Today, March 31, is the memorial of Blessed Natalia Tulasiewicz.

Born in 1906 in Poland, Natalia worked as a teacher and led the local lay apostolate.

When World War II happened, Natalia decided to join underground educators in Krakow. She voluntarily went to Germany to join women forced into hard labor, as she wanted to teach them catechism and provide spiritual comfort.

The Gestapo, the Nazi secret police, discovered her secret mission. They tortured her and then condemned her to die in the Ravensbruck concentration camp.

On Good Friday 1945, weakened by countless horrible tortures, Natalia stood on a chair and gave a talk to the prisoners on the passion and resurrection of Jesus.

She was killed in the gas chamber on Easter Sunday 1945. She was beatified, along with 107 other martyrs of World War II, by Pope St. John Paul II in 1999.

Today, March 30, is the memorial of Saint John Climacus.

John was born in 579 in Syria. He was named “Climacus” because of his writings. “Climacus” means “ladder,” so his name refers to his works. Fired with a love of God, a young John decided he wanted to serve God all his life. At 16, he joined the monks of Mount Sinai Monastery. He served as abbot of the monastery. He would move to the desert and become a hermit later on.

He is known for writing “The Ladder of Divine Ascent,” an ascetical treatise on how to avoid vice and practice virtue so that salvation can be obtained.

The book was actually intended for monks, but it took on a life of its own and became one of the most highly influential and important works used by the Church in guiding the faithful to a God-centered life, second only to Holy Scripture.

The objective of “The Ladder of Divine Ascent” is to guide people in devoting their lives to God.  The ladder image, which reminds one of Jacob’s vision in the Old Testament, describes how one may climb into heaven by first renouncing the world and finally ending up in heaven with God.

John died of natural causes, around age 70, in 649.

Today, March 29, is the memorial of Saint Berthold of Mount Carmel.

Born in Limoges, France, Berthold was the son of the Count of Limoges and a nephew of Aymeric the Latin patriarch of Antioch.

He was a soldier who battled in the Crusades and was present in Antioch during the siege of the Saracens.

It was at this point that Jesus appeared to Berthold in a vision, rebuking him for his sinful life. Berthold promptly decided to mend his ways and to become a hermit.

In 1185, Berthold went up to Mount Carmel and tried to imitate the life of the Prophet Elijah. He built a chapel there and established a community of hermits. People from all over heard of his holiness, and wanted to meet him for spiritual direction. He died in 1195.

Today, March 24, is the memorial of Saint Oscar Romero.

Oscar was born to Santos and Guadalupe Romero in 1917 in San Miguel, El Salvador. He was ordained in 1942 in Rome and served as parish priest of Anamoros, La Union, El Salvador in 1943.

In 1970, he was appointed auxiliary bishop for the Archdiocese of San Salvador and as the titular bishop of Tambeae. In 1977, Oscar became Archbishop of San Salvador.

He was seen as a conservative, more often in disagreement with priests who supported leftist ideologies. He observed that the ruling class did not care for the poor. He openly sided with the cause of the poor and oppressed, and always within the confines of his vocation.

He was shot by a government-affiliated death squad in 1980 in the chapel of La Divina Providencia Hospital while celebrating Mass.

Oscar was beatified in 2015 by Cardinal Angelo Amato in El Salvador. Pope Francis canonized Oscar in 2018.

Today, March 23, is the memorial of Saint Toribio de Mogrovejo.

Born to the nobility in 1538, Toribio was named after St. Toribio de Astorga. As a child, Toribio had a devotion to the Virgin Mary, fasted in her honor, and recited rosaries.

He became a lawyer and law professor in Salamanca, Spain. He became a priest at 40 years old and, later, a judge of the Court of the Inquisition.

In 1579, Pope Gregory XIII named him Archbishop of Lima, Peru. He was a dedicated archbishop, traveling on foot, never minding the wild winds, strong heat, and untamed animals along the way. He wanted to minister to the people however which way it would cost him.

He baptized many people during his term, among them were Saints Rose of Lima, Martin de Porres, and Francis Solano.

He founded the first seminary in the Western Hemisphere and fought for the rights of the natives against the Spanish masters.

