Tuesday 23rd April 2024

Home » saints » Recent Articles:

Catholic Heroes… St. Catherine Of Alexandria

November 1, 2018 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes… St. Catherine Of Alexandria

By CAROLE BRESLIN The list of saints is long, and includes both men and women from all walks of life and from all disciplines. For some saints, there is a plenitude of documents and accounts of their lives from which we can draw much information. For most of the saints from the early centuries of the Church, however, there is little recorded. There is not much information about St. Catherine of Alexandria but her impact on the early Church provides material for deep reflection. Alexandria, a great city at the mouth of the Nile River in Egypt was the center of Hellenistic knowledge at the turn of the fourth century. St. Catherine’s family lived in Alexandra since her father, Constus,…Continue Reading

Catholic Heroes… St. Isaac Jogues

October 25, 2018 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes… St. Isaac Jogues

By CAROLE BRESLIN In the 1600s, the Jesuits sent many missionaries to the New World to convert the indigenous people. Those brave souls dedicated to bringing the love of God to North America came mainly from France; hence many of the cities around the Great Lakes possess names of French origin such as Detroit, Marquette, Charlevoix, and Grand Marais. Eight of the missionaries were martyred. They were canonized by Pope Pius XI on June 29, 1930 in Rome. Some were laymen, but most were priests such as St. Isaac Jogues. Jogues was born in Orleans, France to Laurent Jogues and Francoise de Sainte-Mesmin on January 10, 1607. A wealthy family with nine children — Isaac was the fifth — they…Continue Reading

Catholic Heroes… St. Luke

October 18, 2018 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes… St. Luke

By CAROLE BRESLIN Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John — these are the four evangelists who wrote the Gospels. There is a children’s prayer that many have learned to say before bed with a variety of versions, but who are these men? Actually, little is known about them except what is in the Bible. There are some other traditions handed down about them. Some traditions have it that St. Luke even left us beautiful icons of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Luke wrote both the third Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. He is considered to be the most literary of the New Testament writers. St. Luke’s Gospel chronicles the beginning of the life of Christ until our Lord’s Ascension…Continue Reading

Catholic Heroes… St. Alexander Sauli

October 11, 2018 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes… St. Alexander Sauli

By CAROLE BRESLIN After the upheaval of the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church was blessed with many saints including a lesser known but deeply loved man, Fr. Alexander Sauli, who labored in a little-known order, the Barnabites. Alexander was born of a wealthy and highly regarded family of Lombard on February 15, 1534. His father, Dominic, was the Marquis of Pozzuolo and assistant to Duke Francesco II of Sforza. Tommasina Spinola, his mother, also came from an ancient and noble family. His parents provided a superior education for him at Pavia. This enabled him to become a page in the court of Emperor Charles V in Milan when he turned 17. This ended quickly when he sought to enter the…Continue Reading

Catholic Heroes… St. Mary Frances Of The Five Wounds Of Christ

October 4, 2018 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes… St. Mary Frances Of The Five Wounds Of Christ

By CAROLE BRESLIN When a holy priest was dying of cancer, racked with excruciating pain, he begged for more. He was asking for more suffering to save more souls. Such is the glory of the saints when Christ dispenses His mercy with the grace to embrace more suffering. St. Mary Frances endured more suffering than many saints and she, too, embraced the crosses sent to her. In Naples, Italy, on March 25, 1715, Francesco Gallo and his wife, Barbara, gave birth to a lovely baby, naming her Anna Maria. Before the child was born, two saints predicted that the child would be saintly. St. John Joseph of the Cross received Barbara when she sought relief from the spirits that were…Continue Reading

Catholic Heroes… Pope St. Gregory The Great By CAROLE BRESLIN

September 27, 2018 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes… Pope St. Gregory The Great By CAROLE BRESLIN

In 1994 a musical phenomenon took the world by storm. Nothing like it had ever been popular before, but this new recording became a hit around the world. People raved about the peace it brought them when they listened to it. The songs were sung by Benedictine monks from their monastery near Burgos, Spain. Although Gregorian Chant may have been refined years later, the essence of this music originated with Pope Gregory I in the sixth century. Gregory was born in 540 in Rome to a couple prominent not only in civil matters but also in Church affairs. His father, Gordianus served as a senator, as the prefect of Rome, and “Regionarius” in the Church. Gregory’s mother, Silvia, also came…Continue Reading

Catholic Heroes… Servant of God Rozalia Celak

September 20, 2018 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes… Servant of God Rozalia Celak

By CAROLE BRESLIN The closer one comes to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the hotter the flame, as many saints have attested. St. Catherine of Siena bore the marks in her heart where the arrow of Christ’s love pierced it. With the flame of the burning love, the Sacred Heart touches those whom He loves in a special way. To show our love for God, we must be willing to embrace the cross and suffering as He did when He died for us. Servant of God Rozalia Celak suffered both physically and spiritually as she sought to do all for the love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The history of Poland is scarred by the many kingdoms and imperialists…Continue Reading

Catholic Heroes… Our Lady Of Mount Carmel

September 13, 2018 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes… Our Lady Of Mount Carmel

By CAROLE BRESLIN In northern Israel between the Sea of Galilee and the Mediterranean Sea, a mountain range stretches inland. This range, although named Mount Carmel, is really a series of mountains stretching inland. The main site of the Mount, the Stella Maris monastery of the Discalced Carmelites, sits on a limestone bluff overlooking the city of Haifa. The view of the sea, the lands, and mountain range beyond the monastery is stunning. In fact the name Carmel comes from the ancient Hebrew word meaning garden, named after its many beautiful flowers, shrubs, and fragrant herbs. So beautiful was this mount that people compared it to the bride in the Song of Songs (7:5). Although we think of Our Lady…Continue Reading

Catholic Heroes . . . Blessed Thomas Tsuji

September 6, 2018 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes . . . Blessed Thomas Tsuji

By CAROLE BRESLIN Kyoto, Tokyo, Fukushima, Hiroshima, and Mount Fuji are among the most well-known places in the island nation of Japan. From a Catholic perspective, the best known would be Nagasaki, capital of the Nagasaki Prefecture located on the southwestern-most area of Japan. It was the first part of Japan to be colonized by the Portuguese and Dutch after the landing of the famous Jesuit, St. Francis Xavier. Their faith was so strong that it is probably the only place on Earth that held to the Catholic faith for over 200 years without a priest. In a country that has historically been far from friendly to Catholicism, The Hidden Christian Sites in the Nagasaki Region have been declared a…Continue Reading

Catholic Heroes… St. Narcisa de Jesus

August 30, 2018 saints Comments Off on Catholic Heroes… St. Narcisa de Jesus

By CAROLE BRESLIN Twice a year, pilgrims from Ecuador, Peru, Europe, and the United States flock to Canton Nobol in Ecuador for a procession. On Good Friday, thousands participate in the procession of the Way of the Cross placed at the outdoor shrine. On October 22, they come in memory of their beloved saint who was canonized on October 22, 2008 by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. The young lady was St. Narcisa de Jesus. Narcisa (1832-1869) was born just a few years after the Republic of Ecuador was founded in the early nineteenth century. Peter Martillo, a simple and devout landowner, and his wife, Josephine Moran, had nine children — Narcisa was their sixth child. They lived in a tiny…Continue Reading