DVRodriguez

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 [...]

St. Joseph of Cupertino is best known as the saint who flew! St. Joseph was born on June 17, 1603 in the small town of Cupertino in the Kingdom of Naples. Although always considered "dumb" by worldly standards and quite unintelligent, he became a great saint and mystic. His family was poor and to make matters worse, his father, a poor carpenter, died shortly before he was born. The family property was seized by creditors and his impoverished mother was forced to give birth to him in a stable. Already in his early youth, Joseph was ridiculed by his peers for [...]

Holy Name of Mary THEOLOGY OF THE FEAST We venerate the name of "MARY" because it belongs to her who is the Mother of God and, as the Holy Ghost Himself inerrantly prophesies in Sacred Scripture, "All generations will call her blessed." She is the holiest, greatest and most beautiful of all God's creatures. Not all the glory offered to Him by all the rest of His creation equals the glory offered to Him by Mary. In the words of that seraphic Doctor of the Church, St. Bonaventure: “Mary is that being than which God cannot make a greater; He can [...]

Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary The Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary originated in the East, where extant written documents mention it being celebrated very early in the history of the Church. We also have historical proof that Pope Sergius I (+ 701 AD) observed this feast in Rome. "Hail, holy mother! who in thy child-bearing didst bring forth the King Who ruleth heaven and earth, world without end (Ps 44,2). My heart hath uttered a good word: I speak my works to the king. Glory be to the Father... "(From the Introit) As Eve, our first [...]

St. Rose of Viterbo was a most courageous young girl, even challenging Emperor Frederick II. St. Rose of Viterbo was born in the spring of 1234, at a time when Emperor Frederick II was oppressing the Church and many were faithless to the Holy See. [Frederick II had many delusions of grandeur and was perhaps the first of the truly great and evil tyrants of Christendom. He greatly desired to be an absolute monarch. On several occasions, he attempted to destroy the Pope by military force, yet fortunately sufficient lords came to the aid of the pope that he was unsuccessful [...]

Pope St. Pius X, Greatest Pontiff of the Modern Era (1835-1914) On 2 June 1835, Giuseppe Melchiorre Sarto saw the light of earth at Riesi, Province of Treviso, in Northeastern Italy. He was ordained a priest on 18 Sept 1858 during the reign of Bl. Pius IX, was consecrated Bishop of Mantua on 16 Nov 1884 at the behest of Pope Leo XII, elevated to Cardinal and Patriarch of Venice on 12 June 1893. He was elected Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church on 4 Aug 1903. On August 20, 1914, he saw the light of heaven; and on May 29, [...]

St. Joseph Matre Dei, or St. Joseph of the Mother of God, suffered great injustices from envious Church hierarchs. St. Joseph Calasanz (or Calasanctius) was born into nobility in 1557 at a castle in Aragon (Spain).  His parents had one other boy and three girls. When he was only five years old he "led" a "brigade" of children through the streets in search of the devil so they could kill him! HIS YOUTH He received a good education and with the support of his parents became a doctor of law. His mother and brother passed away, and his father, Don Pedro, [...]

King St. Louis IX of France (1214-1270) St. Louis IX is one of the glorious jewels in the crown of Christ the King. We can learn a great deal from him, especially how much good a truly saintly ruler can accomplish; as well as how a nation truly ought to be governed when Christ is enthroned as its King and He rules through His saints. In particular, I believe we should implore his intercession as we consider the election of our political officials. EARLY LIFE Louis IX was born and baptized on April 25, 1215 near Chartres, France - and because [...]

St. Agapitus of Palesitrina, Youthful Martyr. Today, in the year 274 AD, St. Agapitus merited the glory of martyrdom. He was just fifteen years old, but refused to reject his faith. As a member of the nobility from the Anicia family of Palestrina (just outside Rome), his "defiance" of the edict to worship pagan gods was seen as too great a public challenge to ignore. The emperor Aurelian (270-275) ordered the prefect Antiochus to force him to submit or suffer the death penalty. Young Agapitus was chained in a dungeon and suffered cruel torments, including being burned with live coals. Despite [...]

St. Tarcisius, Acolyte and Martyr (3rd Century) St. Tarcisius gave his life in defense of our Lord in the Blessed Eucharist. He and Blessed Imelda Lambertini are two of the great patron saints for First Communicants. CATACOMBS AND PERSECUTIONS In the middle of the third century, a fierce persecution broke out against the Christians of Rome. These Christians had long lived under the imminent threat of death for their belief, and their faith had been tested and purified like gold in fire. Yet the persecution of Emperor Valerian (253-259) was perhaps the most intense since the days of the maniacal Nero. [...]