Today, July 16, is the Solemnity of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land during the late 12th and early …
Today, July 15, is the memorial of Saint Bonaventure. Doctor of the Church. Bonaventure was born in 1221. Little is known about his early years, except for the fact that his parents were Giovanni di Fidanza and Maria di Ritella. He healed from a life-threatening childhood disease, thanks to the intercession of St. Francis of …
Today, July 14, is the memorial of Saint Camillus de Lellis. Founder of the Camillians (Order of Clerks Regular, Ministers of the Infirm or M.I.) Camillus was the son of a military officer who had served both for Naples and France. His mother died when Camillus was very young. He spent his youth as a …
Today, July 13, is the memorial of Saint Teresa of the Andes. Carmelite nun. The future saint was born Juana Enriqueta Josefina de los Sagrados Corazones Fernández y Solar in Santiago, Chile into an upper class family in 1900. Early in her life she read “The Story Of A Soul,” the classic autobiography of St.Thérèse …
Today, July 12, is the memorial of Saints Louis and Zelie Martin. Parents of Saint Therese of the Child Jesus. Before becoming a watchmaker, Louis Martin wanted to become a religious. Zelie Guerin also wished to become a religious. She eventually became a successful lacemaker. Louis and Zelie met in Alencon and were married …
Today, July 10, is the memorial of the Seven Holy Brothers of Rome. During the persecution of Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, the prefect Publius tried to convince the seven brothers (Januarius, Felix, Philip, silvanus, Alexander, Vitalis, and Martialis) to venerate pagan idols. With their uncompromising faith in God and the encouragement of their mother, the …
Today, July 9, is the memorial of Blessed Jane Scopelli. Carmelite religious. Born in Reggio Emilia, Italy, in 1439 to parents Simone and Caterina Scopelli, As a child, she recognized she had a vocation, but her parents discouraged her from pursuing it. Jane made the most of her time in the house. She began her …
Today, July 8, is the memorial of Saint Marie Hermine de Jesus & Companion Martyrs. Seven Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM) sisters found themselves in the middle of Christian persecution in China in 1900. Thousands and thousands of Christians were martyred during this time. When Monsignor Francisco Fagolla, co-adjutor bishop of Shanxi, requested for sisters …
Today, July 7, is the memorial of Blessed Peter To Rot. Peter was born in Papua New Guinea in 1912. His parents Angelo Tu Puia and Maria Ia Tumul were converts to Roman Catholicism. He was described as a prayerful man, and was attracted to religious life. However, he ended up a lay catechist and …
Today, July 6, is the memorial of Saint Maria Goretti. Maria, born in 1890 in Marche, Italy, was a pious farm girl whose parents were Luigi Goretti and Assunta Carlini. When she turned five, the Gorettis became so poor they gave up everything. Luigi soon died of malaria, and the family was forced to transfer …