Today, January 24, is the memorial of Saint Francis de Sales. Doctor of the Church and co-founder of the Order of the Visitation. Francis was born in 1567 to the Sales nobility. His father Lord Francois wanted him to live a life of privilege and to become a lawyer. The future saint, wanting to please …
Today, January 23, is the memorial of Saint Ildephonsus. Born to the Spanish nobility in 607, Ildephonsus was the nephew of Saint Eugenius of Toledo. He was a brilliant student who was mentored by Saint Isidore of Seville. Ildephonsus’ family wanted him to land a job and earn a living, but he chose to stay …
Today, January 21, is the memorial of Saint Agnes. Tradition states that Agnes was born in AD 291 and belonged to a noble Roman family. They were all Christians. With her beauty and wealth, Agnes attracted many suitors, most of them from high government positions. She turned down all the men, telling them that it …
Today, January 20, is the memorial of Blessed Angelo Paoli. Carmelite priest. When the future Carmelite was born in 1642, he was named Francesco in honor of St. Francis of Assisi. His parents Angelo and Santa were avid devotees of the saint. As he was well-educated, he spent his youth teaching catechism and Catholic instruction …
Today, January 17, is the memorial of Saint Anthony of Egypt. Patron saint of pig owners. More popularly known as San Antonio Abad, he took responsibility of his sister’s education when their parents died. Anthony sold his house, property, and furniture, and then gave the money to the poor. At age 35, Anthony moved to …
Today, January 16, is the memorial of Saint Joseph Vaz. Joseph, who belonged to the Congregation of the Oratory, was born in 1651 in Goa, India. He was ordained priest in 1676. He soon after lived barefoot to imitate the poor and preached the Gospel with much success. Joseph journeyed to Sri Lanka during the …
Fr. Engelbert Hein van Vilsteren, O.Carm. April 9, 1935 – January 16, 1973 Today, January 16, we remember Fr. Engelbert van Vilsteren, O.Carm., who was martyred in San Francisco, Agusan del Sur at the height of the dictatorship of then Philippine dictator Ferdinand Marcos. He was born on April 9, 1935 at Wijhe-Boerhaar, The Netherlands …
Today, January 12, is the memorial of Blessed Nicholas Bunkerd Kitbamrung. Nicholas was born in 1895 in Nakhon Pathom, Thailand. His parents were converts to the Catholic faith. He was ordained priest in 1926 and first served as assistant parish priest. Two years later, he taught Salesians missionary priests how to speak the Thai language. …
Today, January 11, is the memorial of Saint Theodosius the Cenobiarch. A cenobiarch is basically an abbot or a leader of people living a life in common, which was what Theodosius became. He was born in Cappadocia, Turkey to pious parents Proheresius and Eulogia. In later life, Eulogia would become a nun and would choose …
Today, January 7, is the memorial of Saint Raymond of Peñafort. Patron saint of lawyers. Raymond of Peñafort was the confessor of King James I of Aragon, who used to be a devout Catholic until he had a mistress. When the king went to the island of Majorca to convert the Moors, he brought along …