Toribio predicted the date of his own death. He caught a fever during a pastoral visit. The sickness did not hinder him from continuing his mission. Before dying on the date and time that he predicted (Holy Thursday of 1606 at 3:30PM), he forced himself to get up and receive the Viaticum and said, “Into Your hands I commend my spirit.”

He was beatified in 1679 by Blessed Pope Innocent XI. Servant of God Pope Benedict XIII canonized him in 1726.

Today, March 22, is the memorial of Saint Lea.

What is known about Lea came from the writings of her friend, St. Jerome.

Lea was born into a life of riches and privilege. When her husband died, Lea found herself possessing much material and financial wealth.

Instead of spending the rest of her life in luxury, Lea entered a convent of consecrated virgins. She became their prioress. She also supported a community that was led by St. Marcella.

St. Jerome wrote that she died in 384 while he and St. Marcella were reading and working on Psalm 73.

When she died, Jerome wrote about Lea in the most glowing terms, calling her “blessed,” being worthy of heaven.

Today March 21, is the commemoration of Saint Benedetta Frassinello.

Foundress of the Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of Providence.

Benedetta was born in 1791 in Genoa, Italy. At the age of 20 she had a profound spiritual experience that made her desire for a life of prayer, penance, and consecration to God.

Her parents Giuseppe and Francesca ordered her to marry farmer/carpenter Giovanni Frassinello. Witnessing the obvious holiness of his wife, Giovanni agreed to a life of celibacy, living as brother and sister. They took care of Benedetta’s  little sister Maria until the girl‘s death from intestinal cancer in 1825. Giovanni then joined the Somaschan Fathers, Benedetta became an Ursuline nun.

Poor health forced Benedetta to leave the congregation. Later, the bishop of Pavia Luigi Tosi asked her to help educating girls and her husband to leave the Somaschans to assist her in this new project.

Although they lived chastely, Benedetta and Giovanni’s unusual relationship drew gossip and criticism from civil and Church authorities. To lay everything to rest, Benedetta turned her work over to the bishop of Pavia, and lived as a nun at Ronco Scrivia, Italy.

Divine inspiration pushed her to start again. With five companions, she founded the Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of Providence dedicated to teaching. Benedetta spent her remaining years in prayer and service. She died in 1858 at age 66. Pope St. John Paul II beatified (1987) and canonized her (2002).

Today, March 20, is the solemnity of Saint Joseph, Husband of Mary.

Principal Protector of the Carmelite Order.

Patron of the Universal Church.

The liturgical feast of St. Joseph already appeared in the Carmelite Order in the second half of the 15th century. In 1680, the Carmelite General Chapter unanimously elected St. Joseph as the Principal Protector of the Carmelite Order.

In 1847, Pope Pius IX declared him as Patron of the Universal Church. Pope St. John XXIII inserted his name in the Roman Canon.

Today, March 18, is the memorial of Saint Cyril of Jerusalem.

Doctor of the Church.

Cyril’s early life is rather sketchy, but his birth year has been pegged at 315. He was known for his expertise in the topics of theology and philosophy.

He was ordained deacon by St. Macarius of Jerusalem and priest by St. Maximus. Cyril would later succeed Maximus as bishop.

Heretics tried but failed to take Cyril down, as the bishop was very well versed with Church teachings. He attended the Council of Seleucia in 359 and the Council of Constantinople in 381.

Pope Leo XIII proclaimed Cyril of Jerusalem a Doctor of the Church in 1883.

Today, March 17, is the memorial of Saint Patrick.

Patrick lived in tumultuous times. He was kidnapped from the British mainland around age 16, and shipped to Ireland as a slave. There he was assigned to serve as shepherd. Even while guarding sheep, Patrick never neglected his prayer life.

He dreamt that a mission was waiting for him in Britain. He read it as a sign, and thus escaped slavery. He managed to get an education, studying in different monasteries until he was ordained priest. Later on, he became bishop.

Pope Celestine ordered him to evangelize England and convert Ireland.  He was associated with the saints of his time: St. Odran was his driver while St. Jarlath was his spiritual student. Patrick is credited for being such an exceptional minister that he was able to turn monasteries into incomparable places of learning.

Legends have it that Patrick drove away all the snakes in Ireland because the reptiles bit him while he was fasting on a hill.