Today, November 22, is the feast of Saint Cecilia. Patron saint of musicians. Cecilia came from a well-known and wealthy Roman family. Her parents, who largely ignored her vow of perpetual virginity, arranged her marriage to nobleman Valerian. On her wedding night, Cecilia successfully convinced Valerian to respect her vow of virginity and converted him …
Today, November 21, is the memorial of the Presentation of the Virgin Mary. Mary’s parents, Joachim and Anne, who had been childless, received a heavenly message that they would have a child. In thanksgiving for the gift of their daughter, they brought her, when still a child, to the Temple in Jerusalem to consecrate her …
Today, November 19, is the memorial of Saint Raphael Kalinowski. Carmelite friar. He was born Jozef Kalinowski to a noble Polish family in Vilnius, Lithuania in 1835. When he turned 18, he joined the Imperial Russian Army and got promoted to Captain years later. He later resigned from the Army and became minister of war …
Today, November 18, is the memorial of Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne. Rose Philippine was born to a French family known for its wealth and political connections. She was educated by the nuns from the Order of the Visitation. Realizing she had a religious vocation, she told her family her desire to become a nun. Her …
Today, November 17, is the memorial of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary. Patron saint of bakers. Born in present-day Bratislava, Slovakia in 1207, Elizabeth was the daughter of King Andrew II of Hungary and Queen Gertrude of Merania. She was the great-aunt of Saint Elizabeth of Portugal. She married Prince Louis of Thuringa at age 13 …
Today, November 16, is the memorial of Saint Gertrude the Great. Gertrude was born in 1256 in Thuringia within the Holy Roman Empire. At age four (some reports say five), she was raised in the monastery school of Saint Mary of Helfta. She was described as an extremely bright and dedicated student, she excelled in …
Today, November 15, is the Commemoration of All Carmelite Souls. These brothers and sisters of ours may not have been famous spiritual writers nor renowned for extraordinary experiences of prayer, but they made their mark on the Carmelite Order and on each of us through their own efforts to live in allegiance to Jesus Christ …
Today, November 14, is the feast of All Carmelite Saints. Who are the saints of Carmel? They are hermits of Mount Carmel who “lived in small cells, similar to the cells of a beehive, they lived as God’s bees, gathering the divine honey of spiritual consolation.” They are mendicants of the first medieval communities, who …
Today, November 11, is the memorial of Saint Martin of Tours. Martin was born in what is now Szombathely, Hungary. He had pagan parents but, as a teenager, discovered Christianity. He was baptized into the Church at age 18. Since his father was an officer, Martin was obliged to join the military. Once, while on …
Today, November 8, is the memorial of Saint Elizabeth of the Trinity. Carmelite nun. Elizabeth was born in 1880 to Captain Joseph Catez and Marie Catez. Joseph died when the girl was seven, leaving her mother to raise Elizabeth and her sister Marguerite. Elizabeth was a bubbly and popular girl, extremely stubborn with a fiery …