Today, July 2, is the memorial of Saint Martinian and Saint Processus. Martinian and Processus were pagans and imperial soldiers assigned as the prison officers of Saint Peter and Saint Paul in the Mamertine Prison. The two soldiers were dedicated to their jobs, watching their Christian prisoners with due diligence. They could not help but …
Today, July 1, is the memorial of Saint Nicasius. Nicasius’ parents were Roberto de Burgio and Aldegonda. On his father’s side, he descended from the Saracens. On his mother’s, the Normans. He was born around the year 1135. He and his brother Ferrandino joined the Hospitaller Order of the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem. …
Today, June 30, is the memorial of the First Martyrs of the Holy Roman Church. This memorial is in honor of the nameless followers of Christ brutally killed by the crazy emperor Nero in 64 AD. A huge fire destroyed Rome and many people blamed Nero. Nero redirected this blame towards the Christians and made …
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And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven. (Matthew 6:19)
Today, June 28, is the memorial of Saint Irenaeus. Irinaeus was born around 130 AD to Christian parents. In life he became a disciple of Saint Polycarp of Smyrna. He was ordained in 177 and became Bishop of Lugdunum, Gaul (modern Lyons, France). He is best known for countering and writing against gnosticism, which emphasized …
Today, June 26, is the memorial of Saint Josemaría Escrivá. Founder of Opus Dei. Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer y Albás was born in 1902 in Aragon, Spain. In his youth, he already felt that God was calling him for a special mission. The sign came to him: Josemaría saw the bare footprints left in the …
Today, June 24, is the Solemnity of the Birth of St. John the Baptist. Today’s celebration dates from the fourth century and is one of only three birthdays celebrated on the Church calendar, the other two being the Birth of Jesus on December 25 and the Birth of Mary on September 8. In some European …
Today, June 23, is the memorial of Saint Joseph Cafasso. Patron saint of prisoners. Joseph was born in 1811 with a deformed spine, which explained his short height and crippled condition. The young Joseph felt called to the priesthood and so pursued God’s calling with much fervor. He gained fame for being a confessor, a …
Today, June 22, is the memorial of Saint Thomas More and Saint John Fisher. Thomas More was a humanist and chancellor of England. He was a close friend of Erasmus. Thomas wrote the masterpiece “Utopia”. He refused to support Henry VII’s divorce of Queen Catherine and his Act of Supremacy, saying that one cannot violate …
Today, June 21, is the memorial of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga. Aloysius was born in 1568 to Italian aristocrats. He was trained from age four as a soldier and courtier, as he was expected to inherit his father privileged status. He lived in Renaissance Italy, a time of violence, blood, and savagery. The effect was too …