2nd January
Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen
St. Basil and St. Gregory were both bishops and great teachers in the Church. They lived in the fourth century and believed and taught the same faith...
Sharing Friendship
3rd January
The Holy Name of Jesus
Devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus is a Franciscan devotion and its most prominent, champion is St. Bernardine of Siena, who preached Missions and...
Hallowed be Thy Name
12th January
Blessed Bernard of Corleone
Bernard of Corleone was a man who liked a challenge. He trained as an athlete and a fighter, and when he later joined the Capuchin Order this...
A Challenge To Love
16th January
Saint Berard and Companions
In 1219 St. Francis sent Berard and companions to preach the Gospel to the Moslems in Morocco. They were six in number, but one fell ill and was...
First Franciscan Martyrs
17th January
Saint Anthony the Abbot
“Go, sell what you possess and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in Heaven.” This was the Gospel text which the future St. Anthony...
The Life Of Anthony The Abbot
21st January
Saint Agnes
Agnes lived and died in Rome around the beginning of the fourth century. She was just one of the many Christians who suffered under the terrible...
Teenage Heroine For Our Times
22nd January
Saint Vincent of Saragossa
Vincent was another victim of Emperor Diocletian’s persecution. Born in Spain, near the city of Grenada where Valerius was Bishop, Vincent was...
What Does Martyrdom Mean To Us?
24th January
Saint Francis de Sales
The written word has the power to influence how we think … in a newspaper, a magazine, a book or even a website! No one appreciated this better...
The Good News Man
25th January
Conversion of Saint Paul
The first time we meet Saul of Tarsus is at the scene of an execution. While Stephen, the first Christian martyr, was being stoned to death, his...
"Why Are You Persecuting Me?"
26th January
Saints Timothy and Titus
Timothy and Titus were close friends of the apostle Paul whom he addressed as ‘his true sons’ and to whom he wrote pastoral letters containing...
True Friends In Christ
27th January
Saint Angela Merici
On a pilgrimage to the Holy Land Angela was struck with blindness. Her friends wanted her to return home, but she insisted on visiting the sacred...
Born To Teach Christ To Underprivileged Girls
28th January
Saint Thomas Aquinas
In the 2000 years of Church History Thomas Aquinas stands out as one of the great figures. He was literally a huge man, tall and heavily built, but...
Advisor To The Pope, A King And Us
30th January
Saint Hyacinth of Mariscotti
If ever we see in the life of a person someone who did not want to be converted, it was Hyacinth of Mariscotti who became a member of the Third Order...
Pray For True Conversion
31st January
Saint John Bosco
Homelessness and unemployment are two of the greatest problems of our society. In every big city we see young people hanging around the streets,...
Champion Of Homeless Boys
2nd February
Presentation of the Lord
One day in the temple in Jerusalem an old man named Simeon offered a most unusual prayer. “Now Master You can let Your servant go in peace.” He...
Have We Seen God In This Child?
3rd February
Saint Werburgh
In the year 655, about fifty years after St. Augustine had begun his mission in England, the Saxon kingdom of Mercia was converted to Christianity....
A Royal Princess For Chester
4th February
Saint Joseph of Leonissa
Jesus came to seek the lost sheep of His fold and the Capuchin friar Joseph of Leonissa spent his life serving the hidden and neglected poor. He was...
Serving The Hidden And Neglected Poor
5th February
Saint Agatha
As a beautiful rich heiress Agatha attracted much attention but from a very early age she had chosen to be a consecrated Christian virgin. In third...
Courageous Woman To Help Us Bear Our Crosses Bravely
6th February
Saints Peter Baptist, Paul Miki and Companions
Many followers of Christ have gladly obeyed His instruction to go and teach all nations. One of the greatest was St. Francis Xavier who took the...
Martyrs Of The Universal Church
7th February
Saint Colette
Having lived in solitude and austerity for several years Colette received a vision explaining that her mission was to reform the order of St. Clare...
A Very Useful Friend On Life's Journey
8th February
Saint Jerome Emiliani
Far from making him bitter imprisonment brought Jerome Emiliani closer to God and inspired him to spend his life caring for others. Born in 1481, he...
"He Who Loses His Life Will Gain It"
10th February
Saint Scholastica
There is often a strong bond between brothers and sisters, particularly when they are twins. The future saints Benedict and Scholastica both chose to...
A Faithful Sister
11th February
Our Lady of Lourdes
In a village in the French Pyrenees Our Blessed Mother appeared no fewer than 18 times to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. Born in 1844 she had six...
A Source Of Miracles In The Modern World
14th February
Saints Cyril and Methodius
Brothers whose work in the ninth century involved communication and negotiation across a continent divided by culture, language and politics have...
Faithful Brothers And Patrons Of Europe
21st February
Saint Peter Damian
After both his parents died while still a small child, Peter Damian was brought up by two older brothers - and what he learnt from each prepared him...
A Holy Hermit
22nd February
Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter
Our liturgy today does not revolve around a piece of furniture! Rather it draws our attention to the position of the leadership in the Church: in...
Papal Title Challenges Us To Serve Too...
1st March
Saint David
In the islands of Great Britain and Ireland there are four patron saints. Andrew was born in lsrael, George in Cappadocia and Patrick supposedly in...
"Be Joyful, Keep The Faith"
2nd March
Saint Chad
Shortly after St. Augustine was sent from Rome to minister to the English, a future saint was born in the Anglo-Saxon kingdom of Northumbria. Chad...
A Preacher In Cottages And Castles
8th March
Saint John of God
Serving in a small private army for 14 years the future saint became accustomed to bad company, and gradually gave up the devout practices learnt in...
Patron Of Hospitals
17th March
Saint Patrick
“We ask you, boy, come and walk once more among us”. This was the shout of the Irish people heard in a dream that must have filled Patrick with...
Patron Of Ireland