Today, November 7, is the memorial of Saint Vincenzo Grossi. Founder of the Daughters of the Oratory. Vincenzo was born in 1845 in Italy. His mother taught him how to pray while his father instructed him on honest work and hard labor. After his First Communion, he announced to his family his desire to join …
Today, November 5, is the memorial of Blessed Frances d’Amboise. Carmelite nun. Frances was born in 1427 in a castle in Thouars, France. Her father was Louis d’Amboise, Prince of Talmont and Viscount of Thouars, and Louise-Marie de Rieux. At the age of three, Frances was already engaged to marry Peter II, a son of …
Today, November 4, is the memorial of Saint Charles Borromeo. Patron saint of seminarians and catechists. Charles was born in 1538 to a very wealthy and noble family. His parents were Count Gilberto Borromeo and Margaret de’ Medici. His maternal uncle was Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Medici, who became Pope Pius IV. Charles was made a …
Today, November 3, is the memorial of Saint Martin de Porres. Juan Martín de Porres Velázquez was born in Peru in 1579. He was the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman, Juan de Porres, and a young freed black slave, Anna Velázquez. Martin and his sister Juana grew up in poverty after Juan abandoned the …
Today, October 29, is the memorial of Blessed Chiara Badano. Born in 1971, Chiara was a bright and strong-willed child. Chiara was an only child, so her parents Ruggero and Maria Teresa enrolled her in the nearby kindergarten to make friends with other kids. When Chiara was nine years old, she discovered the Focolare Movement, …
Today, October 28, is the feast of Saint Jude and Saint Simon. St. Jude, also known as Thaddeus, was a brother of St. James the Lesser, and a relative of Jesus. According to the ancient writers, Jude preached the Gospel in Judea, Samaria, Idumaea, Syria, Mesopotamia, and Lybia. Eusebius wrote that he returned to Jerusalem …
Today, October 26, is the memorial of Blessed Jose Gregorio Hernandez. The future physician was born in 1864 in Trujillo, Venezuela. His parents, seller Benigno and housekeeper Josefa Antonia, had six children of which Jose Gregorio was the eldest. He had wanted to study law, but Josefa Antonia successfully convinced him to take medicine instead. …
Today, October 25, is the memorial of Blessed Recaredo Abad. Recaredo was born in the Diocese of Tortosa, Spain, where he studied. He also attended the seminary in Tarragona. He was ordained priest in 1929, having been inspired by his rector, Blesed Joe Maria Peris. He was a member of the Diocesan Worker Priests of …
Today, October 24, is the memorial of Saint Anthony Mary Claret. Founder of the Congregation of the Missionary Sons of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (Claretians). Anthony Mary was born in Barcelona, Spain in 1807, and was the fifth of 11 children. He worked as a weaver in his youth. He wanted to join the …
Today, October 22, is the memorial of Pope Saint John Paul II. Karol Wojtyla believed that God blessed him with a priestly vocation. After surviving two almost fatal accidents, he finally answered God’s call. He attended secret classes during the German occupation of Poland, and was ordained in 1946. Around this time he learned and …