May 22 – Memorial for St. Rita of Cascia, Religious St. Rita (1386-1457) was the daughter of Antonio and Amata Lotti, a couple known as the Peacemakers of Jesus; they had Rita late in life. From her early youth, Rita visited the Augustinian nuns at Cascia, Italy, and showed interest in a religious life. However,... Continue Reading →
21 May, Wednesday — The Gardener
May 21 – Saint Christopher Magallanes and his Companions St. Cristóbal Magallanes Jara was born in the state of Jalisco in Mexico, in 1869. He was ordained priest at the age of 30, and became parish priest of his home town of Totatiche. He took a special interest in the evangelization of the local indigenous Huichol... Continue Reading →
12 May, Monday — Be shepherds with the smell of the sheep
May 12 – Memorial for Sts. Nereus and Achilleus, Martyrs; Memorial for St. Pancras, Martyr Sts. Nereus and Achilleus (d. 98) were soldiers in the imperial Roman army, and members of the Praetorian Guard. They were converts to Christianity and baptized by St. Peter the Apostle. They were exiled for their faith, suffered with St.... Continue Reading →
10 May, Saturday — Prepared for the miracle
May 10 – John of Ávila (not to be confused with John Avila or St John of the Cross) was a Spanish priest, preacher, scholastic author, and religious mystic, who has been declared a saint and Doctor of the Church by the Catholic Church. He is called the ‘Apostle of Andalusia’, for his extensive ministry in that region. From early 1551 Ávila was in constant ill-health. He spent the last years... Continue Reading →
30 April, Wednesday — A test for righteousness
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 →
4 March, Tuesday — God Loves a Cheerful (and Just) Giver
4 Mar – Memorial for St. Casimir Casimir (1458-1484) was a 15th century Polish prince who became Grand Duke of Lithuania in 1471. He was third in line for the throne. Hungarian nobles had prevailed upon Casimir’s father to send his 15-year-old son to be their king. Casimir obeyed, taking the crown, but refusing to... Continue Reading →
27 February, Thursday — Bearing Tasty Fruits
27 Feb – St Gregory of Narek, Abbot and Doctor of the Church St Gregory of Narek, Grigor Narekatsi (c. 950 -1003/1011) was an Armenian mystical and lyrical poet, monk, and theologian. He is venerated as a saint in the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic Churches and was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Francis in 2015. Wikipedia Ecc 5:1-10Mk 9:41-50 He is like a tree… that yields its fruit... Continue Reading →
21 February, Friday — Sing…and pray twice
21 Feb – Memorial for St. Peter Damian, bishop and doctor St. Peter Damian (1007-1072) was the youngest child in a large family. When he was orphaned, he was sent to live with a brother where he was mistreated and forced to work as a swine-herd. He cared for another brother, a priest in Ravenna,... Continue Reading →
17 February, Monday — Faith, Unsullied by Pride
17 Feb – Memorial for The Seven Holy Founders of the Order of Servites The Order of the Servants of Mary (Servites) was named the fifth mendicant order by Pope Martin V. It was founded in 1233 by Sts. Alexis Falconieri, Bartholomew degli Amidei, Benedict dell’Antella, Buonfiglio Monaldi, Gherardino Sostegni, Hugh dei Lippi-Uguccioni, and John... Continue Reading →
11 February, Tuesday — The Heart of the Matter
11 Feb –Memorial for Our Lady Of Lourdes; World Day of Prayer for the Sick Today is an optional memorial for Our Lady of Lourdes. The apparitions concerned began on Feb 11, 1858, when St. Bernadette Soubirous, then a 14-year-old peasant girl from Lourdes admitted, when questioned by her mother, that she had seen a... Continue Reading →