, an important ecclesiastical centre in the middle ages. The image shown here is from the now de-consecrated Church of Ireland church at Ardbraccan. Today the catholic parish is centred at Bohermeen, Co Meath. Ultan is also associated with the care [...]
Summary: Mother Teresa during her lifetime was widely held to be a living saint as she ministered to the sick and dying in some of the poorest neighbourhoods in the world. Although some people criticized her for not also challenging the wider ’causes of injustice’s that kept so [...]
Summary: St Mac Nissi, bishop. Oengus Mac Nissi took his name from his mother Cnes or Ness. It is claimed that Patrick baptised him and taught him the psalms. He seems to be one of the early converts. He chose the district of Connor for his hermitage, but [...]
Gregory composed presidential prayers (the Gregorian Sacramentary) and oversaw musical development (Gregorian chant.)
On the return journey Frederick after collectin a prestigious award for his work on Dante.collapsed and died at Marseilles on 8th September 1853.
Aegidius became so famous for giving alms and working miracles of healing
Aidan encouraged women in the religious life. This was a monastery in the Celtic style, with men and women living separately in small houses, but worshipping together in church.
St Fiacre is often invoked for healing of cancers and venereal diseases. He is also the patron saint of gardeners and taxi-drivers.
Summary : Fr Alberto Hurtado, a Chilean Jesuit, was canonised with four others at the closing Mass of the Synod on the Eucharist in October 2005.
Fergus O’Donoghue SJ wrote this account of his [...]
Herod, hearing about Jesus and the miraculous powers at work in him, feared that this Jesus was John whom he had beheaded risen from the dead.
Augustine was influenced by reading the life of Saint Anthony of the Desert, who when he read "Go, sell all you have, and give to the poor, and come and follow me". Augustine did just that.
Monica went to see a certain holy bishop who consoled her with the now famous words: 'The child of those tears shall never perish'.
Summary: St. Ninian, bishop, also (born c. 360, Britain—died c. 432, Britain; feast day September 16), generally credited as the first Christian missionary to Scotland, responsible for widespread conversions among the Celts and possibly the Southern Picts.
Louis IX is best understood if we see him as trying to fulfill the duty of France, which was seen as "the eldest daughter of the Church"
Joseph shared and defended his friend's Galileo's heliocentric view of the cosmos. Joseph himself was removed from his post as superior general. Eighty years after his death his name was cleared.
In the Middle Ages there was a tradition that Bartholomew was flayed - that is, his skin was removed from his body before he was martyred.
Summary : St Eoghan or Eugene of Ardstraw became a monk after training at St Ninian’s monastery in Galloway, Scotland. His Irish foundations were at Kilnamanagh near Dublin and Ardstraw in west Tyrone.
Patrick Duffy fills [...]
Rose fasted, then became a vegetarian, mortifying her flesh with hard work and slf denial. She wanted to turn attention away from her own beauty and focus it on God.
"Blessed are you, O Virgin Mary, because you believed in all the things which were told you by the Lord: you will reign for ever with Christ".
Giuseppe Sarto, as Pope St Pius X, died with a reputation for sanctity. He wrote in his will: "I was born poor, I have lived poor and I wish to die poor."
Bernard himself was sent with twelve monks to start a new foundation at Clairvaux and soon became its abbot. His father and all his brothers entered so as to pursue religious life.
John Eudes in 1643 and founded his own society, composed of secular priests, the Congregation of Jesus and Mary (CJM - the Eudists)
The tradition is that while Helen was in Jerusalem ( in her eighties) in the years 327-8 she discovered the true cross.
Our Lady of Knock (Shrine)
Summary: Knock Shrine On the 21st August 1879 when Our Lady, St Joseph and St John, the Evangelist, and a lamb appeared at the south gable of Knock Parish Church. Knock is an internationally recognised Marian [...]
Jeanne took in distressed and abandoned orphans, single mothers and prostitutes and began living a truly spiritual life, so much so that she eventually closed the family business to concentrate more on work for others.
