Today, January 6, is the memorial of Saint André Bessette. “At the end of my novitiate, my superiors showed me the door, and I stayed there for 40 years.” Thus said Brother André who, as a porter, had the job of opening the door and greeting guests. He was born Alfred Bessette in Quebec, Canada …
Today, January 5, is the memorial of Saint Charles of Mount Argus. In 1821, Saint Charles was born John Andrew Houben in Limburg, the Netherlands. He was born poor. His father Peter Joseph, who was a miller, and mother Johanna Elizabeth had 11 children. He was described as a slow learner, quiet, and very shy. …
Today, January 4, is the memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton. Foundress of the Sisters of Charity. In 1774, Elizabeth Ann Bayley was born into a wealthy and influential Episcopalian family in New York. She was the daughter of surgeon Dr. Richard Bayley and Catherine Charlton. Elizabeth was raised in the New York high society …
Today, January 2, is the memorial of Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory Nazianzen. Doctors of the Church. These men began their friendship while away at school and later became bishops who were the backbone of Catholic Orthodoxy during a period of doctrinal struggle and confusion. Basil was a highly intelligent student in Cappadocia …
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Today, December 31, is the memorial of Pope Saint Sylvester I. Pope Sylvester I was the 33rd pope of the Catholic Church, born around the year 250 in Avelino. He was the son of Rufinus. Little is known about him. Accounts of his pontificate in the Liber Pontificalis only showed the favors that Emperor Constantine …
Today, December 30, is the memorial of Blessed Eugenia Ravasco. Foundress of the Daughters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary (Ravasco Institute). Eugenia Ravasco was born in Milan, Italy in 1845. It was a time when opposition to the Church and the clergy was increasing, with the Freemasons actively opposing the Catholic hierarchy. …
Today, December 29, is the memorial of Saint Thomas Becket. Thomas was born around 1118 in London. Gilbert and Matilda were his parents. He took up Canon Law and became a trusted assistant to the Archbishop of Canterbury. Later, Thomas was ordained deacon. That time, Henry II ascended to the throne. He and Thomas clicked …
Today, December 28, is the feast of the Holy Innocents. From Matthew 2:16-18, it is written: “When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had …
Today, December 26, is the feast of Saint Stephen. Deacon and the First Martyr. The account of Stephen is found in the Acts of the Apostles: while preaching the Gospel in the streets, angry Jews who believed his message to be blasphemy dragged him outside the city, and stoned him to death. “However, Stephen looked …
Today, December 23, is the memorial of Blessed Nicolas Factor. Franciscan preacher and Renaissance painter. Nicolas knew poverty when he was born in 1520 in Valencia, Spain. His father was a poor tailor and had five children. As a child, Nicolas fasted thrice a week and gave his food to the poor. He was also …