Saint Paschal Baylon’s Humility and Joy
The life of Paschal Baylon (1540 - 1592) has much in common with that of his fellow Franciscan, Joseph of Cupertino (+1633). They were...
Saint Brendan’s Fantastic Voyage
Saint Brendan (+577) the sixth century Irish monk, called the 'Navigator', is reputed to have discovered Canada a full millennium before the Italian John...
Dymphna’s Sanity
The story of Saint Dymphna (7th century), steeped in legend, is not one, perhaps, that parents would feel comfortable telling their children. Dymphna was...
Saint Isidore the Farmer and Rerum Novarum
Saint Isidore, or, in his native Spanish, Isidro de Merlo y Quintana, was named after the other Saint Isidore, the bishop of Seville (whom...
The Choice of Matthias
Some are born great, some achieve greatness, some have greatness thrust upon them
So wrote the Bard in his 1602 play the Twelfth Night, and...
Our Lady of Fatima
The revelations, prophecies and secrets of Our Lady of Fatima have loomed large in the minds and heart of Catholics in the twentieth century,...
Nereus, Achilleus, and Pancras: Choosing Our Path
Today we commemorate the early martyrs Nereus and Achilleus, eunuchs and chamberlains of the court, and eventual converts to Christianity, who were put to...
The Other Saint Ignatius – of Laconi
Saint Ignatius of Laconi (1701- 1781) - not to be confused with the more famous Ignatius of Loyala - was a Franciscan friar, whom...
Saint John of Avila, Apostle of Andalusia
Today's optional memorial as we continue the Easter season (alleluia!) commemorates Saint John of Avila (1499 – 1569), a contemporary of his fellow Spaniards,...
Father Damien’s Sacrificial Life
Saint Damien de Veuster (+1889) is celebrated on this tenth of May, a missionary priest who gave everything, even laying down his life, for...
