SAINTS

(1629 – 1681) St. Oliver was born in County Meath Ireland, in 1629. He studied for the priesthood in Rome and was ordained there in 1654. He spent the beginning of his career teaching and serving the poor of Rome. In 1669 he was appointed Archbishop of Armagh in Ireland. When a wave of English […]

(1713-1784) The American West is dotted with the names of missions founded by St. Junipero —  San Diego, San Juan Capistrano, Monterey/Carmel, San Antonio, San Gabriel, San Luís Obispo, Santa Clara, San Buenaventura, San Francisco. Who would have thought that the boy from the island of Mallorca, Spain, would have done so much abroad? It […]

(1017 – 1066) Theobald was born into a noble family in Provins, France. His father was Arnout, the Count of Champagne. Raised in the military tradition of his family, he abandoned that life without the knowledge of his parent to live the life of a hermit, first in France and later in Luxemburg. He and […]

Today we have the pleasure to celebrate two of the founders of the church. The first, St. Peter, is the “Rock” (in Jesus’ words) upon which the church was established. Even though he denied his association to Christ during the passion, Jesus saw something that not even Peter himself recognized. On the Day of Pentecost […]

(130-202) St. Irenaeus, the bishop of Lugdunum (today Lyons, France) was born in Smyrna in Asia Minor, he was a pupil of Polycarp, who in turn, was a disciple of the apostle John. This connection to one of the original witnesses of Christ solidified the legitimacy of his teaching. Two of Irenaeus’ many written works […]

(circa 378-444) Most of us would like to think that our revered saints are without blemish, that everything in their lives was chaste, holy and just. There are some parts of St. Cyril’s story that would challenge that idea by our modern standards. Cyril was the nephew of Theophilus, the patriarch of Alexandria, Egypt. Ordained […]

(1107-1178) Anthelm was born in the South of France and did not begin his religious career until after a visit to the Carthusian Charterhouse at Portes when he was 30 years old Only two years past before he became the abbot of Le Grande Chartreuse. In this position he undertook reconstruction of the physical facility, […]

(284-304) A version of the story of today’s saint says that St. Febronia was raised during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian by her aunt Briena, the superior of a convent in Sibapoli, Syria. She was renowned for her beauty, piety and virtue. When she was about 19 years old Diocletian sent the prefect […]

(Martyred 30 AD) John the Baptist is a familiar figure in Christian lore. He was born to Zachary, a priest and Elizabeth, a cousin of Mary. It is told that the couple was on in years, pious and virtuous, but Elizabeth was barren, much to their disappointment. One day, when Zachary was about to offer […]

(1811-1860) If St. Joseph Cafasso were a book, you certainly could not know it by its cover. Born with a twisted spine, he was small in stature and a bit deformed. His pleasant face and commanding voice quickly earned the respect of those who encountered him. He was a riveting speaker and an admired teacher. […]