Saints (81)
Divine Holy Spirit
Divine Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Christian Trinity—co-equal and co-eternal with God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son. As the active, invisible presence of God, the Spirit empowers believers, acts as a comforter/helper, inspires scripture, and guides individuals toward truth.
History
Pope Francis recalled the words of St Augustine, who compared the Holy Spirit to the soul of the Church, saying, "how the soul is of the body of man, so the Holy Spirit is of the body of Chr…
Immaculate Heart of Mary
Immaculate Heart of Mary (1917)
The Immaculate Heart of Mary is a devotional symbol representing the interior life, virtues, joys, sorrows, and, specifically, the pure, virginal love of the Blessed Virgin Mary for God and her maternal compassion for humanity. It symbolizes her total dedication to salvation history.
Origin
"In the end, my Immaculate Heart will triumph!" These were the words of Our Lady to the over 100 years ago, words that give hope in the midst of the clamour of wars.
The message of Fatima d…
Our Lady of Aparecida
Our Lady of Aparecida (1717)
The month of October is traditionally dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary; it is also the month during which we mark another festivity dedicated to Mary Mother of God: Our Lady of Aparecida, Patroness of Brazil, whose feast day is celebrated on October 12th.
Origin
Early on the morning of October 12, 1717, three Brazilian fishermen set out on the waters of the Paraiba River, which ran through their village. They were charged with providing the fish for the banquet that would be he…
Our Lady of Fatima
Our Lady of Fatima (1917)
Our Lady of Fatima is a title for the Blessed Virgin Mary, who reportedly appeared six times to three shepherd children—Lúcia dos Santos and her cousins Francisco and Jacinta Marto—between May 13 and October 13, 1917, in Cova da Iria, Fátima, Portugal. She delivered messages of prayer, peace, and repentance during World War I and allegedly revealed three secrets, culminating in the "Miracle of the Sun" witnessed by thousands.
Origin
It was May 13, 1917, when Our Lady appeared to thr…
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Our Lady of Guadalupe (1531)
Invoked as Star of the Evangelization of Peoples, comforter of indigenous people and the poor, the faithful humbly implore her help on the Tepeyac Hill in Mexico. She is Our Lady of Guadalupe, often called the "great missionary" who brought the Gospel to the Americas.
Origin
In 1531, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to Juan Diego, an Aztec who converted to Christianity. At that time Mexico was shaken by violence and continuous violations of human rights and dignity. Indigenous peo…
Our Lady of Lourdes
Our Lady of Lourdes (1858)
Our Lady of Lourdes is a title for the Blessed Virgin Mary, honoring 18 appearances to 14-year-old peasant girl Saint Bernadette Soubirous in a cave in Lourdes, France, in 1858. Appearing as a young lady in white, she called for prayer and penance, instructed Bernadette to dig for a healing spring, and identified herself as "the Immaculate Conception".
Origin
The liturgical memorial recalls the apparitions of the Virgin Mary in Lourdes which began on 11 February 1858. The protagonis…
Our Lady of Mount Carmel
Our Lady of Mount Carmel (1251)
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a prominent title for the Blessed Virgin Mary, honoring her as the patroness of the Carmelite Order, which originated on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land during the 12th century. She is associated with the brown scapular, a symbol of protection, given to St. Simon Stock in 1251.
Origin
The liturgical feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel was established to commemorate her apparition on July 16, 1251 to Saint Simon Stock, then Prior General of the Carmelite Order.…
Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception
Immaculate Conception (1854)
The Immaculate Conception refers to the Catholic dogma that the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus, was conceived without original sin, meaning she was preserved from any stain of sin from the very first moment of her existence in her mother's womb, uniquely prepared to bear God. It is a special grace from God, anticipating Christ's redemption, and is celebrated by Catholics on December 8th as a holy day.
Origin
The historical roots tied to this feast lead back to the 19th century. 171 ye…
Our Lady of the Rosary
Our Lady of the Rosary (1212)
Our Lady of the Rosary is a title for the Virgin Mary, stemming from a 13th-century apparition to St. Dominic and solidified by the 1571 Battle of Lepanto. Pope Pius V established the feast (Oct. 7) to honor her intercession, which secured a crucial victory attributed to praying the rosary. She is celebrated as a, protector and source of grace through this specific prayer.
Origin
The Holy Rosary originated in 1212 when Saint Dominic de Guzman saw the Virgin Mary who gave him the Ros…
Sacred Heart of Jesus
Most Sacred Heart of Jesus (1672)
The Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus – also the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests – is celebrated on the Friday after the Solemnity of Corpus Christi. This suggests to us that the Eucharist (Corpus Christi) is none other than the Heart of Jesus himself, of the One who “takes care of us” with his “heart”.
Origin
On 20 October 1672, Father Giovanni Eudes, a priest from Normandy, celebrated this feast for the first time. But there had already been several …
Saint Agatha
Saint Agatha (3rd century - 251)
Saint Agatha‘s is one of the most beautiful testimonies of faith in the early certuries. The Church celebrates her memory on February 5, the day she died a martyr in Catania. The impetuous young Sicilian, subjected to horrible torture, proved a brave fidelity to Christ.
Personal Life
In the Sicily of the 3rd century, the story of Agatha descends between Catania and Palermo, the two cities that contend the honor of being the martyr’s birthplace. Reading her Passio, it seems it can b…
Saint Alexander of Jerusalem
Saint Alexander of Jerusalem (3rd century AD - 250 AD)
Saint Alexander of Jerusalem (died 250 AD) was a 3rd-century bishop, theologian, and martyr venerated by the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Oriental Orthodox churches. As bishop of Jerusalem, he founded a famous theological library and was renowned for his mildness and steadfast faith during the persecutions under Septimius Severus and Decius, ultimately dying in prison.
Personal Life
St. Alexander, Bishop and Martyr. Alexander was a student with Origen at the famous Christian…
