DVRodriguez

St. Willibrord, Confessor, First Bishop of Utrecht and Apostle to the Friesians (658-738 A.D.) Saint Willibrord is the patron saint of The Netherlands. He was also a Benedictine monk and bishop. One biographer describes him as “comely of face, cheerful in spirit, wise in counsel, pleasing in speech, grave in character and energetic in everything he undertook for God.” Willibrord’s apostolate was one of zealous preaching shaped by the psalmody of the Divine Office and by the meditation practice of lectio divina. MONASTIC TRAINING Willibrord was born in Northumberland (England) and placed by his pious parents in the monastery of Ripon. [...]

St. Leonard of Noblac, Abbot, Hermit and Confessor (+599 A.D.) St. Leonard was one of the founding fathers of Catholic France. He was a nobleman turned hermit, then abbot and great miracle worker. Numerous cities in Europe are named after him and entrusted to his patronage. CONVERSION St. Leonard was a member of the barbaric tribe of Franks and a great nobleman at the court of the king. Following the decisive and famous Battle of Tolbic, he along with the king and many other noblemen converted to Catholicism. They were baptized by the great St. Remigius. Leonard however surpassed the other [...]

St. Alphonsus Rodríguez, Jesuit Lay Brother (25 July 1532 - 31 Oct 1617) A LIFE FILLED WITH TRAJEDY This Spanish Saint, a native of Segovia, came from a good Catholic family. When he was quite young, Fr. Peter Faber (one of the original Jesuits) visited and preached in his hometown. His family provided hospitality and Fr. Faber prepared young Alphonsus for his First Holy Communion. Surely, this was a great grace that impacted him all his life. He was only 14 when his father died and he left school in order to help his mother run the business. He then completely [...]

St. Anthony Mary Claret (1807-1870) was arguably the greatest bishop of the 19th century. He had a fervent devotion to both the Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady. He founded a religious order and tirelessly defended the Catholic Church. HEARING THE CALL St. Anthony was born in Catalonia (Spain). From his childhood he struggled with the thought of eternity (siempre! siempre!). He often lay in bed without being able to sleep considering the reality that he would live forever, be it in heaven or hell. He contemplated the predestined blessed and the lot of the dammed, “Yes, Forever and ever they will [...]

St. Hedwig (1174-1243) St. Hedwig is the patroness of all mothers. She was of the royal house of Poland and founded many monasteries. She is also the aunt of St. Elizabeth of Hungary. This past century, we have been inundated with propaganda regarding an anti-Christian women's liberation movement, commonly referred to as feminism. As many of you know, this modern feminist movement is born from the bowels of communistic and free masonic thinking. It does not liberate, but only enslaves our society - especially women and families - further into the mire of sin. In fact, the attack upon the family [...]

St. Edward of England, King and Confessor (~1004-1066) King St. Edward was the best loved of all the English kings. He was a tall, well-built man, but he was never too healthy. Nevertheless he was able to rule his country and well and keep peace most of the time because he trusted God and held firm when necessary. He was a gentle, kind man who never spoke excessively, or with an unnecessary harshness, even to the meanest of persons. To poor people and foreigners alike, he showed special charity, and he helped monks in every way he could. It was his [...]

St. Bruno (11th century) was the founder of the Carthusian Order of monks. Yet at first not a hermit at all, but rather a famous priest-teacher. He suffered much, in particular on account of his many talents and great knowledge. HIS YOUTH St. Bruno came from an ancient and honorable family. His parents wished him to receive an excellent education, especially in regards to virtue. Thus, they sent him study with learned priests and monks near his home in Köln, Germany. St. Anno, that city’s bishop, recognized Bruno’s extraordinary talent and sent him to study further at Rheims, the Catholic center [...]

St. Léger, Bishop and Martyr (7th Century) St. Léger (~615 – 2 Oct 679) was a martyred Burgundian Bishop of Autun. He was the son of Saint Sigrada and the brother of Saint Warinus. He was the opponent of Ebroin, the Frankish Mayor of the Place of Neustria and the leader of the Austraisan nobles in the struggle for control over the waning Merovignian dynasty of Frankish kings. The calumny, torture, and death he endured, coupled with his charity and defense of the sacraments, ensured his name in the catalog of martyrs and saints. (He is often also called Leodegar or [...]

A fascinating story of how France became Catholic! St. Remigius is one of those saints who is not very well known by Catholics today, but whom God used to completely alter the course of human history. He is perhaps best known for having baptized King Clovis of the Franks. This in turn led to the entire Frankish Nation becoming Catholic. They were the first barbaric tribe to do so. Every other barbaric tribe that had "converted" had accepted the Arian faith; thus, embraced a heresy that sought to destroy the True Faith. On account of Remigius' efforts, France has come to [...]

St. Wenceslaus, Duke of Bohemia and Martyr (907-938 AD) EARLY LIFE St. Wenceslaus was the grandson of the first Christian duke of Bohemia and his wife, the Blessed Ludmilla. His father was a valiant and good prince, but his mother, Drahomira, was a pagan with depraved morals and heretical notions. Ludmilla who lived in Prague was able to persuade her son to allow her to educate Wenceslaus, but not so with his younger brother, Boleslas. Along with help from his grandmother Ludmilla and excellent teachers, including a very pious and holy priest named Fr. Paul, Wenceslaus received an excellent intellectual and [...]