Author: Editor

(3rd century) Antonina was from Nicaea, a city in Turkey today. At that time the emperor was Maximian who was purging the empire of its Christians. Antonina was tortured because she would not renounce her faith. She was imprisoned and then taken out so they could force her to sacrifice to idols. Once again, she […]

 (1st century) In the sixth century, the bodies of Sts. Philip and James were brought to Rome from the East and were laid to rest in the Basilica of the Holy Apostles. Since they arrived together at the same location, the Church instituted a single feast day for both apostles. Previously, the Catholic Church had […]

Athanasius was born of a Christian family in Alexandria, Egypt, where he received a classical education. In 319, Athanasius was ordained a deacon, and later became a priest. He served as secretary to Bishop Alexander, who vigorously opposed the Arian heresy, the belief named after a priest called Arius who claimed that Jesus wasn’t truly […]

To foster deep devotion to St. Joseph among Catholics, and in response to the “May Day” celebrations for workers sponsored by Communists, Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker in 1955. This feast extends the long relationship between Joseph and the cause of workers in Catholic faith and devotion. Beginning in the […]

(1786-1842) Joseph was born to parents of modest means, the eldest of 12 children (six of whom survived childhood), and one of three to become a priest. He became a priest in 1811 and received a Doctorate in Theology in 1818. The times were difficult in Northern Italy, which was experiencing the Napoleonic invasion. The […]

(1347-1380) Catherine was born in Siena, Italy in 1347, into an exceptionally large family. When Catherine was 16 years old, motivated by a vision of St. Dominic, she entered the Third Order of the Dominicans, the female branch known as the Mantellate. She confirmed her vow of virginity and dedicated herself to prayer, penance and works […]

(1802-1841) Pierre-Louis-Marie was born at Cuet, Diocese of Belley, France. He was ordained priest in 1827 and engaged in the parochial ministry for a few years, but intrigued by the work of missionaries in far-away lands, he resolved to devote his life to the Apostolate. In 1831 he joined the Society of Mary (Marist), and […]

(Died 107 AD) Simeon was the son of Cleophas, also called Alpheus, brother to St. Joseph, and of Mary, sister to the Blessed Virgin. He was therefore nephew to St. Joseph and to the Blessed Virgin, and cousin to Jesus. Simeon was an early follower of Christ, and probably received the Holy Ghost on the […]

(March 19, 1626-April 25, 1667) The story of St. Pedro proves that with persistence and conviction a person of modest intellectual capacity and little means can achieve great things. He was born extremely poor on the island of Tenerife in the Canary Islands and was a simple shepherd until he was 24 years old. He […]

(Died 68 AD) Mark was the son of Mary of Jerusalem who provided a place in her home for the Apostles to meet. He also was the cousin of St. Barnabas. He was the writer of one of the four Gospels even though he never knew Jesus personally and was not one of the original […]