Dec 29 – Memorial for St. Thomas Becket, bishop, martyr St. Thomas (1118-1170) was of Norman ancestry. He was educated at Merton Priory, Paris, Bologna, and Auxerre. He was a civil and canon lawyer, a soldier and officer. He was archdeacon of Canterbury, and was a Friend of King Henry II, as well as Chancellor... Continue Reading →
13 June, Monday – Towards a more radical love
Jun 13 – Memorial for St. Anthony of Padua, priest, religious, doctor St. Anthony's (1195-1231) wealthy family wanted him to be a great nobleman, but for the sake of Christ he became a poor Franciscan. When the remains of St. Berard and his companions, the first Franciscan martyrs, were brought to be buried in his church, Anthony was... Continue Reading →
30 April, Saturday – Too Good to be True
30 Apr – Memorial for St. Pius V, pope Antonio Ghislieri (1504-1572) was born to impoverished Italian nobility, the son of Paolo Ghislieri and Domenica Augeria. He worked as a shepherd as a boy, and received an excellent education in piety and holiness, including a scholastic education from a Dominican friar. He joined the Order... Continue Reading →
29 April, Friday – The bigger picture
29 Apr – Memorial for St. Catherine of Siena, virgin & doctor St. Catherine (1347-1380) was the youngest child in a large family. At the age of six, she had a vision in which Jesus appeared and blessed her. Her parents wanted her to marry, but she became a Dominican tertiary. She was a mystic and... Continue Reading →
28 April, Thursday – Obedience to God or man
28 Apr – Memorial for St. Peter Chanel, priest & martyr; Memorial for St. Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, priest St. Peter Chanel (1803-1841) was born to a peasant family and was a shepherd as a boy. He was an excellent student and was ordained at 24. He was assigned to Crozet, a parish in decline; he... Continue Reading →
8 January, Saturday — Do we set ourselves apart from the world?
Saturday after Epiphany Sunday 1 Jn 5:14-21Jn 3:22-30 ...the Son of God has come, and has given us the power to know the true God. In November last year, I attended an online conference where I heard a talk about the importance of faith not being a private affair. Although Christians are called to participate... Continue Reading →
7 January, Friday — Seeking reconciliation with God
7 Jan – Memorial for St. Raymond of Penyafort, priest St. Raymond (1175-1275) was of Aragonian nobility. He was educated at the cathedral school in Barcelona, and became a philosophy teacher at the age of 20. He was a priest. He graduated from law school in Bologna, Italy, and joined the Dominicans in 1218. He was... Continue Reading →
31 December, Friday – New Year Resolutions
Dec 31 – Memorial for St. Sylvester I, pope St. Sylvester (d. 335) was pope in the reign of Emperor Constantine I, who built the Lateran and other churches. He sent legates to the First Council of Nicaea, and was involved in the controversy over Arianism. The spurious Donation of Constantine was supposedly given to St.... Continue Reading →
19 August, Thursday — True conversion
Aug 19 – Memorial for St. John Eudes, priest, religious founder John Eudes (1601-1680) established seminaries, and founded the Congregation of Jesus and Mary Eudists to promote virtuous secular parochial clergy not bound by vows, but dedicated to improving the clergy through seminaries and missions. He also founded the Sisters of Our Lady of Charity... Continue Reading →
18 August, Wednesday – Generosity of God
Wednesday of Week 20 in Ordinary Time Jgs 9:6:15Mt 20:1-16 Why be envious because I am generous? One of the most compelling documentaries I have ever watched, College Behind Bars, offers a glimpse into the lives of prisoners who are also college students. Under the Bard Prison Initiative, a select number of prisoners are taught... Continue Reading →
OXYGEN 