The Colossus of Lombardy: Saint Charles Borromeo
"This visitation had been sent as a chastisement for sin."
St. Teresa and the Joy of Female Saints
It means being a woman in her fullest and truest sense.
When St Nicholas Intervened in the Life of Aquinas 750 Years Ago
Why did Thomas experience the fulfillment of his theological aspirations on the feast of the saint under whose patronage gifts are given to little children each winter?
Saintly Slaps and Sung Masses: Remembering Saint Hugh of Lincoln
When the time came for the ceremonial slap of the cheek, Hugh taught the peasant a lesson.
Two Saints at the Start of Advent: Bibiana and Francis Xavier
In the traditional calendar, December 2 is the feast of St. Bibiana, Virgin and Martyr. Having been imprisoned for her faith, she refused the sexual advances of her jailer, and was beaten to death with lead-loaded thongs. The Collect for her feast is magnificent: Deus, omnium largitor bonorum, qui in famula tua Bibiana cum virginitatis…
The Benedictine Victims of Warsaw: Martyrs of Charity on August 31, 1944
The following true story, written by the nuns of the same monastery (rebuilt after the War), has until now been known almost exclusively in Poland. Thanks to an anonymous monk’s translation, it can now be shared with an English-speaking readership. It concerns the Benedictines of Perpetual Adoration in Warsaw, who gave their lives explicitly for…
Forgotten Customs of St. Lawrence
While St. Lawrence is one of the greatest deacons in the Church’s history, his feastday has over time fallen into obscurity and most average Catholics are unfamiliar with the customs and practices associated with his feastday. The Feast of St. Lawrence was of such importance it was a Holy Day of Obligation for a long…
Martyr for the Freedom of the Catholic Press
“We will not do it!” declared Carmelite priest Fr. Titus Brandsma, the spiritual director of the Catholic press during Nazi-occupied Holland. “Our limit has been reached! We cannot serve them!” He was reacting to the latest Nazi edict insisting that Catholic newspapers publish Nazi propaganda. This was not the first time that Fr. Brandsma had…
The Miraculous Blood and the Music of St. Januarius
Art: The Blood Miracle of Saint Januarius in the Cathedral of Naples (1780) by Louis Jean Desprez (1743-1804). 1750 years ago, on April 21, 272, he who is venerated as the main patron of Naples, southern Italy, famous in the world, was born: Saint Januarius, bishop and martyr. In Pozzuoli, just west of Naples, on…