May 27 – Memorial for St. Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop St. Augustine (d. 605) was a monk and abbot of St. Andrew’s abbey in Rome. He was sent by Pope Gregory the Great with 40 brother monks, including St. Lawrence of Canterbury, to evangelize the British Isles in 597. Before he reached the islands, terrifying... Continue Reading →
25 May, Saturday — Trust in God’s mercy and be afraid of nothing in His arms
May 25 – Memorial for St. Bede the Venerable, Priest and Worker; Memorial for St. Gregory VII, Pope; Memorial for St. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, Virgin St. Bede (672-735) was born around the time England was finally, completely Christianized. He was raised from age seven in the abbey of Sts. Peter and Paul at Wearmouth-Jarrow,... Continue Reading →
22 May, Wednesday — Impermanence
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, Tuesday – Learning how to ask correctly
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 →
20 May, Monday — Signs of Patience
May 20 – Memorial for St. Bernadine of Siena, Priest St. Bernadine (1381-1444) was a Friar Minor, a priest, an itinerant preacher, and a theological writer. His preaching skills were so great and the conversions so numerous, that he has become associated with all areas of speaking, advertising, public relations, etc. Bernadine’s charismatic preaching filled... Continue Reading →
18 May, Saturday — Being there with Jesus
May 18 – Memorial for St. John I, Pope and Martyr St. John (d. 526) was a priest in Rome, and became the 53rd pope in 523. Italy’s ruler then, Theodoric the Goth, was an Arian. For a while he left the Catholics alone, but in later life, he became suspicious of everyone, imagining conspiracies... Continue Reading →
13 May, Monday — Peace Be With You
May 13 – Memorial for Our Lady of Fatima Our Lady of Fatima is the title given to the vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary that appeared before three shepherd children at Fatima, Portugal on the 13th day of six consecutive months in 1917, starting May 13, the Fatima holiday. The three children were Lucia... Continue Reading →
4 May, Saturday — Staying Faithful
Saturday of the 5th week of EastertideActs 16:1-10Psalm 99: 1-3. 5John 15:18-21A servant is no greater than his masterI grew up watching Chinese Kung Fu TV series as a young boy. In that time, I always am fascinated with how the skills are passed from one generation to another. Very often, this involves much learning,... Continue Reading →
3 May, Friday — Purpose of the Christian
Feast of Saints Philip and James, Apostles1 Cor 15:1-8Psalms 18John 14:6-14Lord let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfiedThe transition at work from a paper-based process to a digital process took place as I was growing up. My parents always remarked that a hard-copy version is always better because there is something... Continue Reading →
29 April, Monday — Release Your Burden
29 April -- Memorial of 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... Continue Reading →