On June 2, the Catholic Church remembers two fourth-century martyrs, Saints Marcellinus and Peter, who were highly venerated after the discovery of their tomb and the conversion of their executioner.Although the biographical details of the two martyrs are largely unknown, it is known that th… Read moreSts. Marcellinus and Peter
"We are slain with the sword, but we increase and multiply; the more we are persecuted and destroyed, the more are deaf to our numbers. As a vine, by being pruned and cut close, shoots forth new suckers, and bears a greater abundance of fruit; so is it with us." – St. Justin MartyrJustin was… Read moreSt. Justin Martyr
Assuming that the Annunciation and the Incarnation took place around the time of the vernal equinox, Mary left Nazareth at the end of March and went over the mountains to Hebron, south of Jerusalem, to wait upon her cousin Elizabeth. Because Mary's presence, and even more the presence of the… Read moreFeast of the Visitation of the Virgin Mary
Today is the feast of St. Joan of Arc, the patroness of France. Joan was born to a peasant family in Champagne, France in the early 15th century.From a young age she heard the voices of St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret speaking to her. Then, in 1428, when she was 13 years old, sh… Read moreSt. Joan of Arc
St. Maximinus was the Bishop of Trier, and was born at Silly near Poitiers. He died there either on May 29, 352 or Sept. 12, 349. He was educated and ordained a priest by St. Agritius, whom he succeeded as Bishop of Trier in 332 or 335. At that time Trier was the government seat of the Weste… Read moreSt. Maximinus
Richard Thirkeld was ordained a priest in France in April of 1579, and returned to his homeland of York, England, soon after to serve as a home missionary. There he was arrested on the eve of the Annunciation in 1538 for the crime of being a priest.He was imprisoned for two months before bei… Read moreBlessed Rickard Thirkeld
Archbishop Antoni Julian Nowowiejski was was born in 1858, and beatified by Pope John Paul II on June 13, 1999, along with another 107 Poles who were martyred during World War II.The late archbishop of Plock, Poland, was arrested by the occupying Germans in 1940. He refused the chance to esc… Read moreBlessed Antoni Julian Nowowiejski
The Church remembers St. Bernard of Manthon on May 28. He was born in 923, probably in the castle Menthon near Annecy, in Savoy, and died at Novara, 1008. He was a descendant from a rich, noble family and received a thorough education. He refused to enter an honorable marriage proposed by hi… Read moreSt. Bernard of Menthon
An Italian Benedictine monk who became the “Apostle of the English,” Saint Augustine of Canterbury is honored by the Catholic Church on May 27.Under the direction of Pope Saint Gregory the Great, Augustine founded the famous See of Canterbury and preached the Catholic faith to the country's … Read moreSt. Augustine of Canterbury
Philip Neri was born in Florence, Italy, in 1515. At the age of 18, Philip was sent to his uncle, Romolo, a wealthy merchant at San Germano, a Neapolitan town near the base of Monte Cassino, to assist him in his business, and with the hope that he might inherit his uncle's fortune. He gained… Read moreSt. Philip Neri
On May 25, the Catholic Church celebrates Saint Mary Magdalene de Pazzi, an Italian noblewoman of the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries who became a Carmelite nun distinguished for her intense prayer life and devotion to frequent Holy Communion.In 2007, Pope Benedict XVI marked the 4… Read moreSt. Mary Magdalene de Pazzi
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