Aug 12 – Memorial for St. Jane Frances de Chantal St. Jane married Baron de Chantal. She restored order in the household, which was on the brink of ruin, and brought back prosperity. During her husband’s absence at the court, or with the army, when reproached for her extremely sober manner of dressing, her reply was:... Continue Reading →
11 August, Tuesday — Pure, trusting, open, sincere, and spontaneous
Aug 11 – Memorial for St. Clare, virgin, religious founder St. Clare (1194-1253) loved music and well-composed sermons. She was humble, merciful, charming, optimistic, and chivalrous. She would get up late at night to tuck in her sisters who’d kicked off their covers. She daily meditated on the Passion. When she learned of the Franciscan martyrs in Morrocco... Continue Reading →
8 August, Saturday — Seeking faith in the raging seas of doubt
Aug 8 – Memorial for St. Dominic, priest, religious founder Dominic (1170-1221) was born of wealthy Spanish nobility, and was the son of Blessed Joan of Aza. Joan had difficulty conceiving and prayed at the shrine of St. Dominic of Silos, who had a tradition of patronage of that problem. When she became pregnant, she named the... Continue Reading →
7 August, Friday — Spiritual dryness and emptiness
Aug 7 – Memorial for St. Sixtus, pope, martyr, and companions; St. Cajetan, priest Sixtus (d. 258) was an adult convert to Christianity. In his papacy, he dealt with the controversy concerning Baptism by heretics. He believed that anyone who was baptised with a desire to be a Christian, even if the Baptism was performed by a heretic, was truly... Continue Reading →
4 August, Tuesday — Children of God
Aug 4 – Memorial for St. John Mary Vianney, priest In his youth, John Mary Vianney (1786-1859) taught other children their prayers and catechism. As a priest, was assigned to a parish which suffered from very lax attendance. He began visiting his parishioners, especially the sick and poor, spent days in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, did penance for... Continue Reading →
1 August, Saturday — Persevering to the very end
Aug 1 – Memorial for St. Alphonsus Liguori, bishop, religious founder, doctor Alphonsus Liguori (1696-1787) vowed early to never to waste a moment of his life, and lived that way for over 90 years. As a lawyer, he had his own practice by age 21, and was a leading lawyer in Naples. He never attended court without... Continue Reading →
31 July, Friday – Friends of Jesus
Jul 31 – Memorial for St. Ignatius of Loyola, Priest St. Ignatius (1491-1556) was wounded in the leg by a cannonball at the siege of Pampeluna on 20 May 1521, an injury that left him partially crippled for life. During his recuperation the only books he had access to were The Golden Legend, a collection... Continue Reading →
30 July, Thursday — Undoing our wrongs
Jul 30 – Memorial for St. Peter Chrysologus, Bishop & Doctor An adult convert, St. Peter (406-450) fought paganism and heresy, enforced reforms, and built several churches and ornate altars in his see. A preacher with outstanding language skills, he was given the name ‘Chrysologus’, referring to his ‘golden word’. 176 of his sermons have... Continue Reading →
29 July, Wednesday — Faith in Action
Jul 29 – Memorial for St. Martha Jesus liked to stay at the house of Martha, Mary and Lazarus, his friends at Bethany, when he was in Judaea. One of these visits has ever remained dear to Christian memory. On that occasion Martha, busily serving the Master, asked Him to persuade Mary to help her.... Continue Reading →
24 July, Friday — Catholicism – One True worship of the One True God
Jul 24 – Memorial for St. Charbel Makhluf, Priest St. Charbel was a Lebanese monk, born in a small mountain village and ordained in 1858. Devoted to the Blessed Virgin Mary, he spent the last twenty three years of his life as a hermit. Despite temptations to wealth and comfort, St. Charbel taught the value... Continue Reading →
