Today, August 7, is the feast of Saint Albert of Trapani. Carmelite provincial. When Albert was born in 1240 in Sicily, his parents promised that if they were blessed with a son, he would be dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. He studied in a Carmelite monastery, and joined the Order of Carmelites at …
Today, August 5, is the memorial of Saint Emidius. Born in 279, Emidius was a pagan of Trier who converted to Christianity. He traveled to Rome and cured the paralytic daughter of his host Gratianus, who volunteered to let Emidius stay at his house on Tiber Island. Gratianus’ family then converted to Christianity. His reputation …
Today, August 4, is the memorial of Saint Jean-Marie-Baptiste Vianney. Patron saint of parish priests. Jean-Marie-Baptiste was born in 1786 to a farm family. He was ordained in 1815, after much difficulty. He had a hard time with his studies, which in those days were entirely in Latin. He failed his pre-ordination exams twice. As …
Today, August 2, is the memorial of Saint Peter Julian Eymard. Founder of the Congregation of the Blessed Sacrament and the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament. Born in 1811, Peter grew up in a poor family during the anti-Catholic aftermath of the French Revolution. His family opposed his entrance to the priesthood and then illness …
Today, July 31, is the memorial of Saint Ignatius of Loyola. Founder of the Jesuits (Society of Jesus). In 1491, Ignatius was born to the Spanish nobility. He was the youngest of 12 children. He was a page in the Spanish court of Ferdinand and Isabella. In 1517, he became a soldier. He was wounded …
Today, July 30, is the memorial of Saint Peter Chrysologus. Doctor of the Church. Around the year 380, Peter was born in North-Central Italy. Through Pope St. Sixtus III’s appointment, Peter became bishop of Ravenna, Italy. He fought paganism and the Monophysite heresy, enforced reforms, and built several churches and ornate altars in his see. …
Today, July 29, is the memorial of Saint Martha. Patron saint of hotel-keepers. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. She was a friend of Jesus, and hostess to Him in her house. She was witness to Jesus’ resurrection of her brother, Lazarus. …
Today, July 28, is the memorial of Saint Pedro Poveda. Founder of the Teresian Institute. Born in 1874 in Linares, Spain to a pious family, Pedro felt an early call to the priesthood. He entered the seminary in Jaen, Spain in 1889, then the seminary of Guadix, Grenada, Spain. He was ordained in 1897. He …
By Rev. Fr. Bernard Roosendaal, O.Carm.July 26, 2013 Introduction Titus Brandsma was a typical European, even more a typical Dutch, with an inborn western culture. He was an intellectual, deep religious and a man with his heart at the right place. He was kept connected with that umbilical cord of the Old and New Testament …
Today, July 27, is the feast of Blessed Titus Brandsma. Patron saint of the Philippine Province of the Order of Carmelites. Born in the Netherlands in 1881, Titus was a Carmelite priest, philosophy professor, journalist, educator, and orator. In 1935 he wrote against anti-Jewish marriage laws, which brought him to the attention of the Nazis. …