Today, September 15, is the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. This celebration honors the spiritual martyrdom of the Blessed Virgin Mary as well as her unity with the sufferings and passion of her Son Jesus. It was Pope Saint Pius X who, in 1913, set the date on September 15 as the memorial. This …
Today, September 13, is the memorial of Saint John Chrysostom. Bishop and Doctor of the Church. John was born in Antioch in 347. His father died when he was young. His influential mother Anthusa raised John and helped him get an education. He did, under the famous orator Libanius. He became a hermit and practiced …
Today, September 11, is the memorial of Blessed Maria of Jesus. Maria Lopez de Rivas Martinez was born in 1560, and grew up in a small hamlet near Madrid. She inherited a vast amount of wealth after her father’s death. When her mother re-married, she was left to the care of her paternal grandparents. When …
Today, September 10, is the memorial of Saint Nicholas of Tolentino. Patron saint of the holy souls in Purgatory. Nicholas was born in 1245 in Sant’Angelo in Pontano, Italy and was named after St. Nicholas of Myra. He so impressed the Bishop of Fermo with his holiness and intelligence that the latter admitted him to …
Today, September 9, is the memorial of Saint Peter Claver. Born in 1580, Peter came from a rich Catholic family in Verdu, Spain. He joined the Society of Jesus (Jesuits) in 1601. When he was in Majorca studying philosophy, Claver was encouraged by St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, the doorkeeper of the college, to take part in …
Today, September 8, is the feast of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. Your birth, O Virgin Mother of God, proclaims joy to the whole world, for from you arose the glorious Sun of Justice, Christ our God; He freed us from the age-old curse & filled us with holiness; He destroyed death & gave …
Today, September 7, is the memorial of Saint Regina. Regina was born in Autun, France, to a pagan named Clement. Her mother died at her birth and her father rejected her. She then went to live with a Christian nurse who baptized her. This same nurse recognized the holiness of the young Regina. Regina helped …
Today, September 6, is the memorial of Blessed Olinto Marella. Born in 1882 in Venice, Italy, Olinto Giuseppe Marella was one of three children of Luigi Marella, who died when Olinto was 10, and Carolina de’ Bei. With the help of his uncle, Archbishop Giuseppe Marella, he was able to study in Rome. There, Olinto …
Today, September 4, is the memorial of Blessed Maria Stella and Companion Martyrs of Nowogródek. The Nazi terror in Nowogródek began with the 1942 extermination of the Jews. The Sisters, who come from the Congregation of the Holy Family of Nazareth, unanimously expressed their desire to offer their lives in sacrifice for the imprisoned. Sister …
Today, September 3, is the memorial of Pope Saint Gregory the Great. Doctor of the Church. Born in the year 540 in Rome, Gregory was the son of Gordianus, a Roman regionarius, and Saint Silvia of Rome. He was the nephew of Saint Emiliana and Saint Tarsilla, and the great-grandson of Pope Saint Felix III. …