Today, December 15, is the memorial of the Blessed Martyrs of Drina. Blessed Jula Ivanisevic, Berchmana Leidenix, Krizina Bojanc, Antonija Fabjan, and Bernadeta Banja were all members of the Daughters of Divine Charity. They served the poor in the Serbian village of Pale. Anti-Christian Serb soldiers burned their convent in late 1941. The sisters were …
Today, December 14, is the feast of Saint John of the Cross. Carmelite and Doctor of the Church. Born in Fontiveros, Spain in 1542, Juan de Yepes y Álvarez lived in poverty. In Medina del Campo, John was able to study and become an altar boy at a nearby Augustinian nunnery. There, he also cared …
Today, December 13, is the memorial of Saint Lucy. Patron saint of the blind & people with eye problems. Lucy was a rich, young Christian of Greek ancestry. She was raised in a pious family. She consecrated her virginity to Christ. Her Roman father died when she was young. Her mother, Eutychia, arranged a marriage …
Today, December 12, is the memorial of Our Lady of Guadalupe. On December 9, 1531, Juan Diego, an Indian convert to the Catholic faith, was walking to a nearby village so that he could attend Mass. On his way, a woman appeared to him amidst the sound of heavenly music. The woman said to him: …
Today, December 10, is the memorial of Our Lady of Loreto. The title Our Lady of Loreto refers to the Holy House of Loreto, the house in which Mary was born, and where the Annunciation occurred, and to an ancient statue of Our Lady which is found there. Tradition says that a band of angels …
Today, December 9, is the memorial of Saint Juan Diego. Visionary of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He was born Juan Diego Cuāuhtlahtoātzin in 1474 to an impoverished free man in a strongly class-conscious society. He was a farm worker, field laborer, and mat maker. He was married to Maria Lucia and they had no children. …
Today, December 8, is the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the solemn dogma defined by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1854. Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, “full of grace” through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. …
Today, December 7, is the memorial of Saint Ambrose. Doctor of the Church. Ambrose was born to the Roman nobility. He was the brother of Saint Marcellina and Saint Satyrus. He was educated in the classics, Greek, and philosophy at Rome, Italy. When the bishop of Milan died, a dispute over his replacement led to …
Today, December 6, is the memorial of Saint Peter Paschal. Peter Paschal was born in Valencia, Spain in 1227. His parents were devout Iberian Christians. In fact, they would accommodate St. Peter Nolasco, the founder of the Mercedarian Order, at their home whenever he, together with his companions, were on a mission. The frequent visitors …
Today, December 5, is the memorial of Blessed Bartolomeo Fanti. Bartolomeo was born in Mantua, Italy in 1428. He was a Carmelite priest for 35 years. He served as spiritual director and rector of the Confraternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, for which he composed a rule and statutes. He was also the spiritual teacher …