It is not surprising that she was more effective than he, since as John says, God is love, it was absolutely right that she could do more, as she loved more. (Said of Saint Scholastica, by Saint Gregory the Great)
Year: 2026
The Last Visit of Scholastica and Benedict
Saint Scholastica (+543) was the sister – some sources say the twin – of Saint Benedict. Like her brother, she forsook everything to follow Christ, setting up a community of virgins at the foot of her brother’s monastery at Monte Cassino, where she too followed the path of orans et laborans, praying and working, which[…]
By the Teeth of Saint Apollonia
Saint Apollonia (+249) was a virgin martyr put to death under the reign of Philip the Arab, just before the far more violent persecution under his successor, Decius. She was known as a ‘deaconess’, which was not an ordained order, for the Greek term diakonos simply means a ‘minister’, as in, those who helped in[…]
(In)Voluntary Euthanasia?
A woman in Canada was recently euthanized against her will, making a macabre mockery of the ‘free choice’ aspect of this evil. God rest her soul, but she is the canary in the proverbial coal mine, a ‘hard’ case that will make the future ‘cases’ all the easier. After heart surgery, the woman was ailing,[…]
The Formidable Forgiveness of Josephine Bakhita
On this day in 1947, February 8th, Sister Josephine Bakhita completed the long and eventful journey of her life. Born around 1869 – she was never quite sure the precise date or year – her childhood was spent happy and fulfilled growing up in the region of Darfur, Sudan, which was not then the dystopic[…]
Homily at the Mass of Blessed Josephine Bakhita
APOSTOLIC JOURNEY TO BENIN, UGANDA AND KHARTOUM (SUDAN) EUCHARISTIC CONCELEBRATION IN HONOR OF BLESSED JOSEPHINE BAKHITA HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II Green Square, Khartoum (Sudan) Wednesday, 10 February 1993 “Come to me, all you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest” (Mt. 11: 28). Dear Brothers and[…]
The Joyful Japanese Martyrs of Nagasaki
Today is the feast of Saint Paul Miki and Companion martyrs, put to death by crucifixion and impaling on February 5, 1597 at Nagasaki, Japan, amongst the hundreds, if not thousands, who witnessed for the Faith in those tumultuous missionary times; their example offers a healthy antidote to the rather darker and, to be quite[…]
Paul Miki and Companion Martyrs of Japan
Today, 6 February, is the feast of Saint Paul Miki and his (twenty-five) companions who were tortured and executed in Nagasaki, Japan, in 1597. “After Christ’s example, I forgive my persecutors. I do not hate them. I ask God to have pity on all, and I hope my blood will fall on my fellow men[…]
As I come to this supreme moment of my life, I am sure none of you would suppose I want to deceive you. And so I tell you plainly: there is no way to be saved except the Christian way. My religion teaches me to pardon my enemies and all who have offended me. I[…]
O Lord who made and created me, and have kept me from my infancy, … who took from me the love of the world, who have kept my body from pollution, who made me to overcome the executioner’s torments, iron, fire and chains, who gave me the virtue of patience in the midst of torments,[…]