Today, February 28, is the memorial of Blessed Daniel Brottier. Devotee of St. Therese of the Child Jesus. Daniel was born in Loir-et-Cher, France in 1876. When his mother Herminie asked a very young Daniel what he wanted to be when he grew up, the child replied that he wanted to become Pope. Herminie replied …
Today, February 27, is the memorial of Saint Gabriel Possenti of Our Lady of Sorrows. Gabriel embodied worldliness: he was a ladies’ man (he was engaged to two girls at the same time), a well-known partygoer, a fantastic dancer, considered the most fashionable bachelor in town who wore the latest outfits of the time (it …
Today, February 21, is the memorial of Saint Peter Damian. Doctor of the Church. Peter Damian was born in 988 in Ravenna, Italy. He came from a large and impoverished family. When he was a young orphan, his brother mistreated him and forced him to work in a piggery. He was later sent to live …
Today, February 20, is the memorial of Saints Francisco and Jacinta Marto. Visionaries of Our Lady of Fatima. On May 13, 1917, Francisco and Jacinta were tending sheep with their cousin, Lucia Santos, when they received the first of six visions of the Virgin Mary. Francisco was 9 years old, and Jacinta was 7 during …
Today, February 18, is the memorial of Saint Geltrude Caterina Comensoli. Foundress of the Congregation of the Sacramentine Sisters of Bergamo. Born in Brescia, Italy in 1847, Geltrude was the fifth of Carlo and Anna Maria’s children. Even as a young girl, she was already devoted to the Holy Eucharist and hoped that someday she …
Today, February 17, is the memorial of the Seven Holy Founders of the Servite Order. The seven holy founders were Buonfiglio dei Monaldi, Giovanni di Buonagiunta, Bartolomeus degli Amidei, Hugh dei Lippi-Ugguccioni, Benedetto dell’ Antella, Gherardino di Sostegno, and Alessio de’ Falconieri. These men came from wealthy families in Florence, Italy and decided to live …
Fr. Cor Hendriks, O.Carm. February 17, 1991 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 On this day we remember Fr. Cor Hendriks, O.Carm. whose life was a gift to the church in the Philippines. Fr. …
Today, February 16, is the memorial of Blessed Joseph Allamano. Founder of the Consolata Missionaries. Joseph was born in 1851 in Asti, Northwestern Italy. He was the nephew of St. Joseph Cafasso, elder brother of his mother Marianna. His father, also named Joseph, died of anthrax when the child was three years old. He studied …
Today, February 15, is the memorial of Blessed Michael Sopocko. Spiritual director of St. Faustina Kowalska. Michael was born in 1888 in what is now Belarus. After obtaining his doctorate in theology, he became the spiritual director at a seminary and a professor of pastoral theology at Stefan Batory University in Vilnius. Now, St. Faustina …
Today, February 14, is the memorial of Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius. They were two Byzantine Greek brothers born in Thessaloniki in the 9th century. They became missionaries of Christianity among the Slavic peoples of Bulgaria, Great Moravia and Pannonia. Through their work they influenced the cultural development of all Slavs, for which they received …