As a young man, Simon had a dream in which he was told to dig deeper foundations to his house - penance and mortification were to be these foundations.
Summary: St Celestine was born and became a deacon in Rome around the time of Pope Innocent I (401-417). Later he himself became Pope 422-432 AD and continued the fight against the Pelagian heresy, which was now waning. He had the satisfaction of seeing it die away in [...]
The Roman Church has had some hesitancy in giving official recognition to a feast of St Joachim (authorised by Julius II, suppressed by Pius V , restored by Gregory XV) but .......
James is numbered with Peter and John as present at raising the daughter of Jairus to life (Mk 5:35-43); the transfiguration (Mk 9:2-8); and during his agony in the garden(Mk 14:32-42).
SsPatrick, Declan and Ailbe met up at Cashel where their respective areas of influence (bisoprics) seem to have been sorted.
Summary: St Sarbel Makhluf, Born on 8 May 1828 at Beka’Kafra (Lebanon); died on Christmas Eve 1898 at Annaya. Maronite monk for 16 years, whose religious name is Sarbel or Charbel, received a good education and was ordained priest. Spent his last 23 years as a hermit. Noted [...]
In 1999 Pope John Paul II made her, along with St Catherine of Siena and Sister Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein), one of three co-patronesses of Europe.
Mary was among the women who were present at the crucifixion of Jesus whenhis male disciples, save for John, abandoned him.
Summary: St Mary Magdalene, A faithful disciple of Christ, Mary ministered to his needs after having seven devils cast out from her. Witnessed his crucifixion, was present at his burial, and was the first to see the risen Lord. Commissioned by Christ to proclaim the good news of [...]
Lawrence was a brave Capuchin priest played an important part in promoting the Catholic faith in the late 16th and early 17th centuries.
'Blessed Apollinaris spilled his blood many times and with his wounds and the faith of his soul bore witness to his Lord'
Macrina, after a lifetime of service to others, was so poor when she died that Gregory had to provide a shroud in which to bury her.
Summary: St Hedwig: Born in 1374, Hedwig was betroth to the heir of Austria at the age of one and married to Jagiello when she was only twelve. She was later falsely denounced as an adulteress and a bigamist. She faced these slanders bravely and with faith. She [...]
After his ordination he travelled over nearly the whole Roman world, preaching against pagans, Jews, and heretics, and especially the Arians
Pavel, a Byzantine Rite Catholic priest, prisoner no. 681, suffered mistreatment and humiliation which brought about his death.
Carmelite spirituality is like falling in love and the pearl of great price. If your love is real, it will be all-consuming. All lesser loves fall away.
Bonaventure is called "the Seraphic Doctor" because of his insightful wisdom
Summary: Kateri Tekakwitha was the daughter of a Mohawk chief and Kahenta, a woman of the Alonquin tribe who had found Christ through the evangelisation done by the Jesuit priests in what is now upstate New York. She is the first native [...]
Summary: St Kateri. Many Catholics outside of the USA will not have heard of this young Native American girl, Bl Kateri Tekakwitha (Teck-ak-with-a), who lived in the 17th Century. She was born in 1656, at Fonda, upstate New York. Her mother was [...]
Camillus saw the foolishness of his ways, repented and began to live a life of penance.
Juanita was too young she to receive her first communion learned how to make communions of desire.
Summary: Henry, born of royalty, was educated at the cathedral school of Hildesheim. He was wise, prudent and never grasping. He built monasteries and endowed dioceses. He threw his weight behind many Church reforms in Germany especially priestly reform. Pope Benedict VIII crowned him and his wife Holy [...]
No reference is made to Veronica or the towel in the canonical Gospels. Even so....
St Benedict was founder of Western monasticism and author of the Rule which gave monasticism its constitution
St Canute IV, was the illegitimate son of Swein Estrithson, nephew of King Canute the Great. Both were great in diferent ways.
Summary: St John of Dukla: a Polish Franciscan who worked among Catholics in the Ukraine is one of 339 saints canonised by Pope John Paul II.
Summary and Homily for the Chinese Martyrs: This is a slightly abbreviated version of a homily delivered by Father Li on October 29th. 2000 in the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, Hong Kong, to mark the canonisation of one hundred and twenty Chinese [...]
Many clerical, religious and lay people were killed in China but the Christian presence remained.
Kilian, an Irish monk, like Columbanus, Fiacra, Fursey and Feargal went on an adventure to Europe spreading the good news.
In 755 Maelruain founded a monastery at Tallaght in south Co Dublin
