Category Archives: Saints

The Memory of St. Polycarp

Years ago, prior to entering seminary, I worked in an office where, during their lunch break, a group of my co-workers would gather in the break room and watch their favorite soap opera. The show was sufficiently ridiculous to be entertaining, so occasionally I’d join them.  My favorite storyline was about a character who awokeContinue reading “The Memory of St. Polycarp”

St. Josephine Bakhita

In 1877, a seven-year-old member of the Daju tribe in Sudan was kidnapped and sold into slavery. Her kidnappers sold her to people who treated slaves brutally, including frequent severe beatings which almost killed her.  One of her owners subjected her to an excruciating process of decorative cutting, which left her chest, abdomen, and rightContinue reading “St. Josephine Bakhita”

St. Francis De Sales

This Monday (1/24) is the feast day of St. Francis De Sales, the Bishop of Geneva from 1602-1622.  Born of a noble family, St. Francis was groomed by his father from a young age for service as an imperial magistrate.  He experienced a profound conversion at the age of 19, however, which set his life on a different path. It was around that time thatContinue reading “St. Francis De Sales”

One of the Greats

In the two-thousand-year history of the Church, only two popes enjoy the honorific “The Great,” according to Church tradition.  The fifth century pontiff, St. Leo is one of them (his sixth century successor, Pope St. Gregory, is the other).  Prior to his election as pope at the age of 40, St. Leo was already known as a great administrator and promoter of political peace.  When conflicts brokeContinue reading “One of the Greats”

Dr. Irenaeus

I remember years ago doing a little research to find out if my birthday was also the feast day of a saint.  When I found the answer, I said to myself in disappointment: “Who is St. Irenaeus?” As you read this, you might be saying the same thing. But these days St. Irenaeus has been making a big comeback.  Just a couple of weeks ago, Pope Francis announced hisContinue reading “Dr. Irenaeus”

Good Pope John

In October 1962, almost 60 years ago this month, Pope St. John XXIII opened the Second Vatican Council.  The First Vatican Council had been cut short and left unfinished in 1870 by the War of Italian Unification.  Prior to that Council was the Council of Trent, which was the Catholic Church’s response to the crisis of the Protestant Reformation in the 16th Century.  Less than 20 yearsContinue reading “Good Pope John”

God’s Minstrel

This Monday, October 4, is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi (1881-1226).  St. Francis is one of the most beloved saints in the Christian tradition, especially among the people of his native Italy.  An Italian friend of mine once joked that Italians love St. Francis best, then comes St. Joseph, then Padre Pio, then Jesus!  St. Francis captured theContinue reading “God’s Minstrel”

The Sacred Heart

In October 1986, Pope John Paul II made a pilgrimage to a place called Paray-le-Monial, a town in eastern France.   Paray-le-Monial is called the “City of the Sacred Heart” because it was the home of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a 17th century religious sister whose visions of Christ led to widespread devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. During an audience, Pope John Paul II saidContinue reading “The Sacred Heart”

Hearing the Call of the Shepherd

In this Sunday’s gospel, Our Lord refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd, thus inviting us to consider the mystery of vocation.  The Second Vatican Council reminds us that there is a universal vocation to holiness, which means that every single person is called to be a saint.  For the sake of helping people respond to the universal vocation, we believe the Lord gives aContinue reading “Hearing the Call of the Shepherd”