Tuesday 25th June 2019

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Catholic Heroes… St. Joseph Of Anchieta

June 20, 2019 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes… St. Joseph Of Anchieta

By CAROLE BRESLIN At the delta of the Benevente River on the coast of Brazil lies the city of Anchieta. With a population of 30,000, it is about 200 miles northeast of Rio de Janeiro. Famous for its long sandy beaches, Anchieta houses the Espirito Santo state government offices which overlook the Atlantic Ocean. More than four centuries old, this building once served as a Jesuit school and held the body of St. Joseph of Anchieta before his remains were transferred back to Portugal. Like St. Peter of St. Joseph of Betancur, Joseph Anchieta was also born in the Canary Islands. His family was wealthy and lived in San Cristobal de La Laguna on Tenerife, the largest of the Canary…Continue Reading

Catholic Heroes . . . St. Marcellin Joseph Benedict Champagnat

June 13, 2019 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes . . . St. Marcellin Joseph Benedict Champagnat

By CAROLE BRESLIN The end of the 18th century in France was a time of persecution for the Catholic Church with many priests and religious driven from convents and rectories, and others put to death. As more and more priests were martyred, the Church searched for good young men to replace them. In the history of the Church, there have been men who seemed unable to fulfill the role, but nonetheless became great saints, such as St. Joseph of Cupertino and the Curé of Ars, who studied with St. Marcellin Champagnat — another seemingly unqualified candidate for the priesthood. Marcellin was the ninth of the ten children of Jean-Baptiste and Marie Therese Chirat Champagnat. He was taken to the church…Continue Reading

Catholic Heroes . . . St. Ferdinand III, King Of Castile

June 6, 2019 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes . . . St. Ferdinand III, King Of Castile

By CAROLE BRESLIN The list of Third Order Franciscans contains some surprising persons. It includes Popes Leo XIII, Pius X, John XXIII, among others. It also includes St. Thomas More, St. Francis de Sales, and a number of royalty such as St. Elizabeth, Queen of Hungary, St. Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal, and St. Louis IX, King of France. In addition, during the fifteenth century, Ferdinand and Isabella and Columbus were among their number. The composer Franz Liszt and the artists Michelangelo and Raphael were also Third Order Franciscans as was Ferdinand III, King of Castile, who accomplished so much in freeing Spain of Moorish control. King Ferdinand III, King of Castile, also known as “The Terror of the Saracens,” was…Continue Reading

Catholic Heroes… Our Lady Of Lujan

May 30, 2019 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes… Our Lady Of Lujan

By CAROLE BRESLIN It would be a challenging undertaking to list all of the many miracles involving the Blessed Virgin Mary. Familiar ones such as Our Lady of Lourdes, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Our Lady of Knock show how universal is her love for the children Jesus Christ entrusted to her care when she stood at the foot of the cross. The people of Argentina have another miracle commemorated on May 8: Our Lady of Lujan. When Columbus arrived in San Salvador, Bahamas in 1492, that event opened the door to the evangelization of the Americas. In 1531, Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to St. Juan Diego, leading to the quick conversion of millions of…Continue Reading

Catholic Heroes… St. Elizabeth Hesselblad

May 23, 2019 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes… St. Elizabeth Hesselblad

By CAROLE BRESLIN In the movie, The Scarlet and the Black, Msgr. Hugh O’Flaherty is remembered for his courageous and ingenious ways of saving Jewish people from execution during World War II. Likewise, Pope Pius XII was remembered by the Chief Rabbi of Rome, Elio Toaff, as follows: “Jews will always remember what the Catholic Church did for them by order of the Pope during the Second World War.” Nearly 70 other persons were recognized as Righteous Among the Nations by the Jewish community for all they did to save men, women, and children from persecution during World War II. Among the list is Elizabeth Hesselblad, the only other Swedish person to be canonized besides St. Bridget. Elizabeth was born…Continue Reading

Catholic Heroes… St. Paschal Baylon

May 16, 2019 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes… St. Paschal Baylon

By CAROLE BRESLIN In the sixteenth century, the Spanish Empire covered the globe, having the most influence and power in its history. For the Catholic Church of Spain, that time was known as the Golden Age. Despite the troubles of the Protestant Revolution, Spain benefited from the work of her saints such as St. Peter of Alcantara, St. John of Avila, St. Teresa of Avila, and the Jesuits such as St. Ignatius Loyola and St. Francis Xavier. These saints were giants in the spiritual life of Catholic Spain. But the “little” saints should also be remembered for their contributions. The lowly porters of various orders have also done much to revive the faith of the laity. Men such as St.…Continue Reading

Catholic Heroes… St. Nunzio Sulprizio

May 9, 2019 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes… St. Nunzio Sulprizio

By CAROLE BRESLIN In the hagiography of the saints in the Catholic Church, there are rich and poor, noble persons and peasants, brilliant intellects and simple minds, and young as well as old. Perhaps the youngest canonized saint is St. Maria Goretti, who died at the age of eleven defending her honor. At the age of 14, St. José Sanchez del Rio died as a martyr for being a Mexican Cristero. St. Therese of Lisieux was 24 years old when she died, and St. Agnes was 13 when she was martyred in the fourth century. On October 14, 2018, along with Pope Paul VI, Oscar Romero, two other priests, and two other nuns, Pope Francis canonized Nunzio Sulprizio who died…Continue Reading

Catholic Heroes… St. Francis De Laval

May 2, 2019 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes… St. Francis De Laval

By CAROLE BRESLIN The Jesuit North American martyrs who left France in the early seventeenth century to convert the native peoples of America were a great inspiration to the next generation of faithful Catholics, who were eager to serve in the work of evangelization. On April 30 the Church celebrates the Feast of St. Marie of the Incarnation, who founded the first convent of the Ursuline Sisters in New France around 1645. Those Jesuits also motivated St. Francis Xavier de Montmorency Laval to seek his vocation in the New World, becoming the first bishop of Quebec in the late seventeenth century. Laval was born on April 30, 1623 in Montigny-sur-Avre, around 100 miles west of Paris. Hughes de Laval, the…Continue Reading

Catholic Heroes… St. Marie Of The Incarnation

April 25, 2019 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes… St. Marie Of The Incarnation

By CAROLE BRESLIN Stories of St. Rene Goupil and St. Isaac Jogues, two of the first French Jesuit priests to be martyred in the New World, led many other French citizens to seek missionary service in Canada. Women as well as men set sail for New France. Women such as St. Marguerite Bourgeoys left the comforts of France to bring Christ’s love to the people of Canada. One of their contemporaries also left France and came to Quebec to save souls. Marie Guyart, the fourth of eight children, arrived on October 28, 1599. Her father, Florent Guyart was a master baker married to Jeanne Michelet, a member of the noble house of Babou de la Bourdaisiere. He took Marie to…Continue Reading

Catholic Heroes… St. Peter Of St. Joseph De Betancur

April 18, 2019 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes… St. Peter Of St. Joseph De Betancur

By CAROLE BRESLIN The Catholic Church is the largest provider of health care in the world. As of 2013, more than 40,000 hospitals, clinics, and homes for the elderly were run by the Catholic Church throughout the world. The pioneering work of many devout saints for centuries provided care for the sick and the homeless. To care for the sick is one of the seven corporal works of mercy. Many servants of God have zealously cared for them, seeing a way of loving Christ by loving their neighbor. Mother Teresa of Calcutta is the most recent example of such Christian charity. St. Zoticus built a hospital during the age of Constantine. Saints Cosmos and Damian were honored for their healing…Continue Reading