Today we commemorate St. Macarius, who was a monk in Eygpt in the 4th century. St. Macarius aided St. Helena in identifying the True Cross. He became the bishop of Jerusalem in 314 and was was known for his defense against the heresy of Arianism (denial of the divinity of Christ). He was also one of...

Today is the optional memorial of St. Frances of Rome. St. Frances of Rome is one of the great mystics of the 15th century. She was born in Rome to a noble family in 1384 and died in Rome on March 9, 1440. She desired to enter the convent, but in obedience to her parents was instead married at age t...

St. Casimir is the patron saint of Poland and Lithuania. He was born on October 3, 1458, the third of thirteen children of King Casimir IV and Elizabeth of Austria, daughter of Albert II of Habsburg. The young prince was trained in spirituality and displayed holiness at an early age. In contrast to ...

Virgin and Foundress 1858 - 1955 Katharine, the second daughter of Francis Anthony and Hannah Langstroth, was born on November 26, 1858 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. Katharine’s mother, Hannah, passed away about one month after her birth. A few years later, Katharine’s father, a wealthy an...

Also known as Gabriel of the Sorrowful Mother; Gabriel Possenti; Francis Possenti; Francesco Possenti Francis Possenti was the eleventh of thirteen children born to Agnes and Sante, a well-to-do professional and respected Catholic family, in Assisi, Italy on March 1, 1838. He was baptized in the sam...

St. Polycarp was one of the immediate disciples of the Apostles, in particular St. John the Evangelist. He embraced Christianity very young and was named bishop of Smyrna. He was greatly respected by the faithful, wrote many letters and formed many holy disciples. His epistle to the Philippians - th...

Alessandra Lucrezia Romola de' Ricci was born in Florence, Italy on April 23, 1522 to a pious and well-respected family. Her mother died when she was a child and she was raised by her devoted stepmother, who encouraged her to live a holy life. She entered the Dominican convent of Prat at fourteen, t...

Troy Duffy, Troy Duffy, Troy Duffy. To many of you, this three-syllable moniker has little or no meaning… but to a special few, the name Troy Duffy elicits the image of a portly fellow—someone who’d fit right in among our own legendary Fat Guys—with dirty overalls and one hell of an undeserv...

The crosses were set in place. Father Pasio and Father Rodriguez took turns encouraging the victims. Their steadfast behavior was wonderful to see. The Father Bursar stood motionless, his eyes turned heavenward. Brother Martin gave thanks to God’s goodness by singing psalms. Again and again he rep...

Today is the feast of St. Blaise, the day when we, as Catholics, participate in the beautiful tradition of having our throats blessed. To do this, the priest consecrates two candles, generally by a prayer, and then holds each in a crossed position on the throat of the person being blessed. At the sa...