Inspired by Truth, Enlightening Minds for the Church in Canada and Throughout the World
Inspired by Truth, Enlightening Minds for the Church in Canada and Throughout the World
This 23rd of September is a significant day not only for the universal Church and our beloved Franciscan Capuchin Order, but also for me, personally, for today we celebrate the feast day of Padre Pio. This great man, the humble friar who prays, was, like St Francis before him, a living prayer, with much to[…]
While we’re on the topic of signs, the life of today’s saint, Padre Pio of Pietrelcina, was filled with them. His long life as a Capuchin friar (he died at 81) ended on this 23rd day of September in 1968, holding his Rosary (rarely ever out of his hands), declaring that he saw ‘two mothers’[…]
BENEDICT XVI GENERAL AUDIENCE Saint Peter’s Square Wednesday, 19 September 2007 Saint John Chrysostom (1) Dear Brothers and Sisters, This year is the 16th centenary of St John Chrysostom’s death (407-2007). It can be said that John of Antioch, nicknamed “Chrysostom”, that is, “golden-mouthed”, because of his eloquence, is also still alive today because of[…]
Next month, October, marks the 40th anniversary of the abduction and murder of Blessed Father Jerzy Popiełuszko (1947-1984). He was a Polish Roman Catholic priest and a Chaplain of the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union “Solidarity”. For many Catholics, particularly those born in Central and Eastern Europe, Father Jerzy remains a symbol of all those who[…]
BENEDICT XVI ANGELUS Courtyard of the Papal Summer Residence, Castel Gandolfo Sunday, 30 August 2009 (Video) Dear Brothers and Sisters, Three days ago, on 27 August, we celebrated the liturgical Memorial of St Monica, Mother of St Augustine, considered the model and patroness of Christian mothers. We are provided with a considerable amount of information[…]
A blessed feast of Saint Bartholomew, to one and all! Like many of the Apostles, we don’t know all that much about the life of today’s saint. Our Tradition identifies Bartholomew with the ‘Nathaniel’ – which means ‘God has given’ – the enigmatic figure in the first chapter of Saint John’s Gospel. When the Apostle[…]
August 18th is the traditional feast of St Helen, mother of Emperor Constantine the Great, the Empress who found the Cross of Christ. In Malta we celebrate her feast at the parish Church of Birkirkara. When thinking about the life of St Helen what spontaneously comes into my heart and mind is the her role[…]
Saint Hyacinth (1185 – 1257) was one of the earliest members of the Dominicans – the Order of Preachers – clothed in the habit by the founder himself in 1220. The Polish nobleman followed the path to the priesthood, mentored by his uncle, Ivo Konski, the Bishop of Krakow, but was prompted to join the[…]
Saint Roch (1295 – 1376?) – also known as Rock, or, in Scotland, Rollox, not to be confused with the luxury watch of similar vintage – whose feast we celebrate on August 16th, was a Majorcan confessor, perhaps originally from Montpellier. On a pilgrimage to Rome, he tended to plague victims, caught the disease, and[…]
Edith Stein (+ 1942) was a brilliant philosopher, earning her doctorate summa cum laude in August of 1916 on the problem of empathy – understanding the suffering of others. Fitting, for she came into in the world in 1891 on Yom Kippur, the high holy Jewish Day of Atonement. Brought up in an observant Judaic household of[…]
