Saint of the Day
Catholic saints are holy people and human people who lived extraordinary lives. Each saint the Church honors responded to an invitation from God to use his or her unique gifts. God calls each one of us to be a saint.
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St. Gregory the Great (September 3, 2009)
Coming events cast their shadows before: Gregory was the prefect of Rome before he was 30. After five years in office he resigned, founded six monasteries on his Sicilian estate and became a Benedictine monk in his own home at Rome.
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Blessed John Francis Burté and Companions (September 2, 2009)
These priests were victims of the French Revolution. Though their martyrdom spans a period of several years, they stand together in the Church's memory because they all gave their lives for the same principle. The Civil Constitution of the Clergy (1791) required all priests to take an oath which amo …
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St. Giles (September 1, 2009)
Despite the fact that much about St. Giles is shrouded in mystery, we can say that he was one of the most popular saints in the Middle Ages. Likely, he was born in the first half of the 7th century in southeastern France. That is where he built a monastery that became a popular stopping-off poin …
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Sts. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus (August 31, 2009)
The actions of these two influential Jewish leaders give insight into the charismatic power of Jesus and his teachings--and the risks that could be involved in following him.
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Blessed Jeanne Jugan (August 30, 2009)
Being of humble origins needn't keep us from doing great things for God. Blessed Jeanne Jugan is proof of that.
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Martyrdom of John the Baptist (August 29, 2009)
The drunken oath of a king with a shallow sense of honor, a seductive dance and the hateful heart of a queen combined to bring about the martyrdom of John the Baptist. The greatest of prophets suffered the fate of so many Old Testament prophets before him: rejection and martyrdom. The "voice crying …
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St. Augustine (August 28, 2009)
A Christian at 33, a priest at 36, a bishop at 41: many people are familiar with the biographical sketch of Augustine of Hippo, sinner turned saint. But really to get to know the man is a rewarding experience.
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St. Monica (August 27, 2009)
The circumstances of St. Monica's life could have made her a nagging wife, a bitter daughter-in-law and a despairing parent, yet she did not give way to any of these temptations. Although she was a Christian, her parents gave her in marriage to a pagan, Patricius, who lived in her hometown of Tagast …
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St. Joseph Calasanz (August 26, 2009)
From Aragon, where he was born in 1556, to Rome, where he died 92 years later, fortune alternately smiled and frowned on the work of Joseph Calasanz. A priest with university training in canon law and theology, respected for his wisdom and administrative expertise, he put aside his career because he …
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St. Louis of France (August 25, 2009)
At his coronation as king of France, Louis bound himself by oath to behave as God's anointed, as the father of his people and feudal lord of the King of Peace. Other kings had done the same, of course. Louis was different in that he actually interpreted his kingly duties in the light of faith. After …
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St. Bartholomew (August 24, 2009)
In the New Testament, Bartholomew is mentioned only in the lists of the apostles. Some scholars identify him with Nathanael, a man of Cana in Galilee who was summoned to Jesus by Philip. Jesus paid him a great compliment: "Here is a true Israelite. There is no duplicity in him" (John 1:47b). When Na …
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St. Rose of Lima (August 23, 2009)
The first canonized saint of the New World has one characteristic of all saints--the suffering of opposition--and another characteristic which is more for admiration than for imitation--excessive practice of mortification.
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Queenship of Mary (August 22, 2009)
Pius XII established this feast in 1954. But Mary's queenship has roots in Scripture. At the Annunciation Gabriel announced that Mary's Son would receive the throne of David and rule forever. At the Visitation, Elizabeth calls Mary "mother of my Lord." As in all the mysteries of Mary's life, Mary is …
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St. Pius X (August 21, 2009)
Pope Pius X is perhaps best remembered for his encouragement of the frequent reception of Holy Communion, especially by children.
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St. Bernard of Clairvaux (August 20, 2009)
Man of the century! Woman of the century! You see such terms applied to so many today--"golfer of the century," "composer of the century," "right tackle of the century"--that the line no longer has any punch. But the "man of the twelfth century," without doubt or controversy, has to be Bernard of Cl …
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St. John Eudes (August 19, 2009)
How little we know where God's grace will lead. Born on a farm in northern France, John died at 79 in the next "county" or department. In that time he was a religious, a parish missionary, founder of two religious communities and a great promoter of the devotion to the Sacred Heart and the Immacula …
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St. Jane Frances de Chantal (August 18, 2009)
Jane Frances was wife, mother, nun and founder of a religious community. Her mother died when Jane was 18 months old, and her father, head of parliament at Dijon, France, became the main influence on her education. She developed into a woman of beauty and refinement, lively and cheerful in temperame …
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St. Joan of the Cross (August 17, 2009)
An encounter with a shabby old woman many dismissed as insane prompted St. Joan to dedicate her life to the poor. For Joan, who had a reputation as a businesswoman intent on monetary success, this was a significant conversion.
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St. Stephen of Hungary (August 16, 2009)
The Church is universal, but its expression is always affected--for good or ill--by local culture. There are no "generic" Christians; there are Mexican Christians, Polish Christians, Filipino Christians. This fact is evident in the life of Stephen, national hero and spiritual patron of Hungary.
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Assumption of Mary (August 15, 2009)
On November 1, 1950, Pius XII defined the Assumption of Mary to be a dogma of faith: "We pronounce, declare and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma that the immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul to heavenly gl …
Saint of the Day
