Weekly Insight
Father Kapaun’s March Through the Valley of Death
Father Emil Kapaun was an army chaplain who died in this 23rd day of May in a prisoner of war camp in North Korea in 1951. (His heroic life has been recounted by John...
Lindberg and Earhart’s Crossing the Rubicon
In one of those serendipities of history, this May 21st saw two first solo crossings of the Atlantic by air: First, by Charles Lindbergh in 1927, from New York to Le Bourget field outside...
Saint Rita’s Mission Impossible
We have it on good authority that nothing is impossible with God - or, as the Gabriel puts it, all things are possible with the Almighty, the All-Powerful Omnipotens in our Creed. So when we...
Eugène de Mazenod’s Oblation
Fittingly, in this month of Mary, we celebrate on this May 21st Saint Eugène de Mazenod (+1861), the 19th century founder of the Missionaries Oblate of Mary Immaculate. Born in 1782, Eugène had an...
Father Magallanes’ Mexican Martyrdom
The twentieth century saw the rise of various vicious anti-Catholic regimes, totalitarian and ruthless in their demonic fury to stamp out the Church. Ecrasez lâinfame! Voltaire would sign off his letters, but they â...
Ananais and Sapphira: a lesson of Acts 5
Many gospel episodes leave us guessing about their backstories. For example, Iâve often wondered about the ârich young man,â who âturned away sad,â when Jesus invited him to âbe perfectâ in poverty. Was he...
Saint Bernardine of Siena
Saint Bernardine of Siena (+1444) lived through a tumultuous time in the Church's history. The Great Western Schism had begun in 1378, two years before the birth of Bernardine, who hence grew up under...
Pope Saint Celestine V: Resigning to God’s Holy Will
The controversial Pope Saint Celestine V the third-last pontiff to resign the papacy, and the one who codified this possibility into canon law, died on this day on 1296, and so stands as his...
Victoria Day
A happy Victoria Day to all our readers, when we celebrate the history of our Dominion, first as a French, then a British colony, under both crowns. For better or worse, the Brits won...
Novena to the Holy Ghost, Fourth Day – The Gift of Fortitude
Fourth DayÂ
Thou, in toil are comfort sweet,Â
Pleasant coolness in the heat,
Solace in the midst of woe.
The Gift of Fortitude
By the gift of Fortitude the soul is strengthened against natural fear, and supported to...
Pope Saint John I and John Paul II
We celebrate today, Pope John Saint I (+526). One might wonder why it took five centuries for a Pope to be chosen with this very biblical and apostolic name. But, then again, up until...
The Ascension and Discipleship
âAnd remember, I am with you always, to the end of the ageâ (Mt. 28:20).
Our Lordâs Ascension which we celebrate today (or as in the universal Church, at the proper time last Thursday) marks...
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 both Franciscan friars who adopted lives of great humility and...
Sunday Musical Offering: Bach’s Ascension Oratorio
Bach's Oratorio for the feast of the Ascension - Lobet Gott in seinen Reichen (Laud to God in all his kingdoms) - was first performed on May 15th, likely in 1738. The libretto follows...
Tolkien and Saint Brendan
J.R.R. Tolkien wrote much else besides Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit - he was an Oxford scholar, with many articles and essays and, of course, poems, including one on today's saint, Brendan...
