Saints Eusebius of Vercelli and Peter Julian Eymard
The Church commemorates two pastors today, separated by a millennium and a half: The fourth-century Eusebius of Vercelli (+371), the first bishop we know...
Alphonsus of Ligouri, A Moral Teacher for All
Saint Alphonsus Ligouri (1696 - 1787) was a renaissance man, whose kind was a rarity in his post-renaissance era, and even more so now...
Saint Peter Chrysologous, Homiletic Doctor
Saint Peter Chrysologous (+450) as the traditional account has it was chosen bishop of Ravenna in 433 after the then-reigning pontiff, Pope, Sixtus III,...
The Holy Household of Martha, Mary and Lazarus
This memorial of Saint Martha, in accord with a decree from the Congregation of Divine Worship, now also includes her brother Lazarus, the one...
Victor, Innocent, Easter and Legends
We don’t know a whole lot about Pope Saint Victor I (+199), one of the earliest of pontiffs, usually listed as the 14th to...
Saints Pantaleon and Celestine – of Pants and Papal Authority
Saint Pantaleon (275 – 305) was a martyr under the persecution of Diocletian, who, like the later Saint Augustine, had a pagan father and...
Musical Offering: Couperin’s Motet in Praise of Saint Anne
François Couperin (1668 - 1733) was one of the great Baroque composers, perhaps most famous for his keyboard - harpsichord and organ - works,...
James the Greater, Matamoros and Humanae Vitae: Signs of Contradiction
Today we celebrate the great feast of Saint James 'the Greater', not because of any intrinsic superior quality to the other apostle James, 'the...
Saint Charbel’s Holy Hidden Life
God often works through hidden ways, and those who live a hidden life. Amare nesciri, Saint Philip Neri was wont to say, 'love to...
Sweden’s Charitable Bibliophile, Saint Bridget
Long before Sweden was known for ABBA and IKEA – two exports not to everyone’s taste, even if billion-dollar brands – along with a...
