Boniface, Laying the Axe to the Root of Evil
Saint Boniface, bishop, missionary and martyr was hacked to death by a band of Frisian idol-worshippers on this day, June 5, 754, along with 52...
Blessed Catherine of Saint Augustine, Foundress of Canada
We have celebrated a number of 'Catherines' of late in our liturgical calendar, two of them Canadian: Kateri Tekakwitha on April 17th, the native...
Lawrence of Brindisi and the Bible
Born Guilio Cesare Russo to a family of Venetian merchants, but far to the south, in the village of Brindisi, right down on the...
The Joy of Felix of Catalice – Brother ‘Deo Gratias’
Today, Tuesday 18 May 2021, is the feast of the Capuchin lay brother St Felix of Cantalice (+1587). Certainly Brother Felix has been foundational...
The Hope and Courage of Charles Lwanga and Companion Martyrs
If the Church seems moribund in North America, there is hope in the vast continent of Africa, where there are untold millions of Catholics,...
Beatification of Catherine of Saint Augustine
(What follows is an excerpt from the homily of Pope Saint John Paul II beatifying Mother Catherine of Saint Augustine along with four others...
Le Temoinage des Carmelites de Compiègne
It was on this day in a Parisian summer in 1794 that sixteen female members of the Carmelite Order, located at Compiègne – one...
Nereus, Achilleus, and Pancras: Choosing Whither We Go
Today we commemorate the early martyrs Nereus and Achilleus, eunuchs and chamberlains of the court, and eventual converts to Christianity, put to death under...
An Irish Monk Brings the Faith Scotland: Saint Columbkille
If you will forgive a little parochialism, today is the feast of Saint Columbkille (521-597), also called Columba, who is not celebrated in the...
Saint George Preca, Catechist and Apostle of Malta
(We are a bit late, alas, in posting this reflection on Saint George Preca, a home-grown Maltese saint, whose feast was May 9th. But,...