The Charismatic Saint John Bosco

The term 'charismatic' has an ambiguous meaning in the Church, invoking images of liturgical guitars, drums, emotional crescendos, and disconcerting glossolalia. In the Church's...

Two Martyrs for One: Blaise and Ansgar

Saint Blaise, a bishop of ancient Sebastea (now in Turkey), was also a physician, like Saint Luke, a healer of body and soul. And,...

Saint Bridget of Ireland

Saint Bridget of Kildare (451 – 525), who lived a century after Saint Patrick (385 – 461), and a century before Saint Columbanus (543...

Saint Agatha the Good

Saint Agatha (+251) is counted amongst the most venerated of the 'virgin martyrs', one of the seven women whose name appears in the Canon...

Steadfast Saint John of Brito

Saint John of Brito (1647 - 1693) was a Jesuit martyr in India, called the ‘Portuguese Francis Xavier’, as well as second Saint John...

Paul Miki and Companion Martyrs of Japan

Today, 6 February, is the feast of Saint Paul Miki and his (twenty-five) companions who were tortured and executed in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1597....

The Last Visit of Scholastica and Benedict

Saint Scholastica (+543) was the sister - some sources say the twin - of Saint Benedict. Like her brother, she forsook everything to follow...

The Formidable Forgiveness of Josephine Bakhita

On this day in 1947, February 8th, Sister Josephine Bakhita completed the long and eventful journey of her life. Born around 1869 - she...

The Salvific Message of Lourdes

Our Lady of Lourdes is one of the few 'visions' of the Virgin Mary to be placed in the public Liturgical calendar of the...

Cyril and Methodius: Brothers and Missionaries of the Slavs

The 14th of February of every year marks the great feast of the two brothers which history dubs as the “Apostles of the Slavs”,...