Saint Lawrence O’Toole and His Irish Heart
November 14th marks the memorial of Saint Lawrence O’Toole (Lorcán Ua Tuathail, in the original Gaelic, 1125 - 1180). Lawrence was an Irish monk,...
Pope Benedict Reflects on Saints Anne and Joachim
On this day in 2009, at the end of his Angelus message, Pope Benedict had these brief words to say on Saints Joachim and...
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Patroness of the Poor
On this 17th of November we, as Franciscans, joyfully celebrate the feast of St Elizabeth of Hungary, a tertiary of our Order.
Elizabeth was born...
Thomas Aquinas: The Common and Universal Doctor
(This year marks the 701st anniversary of the canonization of Saint Thomas Aquinas, on July 18th, 1323, by the Avignon Pope, John XXII. Good...
Holy Norbert and Heroic Normandy
Saint Norbert (+1134) of Xanten was a zealous bishop and founder, whose feast has since 2018 been trumped by Mother of the Church. I...
Saints Joachim and Anne: Grandparents of Jesus
(From our archives:)
Let us sing praises to Joachim and Anna,
The couple honoured by God (as they are His kinsmen)
They have borne for us the...
Saint Dominic Savio, A Model for Youth
May 6th is the traditional feast of St Dominic Savio, the holy teenager who embraced the spirituality of St John Bosco and the Salesian...
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...
The Presentation, Our Lady’s Perfect Gift of Self
The Presentation of Mary – commemorating Our Lady’s dedication and consecration to God as a young girl of about three years old in the...
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, born...