Today, September 29, is the feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael the Archangels.They are the three angels mentioned by name in the Bible. Michael (“Who is like God”) was the archangel who battled against Satan and all the bad angels. He protects humanity from the snares of the devil. Gabriel (“Strength of God”) announced …
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Today, September 28, is the memorial of Saint Lorenzo Ruiz and Companion-Martyrs. Lorenzo’s parents were both Christians: he had a Chinese father and a Filipino mother who taught him Chinese and Tagalog at home, and Spanish from the Dominicans whom he served as altar boy and sacristan. He was respected as a professional calligrapher, document …
Today, September 27, is the memorial of Saint Vincent de Paul. Founder of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) and the Daughters of Charity. Vincent was born in 1581 to farmers Jean and Bertrande de Paul. Even as a child, Vincent demonstrated high intelligence. Jean was so impressed he sent the 15-year old Vincent to …
Today, September 26, is the memorial of Saint Cosmas and Saint Damian. Patron saints of doctors, surgeons, pharmacists, physicians, day-care centers, orphanages, and against blindness and hernia. The twin brothers were doctors. Saladino d’Ascoli, a 15th century Italian physician, claims that Cosmas and Damian invented the medieval electuary, a pasty mass consisting of a drug …
Today, September 24, is the memorial of Saint Gerard Sagredo. His father, also named Gerard, and mother Catherine waited for three years for his arrival. He was actually baptized George, after St. George. When his father died during a pilgrimage, he was renamed Gerard. When he was five, Gerard was miraculously cured of a serious …
Today, September 23, is the memorial of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio). In 1887, Padre Pio was born Francesco Forgione to farmers Grazio Mario Forgione and Maria Giuseppa Di Nunzio Grazio, who was an avid devotee of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. The family would in fact abstain from meat three days a week …
Today, September 22, is the memorial of Saint Maurice & Companion-Martyrs of the Theban Legion. In the year 287, there was a group of around 6,500 Roman soldiers called the Theban Legion. All of them were Christians. Their leader was a general, Saint Maurice. These soldiers were recruited in the Thebes region in Upper Egypt. …
Today, September 21, is the feast of Saint Matthew. Matthew was the son of Alphaeus. He lived at Capernaum on Lake Genesareth. He was a tax collector, someone who was corrupt, greedy, and dishonest. Worse for Matthew’s image, he was a Galilean son of the tribe of Levi, in those times he was probably seen …
Today, September 20, is the memorial of Saint Andrew Kim Taegon, Saint Paul Chong Hasang, and Companion-Martyrs of Korea. During the terrible persecutions that occurred in the 19th century (in 1839, 1866, and 1867), 103 members of the Christian community of Korea became martyrs. Outstanding among these witnesses to the faith were the first Korean …
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Today, September 19, is the memorial of Our Lady of La Salette. Our Lady of La Salette (French: Notre-Dame de La Salette) is a Marian apparition reported by two children, Maximin Giraud and Mélanie Calvat, that occurred at La Salette-Fallavaux, France, in 1846. In this apparition, Our Lady began her message with “If my people …