Today, October 18, is the feast of Saint Luke the Evangelist. Born to pagan Greek parents, and possibly a slave, Luke was one of the earliest converts to Christianity. Luke was a physician who studied in Antioch and Tarsus. Some accounts mention that the evangelist may have been a ship‘s doctor. He met Saint Paul …
Today, October 16, is the memorial of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque. Visionary of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Margaret Mary was born in Burgundy, France in 1647. She healed from a crippling disorder by a vision of the Blessed Virgin, which prompted her to give her life to God. After receiving a vision of Christ …
Today, October 15, is the feast of Saint Teresa of Avila. Virgin and Doctor of the Church. Foundress of the Order of Discalced Carmelites. Teresa Sánchez de Cepeda y Ahumada was born in 1515 to the Spanish nobility, the daughter of Don Alonso Sanchez de Cepeda and Doña Beatriz. She grew up reading the lives …
Today, October 14, is the memorial of Blessed Roman Lysko. Roman Lysko was born in 1914 in Horodok, a city in the Lviv Oblast region of Ukraine. He studied theology and graduated from the Lviv Theological Academy. In 1941 he was ordained a priest. He became administrator for the parish in the Kotliw Village and, …
Today, October 13, is the memorial of Blessed Alexandrina da Costa. Alexandrina was born in 1904 in Balasar, Portugal. When she reached 12, Alexandrina got an infection and became sickly. The infection never left her since then. She understood that God had a special mission for her: to suffer as a “victim soul.” When she …
Today, October 12, is the memorial of Blessed Carlo Acutis. Carlo was born on May 3, 1991 in London to parents Andrea and Antonia Acutis. A few months later, due to work, the family settled in Milan. As a young child, Carlo prayed the Rosary a lot and made the Eucharist the center of his …
Today, October 11, is the memorial of Pope Saint John XXIII. The future pope was born Angelo Roncalli in 1881 to an Italian peasant family. He studied at Bergamo and the Pontifical Roman Seminary. He was ordained in 1904 and became secretary to the bishop of Bergamo, Italy from 1904 to 1914, during which he …
Today, October 9, is the memorial of Saint Denis & Companion-Martyrs. Saints Denis, Rusticus, and Eleutherius were missionaries in Paris. Nothing more is known about Denis’ companions. Denis was appointed the first Bishop of Paris. It was said that they were so successful in converting many non-Christians that the authorities felt threatened. The pagans promptly …
Today, October 8, is the memorial of Saint Pelagia the Penitent. The story goes that she was a professional dancer/actress who was known for her beauty, wealth, and immoral state of life. One time she heard the sermon of the bishop Saint Nonnus of Edessa, who was struck by her looks. Saint Nonnus talked about …
Today, October 7, is the memorial of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary. October 7, 1571 was a Sunday when the Christian fleets under John of Austria reached a major naval victory over the Turks in the Straits of Lepanto. Thousands of Christians were freed. The Turkish fleet was destroyed, and they suffered their first …