DVRodriguez

St. Vitus, Fourteen Holy Helper and Martyred Youth (+ 303 AD) THE PAGAN IS RAISED A CHRISTIAN St. Vitus belonged to a noble pagan family of Sicily, and was born around the year 291, at Mazurra. During his early childhood, his father, Hylas, placed him under the charge of a Christian couple named Modestus and Crescentia. They raised him in the Christian faith and had him baptized. Vitus grew in years and in virtue, until, at the age of twelve, his father called him back to the home. Being an important man in town with a reputation to maintain, he was [...]

St. Barnabas, Apostle (1st Century) St. Barnabas is one of the Church’s earliest converts, missionaries, and apostles. He was a great bishop and martyr for the Faith. With the exception of St. Paul and certain members of The Twelve, St. Barnabas appears to have been the most esteemed man of the first Christian generation. CONVERSION TO CHRISTIANITY St. Barnabas, also known as Joseph, was a Jew from the island of Cyprus and amongst the earliest Christian disciples. St. Paul actually refers to him as an 'apostle' in Acts 14:14. This makes sense since that word in Greek means "one who is [...]

Saints Primus and Felician - Brothers who suffered martyrdom about the year 297 AD ROMAN SOLDIERS AND MISSIONARIES TO GERMANY Primus and Felician were wealthy Roman brothers. Having already reached the age of maturity, the Lord made them to hear His voice inviting them to forsake their vain idols. Earlier in their youth they had served as legionaries defending the Roman frontier walls from Germanic barbarians. Now as Christians they returned to Bavaria and crossed the Danube in order to serve as missionaries. In a forrest, Primus found a miraculous spring. They preached the Gospel and cured many with these waters. [...]

St. Boniface - Abbot, Bishop, Martyr and Apostle to the Germans (+ 755 AD) MONASTIC FORMATION St. Boniface was born at Kirton in Devonshire (the southeastern tip of England) around 680 AD. His baptismal name was Winfrid. When he was but five years old, his father hosted several pious monks who were preaching in the area. Their conversation over heavenly things left a deep impression on his young heart - words which could never be erased. Henceforth he constantly spoke of becoming a monk and spreading Christ's words to all. Yet his father used all his authority to divert him from [...]

St. Erasumus, Fourteen Holy Helper and Bishop of Antioch (+ 308 AD) St. Erasmus is an incredibly relevant saint for our time. He lived and suffered during a time which most Catholics thought were the End Times. Indeed they signaled the end of an age, and in some ways were a small prefigurement of the Final End Time. He suffered martyrdom during the most severe and intense persecution ever launched by the strongest empire the world has yet known, just before a glorious peace was established for the Church. We too are in times of growing persecution and look forward to [...]

Saint Mariana de Jesús Paredes y Flores, the Lily of Quito (+1648) St. Mariana is the first native Ecuadorian canonized saint. She is not to be confused with Mother Mariana de Jesús Torres, a Conceptionist nun, who is well known for the apparitions of Our Lady of Good Success to her. However, she is yet to be canonized (though I believe she surely will one day). These two tocayas lived in the same city at the same time, knew each other, and have a great respect and love for one another. A common way to differentiate them is to speak of [...]

St. Philip Neri, the Apostle of Rome (21 Jul 1515 - 26 May 1595) St. Philip Neri was a secular priest of Rome, and a renowned pastor and confessor in his own time. He had a special care for the poor children of the city and founded a school and college for them. He also instituted the Visit to the Seven Churches - a pilgrimage that took people from all walks of line on long treks to visit the ancient basilicas in the Roman countryside. Desiring to nourish the faithful with the daily bread of God's word, with frequent and devout [...]

Pope St. Gregory VII (+1085) St. Gregory is one of the greatest of Catholic popes. His story reads as an exciting adventure for young boys; yet even the most stoic adult can not remained unmoved by his saintly witness. We most definitely need his spirit and intercession in these troubled times. Let us pray to him today as we consider great events of his life. THE REFORMING MONK FROM CLUNY Hildebrand of Sovana was born in Tuscany, educated in Rome, and then went to France to join the famous monastery at Cluny. In the century prior to his birth, Cluny had [...]

St. Julia of Carthage was crucified because she would not deny her Lord! St. Julia was born into the nobility of Carthage (North Africa) around the time of St. Augustine. It was a turbulent time in history, especially since the Roman Empire was crumbling. Genseric was the great King of the Vandals. He ruled them for fifty years (428-477) and established the Vandal Kingdom as a great Mediterranean power which wreaked great havoc upon the Western Roman Empire. Immigrating from southern Spain (Andalucia), Genseric led his 80,00 Vandals across the Strait of Gibraltar and swiftly conquered North Africa. He defeated the [...]

ST. BERNARDINE OF SIENA, OFM St. Bernardine (1380-1444) is considered the foremost Italian missionary of the fifteenth century, the greatest preacher of his day, the Apostle of the Holy Name of JESUS, and the restorer of the Order of Friars Minor. He remains one of the most popular of all Italian saints. A PROPHETIC VOCATION In 1405, while preaching in the Piedmont region of Italy (north), our patron saint, St. Vincent Ferrer once suddenly interrupted his sermon to declare that there was among his hearers a young Franciscan who would be one day a greater preacher than himself, and would be [...]