Category Archives: Saints

The Green Desert 

The next week and a half is kind of a “sweet spot” during the season of Lent. In the next ten days we get not just one but two solemnities – St. Joseph’s Day (3/19) and the Annunciation (3/25), both of which provide a welcome respite from the disciplines of Lent.   It’s also a great time for the Irish, for those of Irish descent, and for the countless multitudes who wish they were. St.Continue reading “The Green Desert “

The Passion of Jimmy Lai 

When he was 8 years old, Jimmy Lai got a job carrying luggage to earn money after his mother was arrested by Chinese Communist Party officials and sent to a labor camp. One day, a customer tipped him with a half-eaten chocolate bar. After tasting it, Lai was desperate to know where the man was from. “Hong Kong,” the man said. Three years later, in 1960, Lai escapedContinue reading “The Passion of Jimmy Lai “

Blessed Fulton 

A few weeks ago, the Vatican announced that Archbishop Fulton Sheen (1895-1979) would be beatified later this year. Beatification is the final step one goes through before being declared a canonized saint. It is an infallible declaration by the Church that someone from its ranks has been received into Heaven. Fulton Sheen was ordained a priest of the Diocese of Peoria, ILContinue reading “Blessed Fulton “

Heis-Mendoza 

This Monday night (1/19), the Hoosiers of Indiana University will be playing the University of Miami Hurricanes in the college football national championship game. The player to watch is Indiana’s starting quarterback, a young man named Fernando Mendoza. Mendoza has had an outstanding season, leading Indiana to an undefeated regular season and to the cusp of the school’s first national championship in football. He also received the 2025 Heisman Award,Continue reading “Heis-Mendoza “

Saints for Venezuela 

With all that’s taken place in Venezuela over the past week I decided to do some research to find out what saints might be good intercessors on behalf of the Venezuelan people, to help them with the very serious social and political challenges they face. A quick internet search told me that the main patroness of Venezuela is the Blessed Virgin Mary, under the title of Our LadyContinue reading “Saints for Venezuela “

On Pilgrimage 

This Monday is the feast day of St. Thomas Beckett. Beckett was Archbishop of Canterbury until December 29, 1170, when he was murdered in his cathedral by men sent by Henry II, the King of England. The act of violence was due to Beckett’s refusal to cede to the monarch authority over certain ecclesial affairs. The site of St. Thomas’ martyrdom quickly became one of the most important pilgrimage destinations of the Middle Ages, along with Jerusalem,Continue reading “On Pilgrimage “

Friendship 

In his opening remarks at the recent “Symposium on Young American Men” in Washington DC, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly of the Knights of Columbus spoke about a growing crisis of loneliness and isolation among young men in our society.  “It’s increasingly clear that millions of men no longer have friends who they can count on and who can spur them on to excellence…. MoreContinue reading “Friendship “

Christ’s Soldier 

St. Martin of Tours (316-397 A.D.) was the son of an officer in the imperial army of Rome. As such, Roman law required him to enter the emperor’s service at the age of 15. By then, however, Martin’s sole desire was to be a servant of Christ. It was not easy to live as a Christian in the Roman legions. He was surroundedContinue reading “Christ’s Soldier “