Saint of the Day | AmericanCatholic.org

St. Rita of Cascia

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Wed, 22 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Like Elizabeth Ann Seton, Rita of Cascia was a wife, mother, widow and member of a religious community. Her holiness was reflected in each phase of her life.

Born at Roccaporena in central Italy, Rita wanted to become a nun but was pressured at a young age into marrying a harsh ...

St. Cristóbal Magallanes and Companions

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Tue, 21 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Like Blessed Miguel Agustín Pro, S.J., Cristóbal and his 24 companion martyrs lived under a very anti-Catholic government in Mexico, one determined to weaken the Catholic faith of its people. Churches, schools and seminaries were closed; foreign clergy were expelled. Cristóbal established a clandestine seminary at Totatiche, Jalisco. Magallanes and the ...

St. Bernardine of Siena

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Mon, 20 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Most of the saints suffer great personal opposition, even persecution. Bernardine, by contrast, seems more like a human dynamo who simply took on the needs of the world.

He was the greatest preacher of his time, journeying across Italy, calming strife-torn cities, attacking the paganism he found rampant, attracting crowds of ...

St. Theophilus of Corte

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Sun, 19 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

If we expect saints to do marvelous things continually and to leave us many memorable quotes, we are bound to be disappointed with St. Theophilus. The mystery of God's grace in a person's life, however, has a beauty all its own.

Theophilus was born in Corsica of rich and noble parents. ...

St. John I

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Sat, 18 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Pope John I inherited the Arian heresy, which denied the divinity of Christ. Italy had been ruled for 30 years by an emperor who espoused the heresy, though he treated the empire’s Catholics with toleration. His policy changed at about the time the young John was elected pope.

When the eastern ...

St. Paschal Baylon

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Fri, 17 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

In Paschal’s lifetime the Spanish empire in the New World was at the height of its power, though France and England were soon to reduce its influence. The 16th century has been called the Golden Age of the Church in Spain, for it gave birth to Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, ...

St. Margaret of Cortona

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Margaret was born of farming parents in Laviano, Tuscany. Her mother died when Margaret was seven; life with her stepmother was so difficult that Margaret moved out. For nine years she lived with Arsenio, though they were not married, and she bore him a son. In those years, she had doubts ...

St. Isidore the Farmer

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Wed, 15 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Isidore has become the patron of farmers and rural communities. In particular he is the patron of Madrid, Spain, and of the United States National Rural Life Conference.

When he was barely old enough to wield a hoe, Isidore entered the service of John de Vergas, a wealthy landowner from Madrid, ...

St. Matthias

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Tue, 14 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

According to Acts 1:15-26, during the days after the Ascension, Peter stood up in the midst of the brothers (about 120 of Jesus’ followers). Now that Judas had betrayed his ministry, it was necessary, Peter said, to fulfill the scriptural recommendation that another should take his office. “Therefore, it is necessary that ...

Our Lady of Fatima

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Mon, 13 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, three Portuguese children received apparitions of Our Lady at Cova da Iria, near Fatima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon. (See February 20 entry for Blesseds Jacinta and Francisco Marto). Mary asked the children to pray the rosary for world peace, for the ...

Sts. Nereus and Achilleus

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Sun, 12 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Devotion to these two saints goes back to the fourth century, though almost nothing is known of their lives. They were praetorian soldiers of the Roman army, became Christians and were removed to the island of Terracina, where they were martyred. Their bodies were buried in a family vault, later known ...

St. Ignatius of Laconi

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Sat, 11 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Ignatius is another sainted begging brother.

He was the second of seven children of peasant parents in Sardinia. His path to the Franciscans was unusual. During a serious illness, Ignatius vowed to become a Capuchin if he recovered. He regained his health but ignored the promise. A riding accident prompted him to ...

St. Damien Joseph de Veuster of Moloka'i

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Fri, 10 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

When Joseph de Veuster was born in Tremelo, Belgium, in 1840, few people in Europe had any firsthand knowledge of leprosy (Hansen's disease). By the time he died at the age of 49, people all over the world knew about this disease because of him. They knew that human compassion could ...

St. Catharine of Bologna

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Thu, 09 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Some Franciscan saints led fairly public lives; Catharine represents the saints who served the Lord in obscurity.

Catharine, born in Bologna, was related to the nobility in Ferrara and was educated at court there. She received a liberal education at the court and developed some interest and talent in painting. In ...

St. Peter of Tarentaise

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Wed, 08 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

There are two men named St. Peter of Tarentaise who lived one century apart. The man we honor today is the younger Peter, born in France in the early part of the 12th century. (The other man with the same name became Pope Innocent the Fifth.)

The Peter we’re focusing on ...

St. Rose Venerini

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Tue, 07 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Rose was born at Viterbo in Italy, the daughter of a doctor. Following the death of her fiancé she entered a convent, but soon returned home to care for her newly widowed mother. Meanwhile, Rose invited the women of the neighborhood to recite the rosary in her home, forming a sort ...

Sts. Marian and James

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Mon, 06 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Often, it’s hard to find much detail from the lives of saints of the early Church. What we know about the third-century martyrs we honor today is likewise minimal. But we do know that they lived and died for the faith. Almost 2,000 years later, that is enough reason to honor ...

St. Hilary of Arles

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Sun, 05 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

It’s been said that youth is wasted on the young. In some ways, that was true for today’s saint.

Born in France in the early fifth century, Hilary came from an aristocratic family. In the course of his education he encountered his relative, Honoratus, who encouraged the young man to join ...

Blessed Michael Giedroyc

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Sat, 04 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

A life of physical pain and mental torment didn’t prevent Michael Giedroyc from achieving holiness.

Born near Vilnius, Lithuania, Michael suffered from physical and permanent handicaps from birth. He was a dwarf who had the use of only one foot. Because of his delicate physical condition, his formal education was frequently ...

Sts. Philip and James

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Fri, 03 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

James, Son of Alphaeus: We know nothing of this man except his name, and of course the fact that Jesus chose him to be one of the 12 pillars of the New Israel, his Church. He is not the James of Acts, son of Clopas, “brother” of Jesus and later bishop ...

St. Athanasius

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Thu, 02 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Athanasius led a tumultuous but dedicated life of service to the Church. He was the great champion of the faith against the widespread heresy of Arianism, the teaching by Arius that Jesus was not truly divine. The vigor of his writings earned him the title of doctor of the Church.

Born ...

St. Joseph the Worker

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Wed, 01 May 2013 08:00:00 EST

Apparently in response to the “May Day” celebrations for workers sponsored by Communists, Pius XII instituted the feast of St. Joseph the Worker in 1955. But the relationship between Joseph and the cause of workers has a much longer history.

In a constantly necessary effort to keep Jesus from being removed ...

St. Pius V

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST

This is the pope whose job was to implement the historic Council of Trent. If we think popes had difficulties in implementing Vatican Council II, Pius V had even greater problems after Trent than four centuries earlier.

During his papacy (1566-1572), Pius V was faced with the almost overwhelming responsibility of getting ...

St. Catherine of Siena

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST

The value Catherine makes central in her short life and which sounds clearly and consistently through her experience is complete surrender to Christ. What is most impressive about her is that she learns to view her surrender to her Lord as a goal to be reached through time.

She was the ...

St. Peter Chanel

MagEditors@FranciscanMedia.org — Sun, 28 Apr 2013 08:00:00 EST

Anyone who has worked in loneliness, with great adaptation required and with little apparent success, will find a kindred spirit in Peter Chanel.

As a young priest he revived a parish in a "bad" district by the simple method of showing great devotion to the sick. Wanting to be a missionary, ...