John Chrysostom: The Man with the Golden Mouth
Saint John Chrysostom (+407) was a model bishop, a doctor of the Church, an ascetic and contemplative monk who wanted only to retreat from...
Peter Claver’s Untiring Fidelity
Saint Peter Claver (+Sept. 8, 1654), whom we celebrate on this 9th day of September, was a Jesuit priest in the first missionary fervour...
Our Lady’s Birthday
A blessed and joyful birthday to the Blessed Virgin Mary! This feast that has been celebrated since at least the sixth century in Syria, in...
The Hope and Joy of Pier Giorgio Frassati
(On this Sunday, September 7th, Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati is being canonized, along with fellow Italian, Blessed Carlo Acutis. Both died young - Carlo...
Teresa of Calcutta’s Mission to the Poorest of the Poor
As universities gear up to receive students, we should leave the travails of this world for a moment and ponder the other-worldliness of Mother...
Dina Belanger’s Unrelenting Quest for Perfection
Blessed Dina Belanger (+1929) is a home-grown Canadian saint whom we commemorate today. (The martyr Andre Grasset, whom we celebrated two days ago, is...
Gregory the Great, a Pope for All Seasons
One of the great joys of history is reminiscing about the past, giving hope for the present; for history is ‘eschatological’, moving towards a...
Andre Grasset, Canada’s First Homegrown Beatus
Blessed André Grassett was the first Canadian to be beatified - not quite the first 'saint', which requires canonization, and that honour belongs to...
The Legendary Hermit, Saints Giles, or Egidio
The life of Saint Giles, as many mediaeval saints, is steeped in legend. What we do know is that he had quite a following,...
Labour Day, Leisure and Life
Labour Day is a rather prosaic name for the last holiday of summer. Why not, 'blow out day', or 'the end of leisure, and...
