* * *** Today marks the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 1858 to St. Bernadette. Our Lady revealed herself to Bernadette as “the Immaculate Conception,” and her loving message was a call to conversion, prayer, and charity.

“Grant us, O merciful God, protection in our weakness, that we, who keep the Memorial of the Immaculate Mother of God, may, with the help of her intercession, rise up from our iniquities. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Proper of Saints, Daily Roman Missal)

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— Born into a Roman noble family, St. Scholastica (ca. 480) was the sister of St. Benedict, the “father of monasticism.” Following the rule of her brother, she founded the Order of Benedictine nuns and according to the Dialogues of St. Gregory the Great, they spent their last day together in prayer and conversation.

* * *** St. Bakhita’s legacy is her perseverance and transformation through immense suffering.

— Born in Sudan, St. Bakhita (ca. 1869-1947) was only about 7 years old when seized by slave traders. She was resold several times and endured horrific cruelty at the hands of some of her captors. Her life journey would eventually take her to the Canossian Sisters, where she was baptized into the faith. In […]

* * *** “… for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you prepared in sight of all the peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and glory for your people Israel.” (Lk 2:30-32)

— “The presentation of Jesus in the temple shows him to be the firstborn Son who belongs to the Lord. With Simeon and Anna, all Israel awaits its encounter with the Savior… Jesus is recognized as the long-expected Messiah, the ‘light to the nations’ and the ‘glory of Israel.’” (CCC 529)

* * *** “To one who has faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without faith, no explanation is possible.”

— One of the greatest philosophers and theologians of all time, the Angelic Doctor exhibited a profound holiness of life. His great work, “Summa Theologica,” was not yet finished when he died. Following a mystical experience, Aquinas declared he would write no more, “such things have been revealed to me that what I have written […]

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“On that journey as I drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ I replied, ‘Who are you, sir?’ And he said to me, ‘I am Jesus the […]

* * *** Born in the province of Savoy, St. Francis (1567-1622) was Bishop of Geneva, where he vigorously fought Calvinism. Along with St. Jane Frances de Chantal, he founded the Order of Sisters of the Visitation.

— In his well-known classic, “Introduction to the Devout Life,” St. Francis writes to all Christians, not just those called to religious vocation: “It is an error, nay more, a very heresy, to seek to banish the devout life from the soldier’s guardroom, the mechanic’s workshop, the prince’s court, or the domestic hearth… there are […]

* * *** St. Agnes (d. 304) came from a noble Roman family and only about thirteen when martyred, during the reign of the Roman emperor Diocletian. Her name is associated with the Latin “agnus” for “lamb,” as the young saint is often depicted with a lamb by her side. St. Agnes is commemorated in the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I).

~ “Almighty ever-living God, who choose what is weak in the world to confound the strong, mercifully grant, that we, who celebrate the heavenly birthday of your Martyr Saint Agnes, may follow her constancy in the faith. Through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Proper of Saints / Daily Roman Missal)

* * *** “Nourished for our healing by your Sacraments, O Lord, may we escape every snare of the enemy unharmed, just as by your grace Saint Anthony won glorious victories over the powers of darkness. Through Christ our Lord.” (Prayer After Communion/Proper of Saints, Daily Roman Missal)

— Known as the Patriarch of Monks for his influence in early Christian monasticism, St. Anthony (251-356) went into the wilderness at a young age (c. 270). He inspired many to travel to the desert to follow his way of monastic life, which led to a growing community of monks dedicated to the service of […]

* * *** Born at Poitiers, St. Hilary was a leading defender of the Church against the Arian heresy. He wrote many books about the Blessed Trinity as well as commentaries on St. Matthew’s Gospel and the Psalms.

“Grant, we pray, almighty God, that we may rightly understand and truthfully profess the divinity of your Son, which the Bishop Saint Hilary taught with such constancy. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Collect ~ Proper of Saints, Daily Roman Missal)

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