Celebrating The Saints

30 October: Feast of Saint Alphonsus Rodriguez. Born in Spain in 1531, he was the third of eleven children. He began studies to be a Jesuit at an early age, but his father died and Alphonsus was obligated to take over the family business. He accepted this lot and in...

22 October: Feast of Pope Saint John Paul II. Also known as Saint John Paul the Great, he was born Karol Jozef Wojtyla in Wadowice, Poland on May 18, 1920. His early life was marked by loss. His sister, brother and mother all died before he was 12. Growing under...

15 October: Feast of Saint Teresa of Jesus. Also known as St. Teresa of Avila, she was born in the Spanish city of Avila in 1515. Her father was an ardent Catholic, with a collection of spiritual books of the type his daughter would later compose herself. As a child,...

7 October: Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Known for centuries as the Feast of “Our Lady of Victory,” this day takes place in honor of a naval victory which secured European Christendom against Turkish invasion in 1571. Pope St. Pius V attributed the victory at...

29 September: Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel & Raphael, Archangels. This feast, also known as “Michaelmas,” was a Holy Day of Obligation until the 18th century. The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that “The existence of the spiritual, non-corporeal...

23 September: Feast of Saint Pio of Pietrelcina. Saint Pio is better known as “Padre Pio”. He was born Francesco Forgione in 1887, one of seven children in a simple peasant family. His growing up years were marked by daily Mass, family rosary, and acts of penance. He...

14 September: Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. This feast commemorates three historical events: finding of the True Cross by Saint Helena; dedication of the churches on the site of the Holy Sepulchre and Mount Calvary; and restoration of the True Cross to...

8 September: Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This feast day commemorates the birth day of Mary. There are only three birthdays on the liturgical calendar: Mary, Jesus, and John the Baptist. Usually, it is the custom to celebrate the feast day of a...

4 September: Feast of Blessed Mary Stella and Her Ten Companions. Blessed Mary Stella and Her Ten Companions (also known as the Martyrs of Nowogrodek) were nuns of the Holy Family of Nazareth who arrived in Nowogrodek in September 1929. Nowogrodek was a small town in...

27 & 28 August: Feasts of Saint Monica and Saint Augustine. The feast of Saint Monica is celebrated the day before that of her son, Saint Augustine; a fitting combination. Born of Christian parents in Tagaste, North Africa in 333, Monica was married early in life...