Do you ever get confused by the many religious orders that the Catholic Church has? Each individual order has their own particular character, or charism, attracting different people with the same common style of prayer, work and way of life. The religious orders are...
June 3rd is the feast of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions. These great saints have been officially designated as martyrs for the Catholic faith. Officially, St. Charles Lwanga is the patron of converts, torture victims, and the African Catholic Youth Action....
Names matter. For the Catholic Christian, who sees all of reality as replete with meaning, all the more so! The Catechism tells us, "God calls each one by name. Everyone's name is sacred. The name is the icon of the person. It demands respect as a sign of the dignity...
Today the Church celebrates the Feast Day of St. Philip Neri, who was born in Rome in 1515 and died in 1595 on 26th May. He was a priest and was the founder of the Oratorians. He is well known for his humor, his gifted spiritual direction, and his habit of making a...
Did you know there are several married Saints? As our society likes to frequently remind us, marriage is no easy task. To live out the vocation of marriage requires a great deal of self-sacrifice and self-discipline. In the Sacrament of Marriage, both the husband...
These Saints who were friends discovered that the experience of authentic friendship is a real treasure. It is, as Elredo de Rieval said, "the homeland of those in exile, the wealth of the poor, the medicine of the sick, the grace of the healthy, the strength of the...
You and I know it. We have been sent by Jesus, we have a mission and the noun that best describes what we are is: “Apostle.” The word apostle, from the Greek apostello, “to send,” “to serve,” has a very general etymological meaning. It refers to a person who has been...
The lives of the saints provide us rich, beautiful sources of instruction in virtue. But there's a particular heroism to be gleaned from stories of the martyrs. Today we present 15 saints - some well known, others, more obscure, but all are admirable for a common...
The Gospel of Matthew gives emphasis to St. Joseph, for it is through him that the legal, filial line passed from King David to Jesus. The following are virtues we all stand to learn from St. Joseph. St. Joseph's Silence If we look at Sacred Scripture, there is not...
Have you ever heard someone say, “My sin is too big for God to forgive”? Or, maybe you yourself even feel this way at times? This is a lie that the devil would like us to believe, but the truth is no one’s sin is bigger than God’s love, mercy, and forgiveness. He has...
How often have you met a young adult and thought “Wow, they are so holy”... or looked to them as an inspiration and example for your own faith? Teens and young adults, especially those in high school or college, are notoriously stereotyped as the opposite of saintly,...
Pope St. John Paul II is rightly nicknamed John Paul the Great because of his tremendous impact on so many spheres of our life and on world history. Not only will he be remembered as the Pope who traveled more than any of his predecessors, but his legacy also includes...
Today we celebrate the Feast of St. Francis. Among many other wonderful things, St. Francis was known for his love of animals and uncanny ability to connect with them. It is said that he treated animals with the utmost respect, love, and care. Legend has...
I was fourteen years old and mad at my parents. They were wasting a whole day of our French vacation driving a four hour round trip to the Basilica of St. Therese of Lisieux. The car was uncomfortable, it was a perfect hot sunny day and I didn’t want to go. All I knew...
Born May 25, 1887, in Pietrelcina, Italy, Padre Pio has been and continues to be one of the most fascinating and sought-after saints of our times. Deeply pious as a child, at age 15, he took the Habit of the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin on January 22, 1903. He took...
Have you ever wanted to talk to someone who has been through some of the same trials, struggles and situations in life that you are currently facing? It always seems to help to speak with a person who “gets” it. The advice and empathy they give is unlike anyone else’s...
Mother Teresa was declared a saint on September 4, 2016. In all aspects of her life, Pope Francis said in his homily, she was a "generous dispenser of divine mercy, make herself available for everyone through her welcome and defense of human life, those unborn and...
The life of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta was extraordinary: her generosity, her tireless struggle for justice, her love and care for the poorest of the poor, and the simplicity of her words and deeds. But what is most moving about her life was not only her capacity...
Many of us anticipated the day in which we could call our beloved Mother Teresa, Saint Teresa of Calcutta. She lived her life as a witness to this generation of Catholics and was canonized by Pope Francis on September 4th, 2016. Because of modern technology, we are...
On a purely practical level, the intercession of the saints makes perfect sense to me. Yes, God is everything to me, but he's not the only thing. In other words, I cannot navigate life without the assistance of God's creatures (both living and dead). Whether it is the...
The main characteristic that distinguishes a Christian from a person of a different religious denomination is true love. This consists in feeling deeply loved by God, and loving Him in return, above all things. From this conception of life derives other...
Most Catholics are very familiar with the beloved Mother Angelica, but few know the story behind her vocation. Best known as the founder of Eternal Word Television Network, Mother Angelica impacted millions of lives with her quick-witted humor and profound love of...
Just a couple of weeks ago, I attended my friend Sean’s ordination to the priesthood. I was overwhelmed by just how beautiful the whole experience was, and I was struck by the eternal nature of the whole ceremony. They say that when you’re ordained a priest,...
These days, the most popular movies often involve superheroes (Ironman, Captain America, etc.). They show us a series of admirable values such as nobility, courage, and integrity. We watch as hundreds of thousands of children fill the movie theaters to watch their...
Though there may not be a perfect formula for obtaining the holiness required to become a Saint, there are a few common characteristics that many of the Saints seem to share. As you study the lives of the Saints, it becomes very clear that most had a true...