March 26 – Sheriff’s daughter, but God’s first.

March 23, 2017

St. Margaret Clitherow Martyr, called the “Pearl of York”, born about 1556; died 25 March 1586. She was a daughter of Thomas Middleton, Sheriff of York (1564-5), a wax-chandler; married John Clitherow, a wealthy butcher and a chamberlain of the city, in St. Martin’s church, Coney St., 8 July, 1571, and lived in the Shambles, […]

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March 27 – Royal Simplicity

March 23, 2017

St. Rupert (Alternative forms, RUPRECHT, Hrodperht, Hrodpreht, Roudbertus, Rudbertus, Robert, Ruprecht). First Bishop of Salzburg, contemporary of Childebert III, king of the Franks (695-711), date of birth unknown; died at Salzburg, Easter Sunday, 27 March, 718. According to an old tradition, he was a scion of the Frankish Merovingian family. The assumption of 660 as […]

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March 21-22 – James Harrison

March 20, 2017

James Harrison Priest and martyr; born in the Diocese of Lichfield, England, date unknown; died at York, 22 March, 1602. He studied at the English College at Reims, and was ordained there in September, 1583. In the following year he went on the English mission, where he laboured unobtrusively. In the early part of 1602 […]

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March 22 – The soldier who fought with sword in one hand and rosary in the other

March 20, 2017

St. Nicholas of Flüe, patron of: -Pontifical Swiss Guards  -Switzerland -difficult marriages -large families -judges Born 21 March, 1417, on the Flüeli, a fertile plateau near Sachseln, Canton Obwalden, Switzerland; died 21 March, 1487, as a recluse in a neighboring ravine, called Ranft. He was the oldest son of pious, well-to-do peasants and from his […]

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March 22 – He Stood Up to Hitler Without Flinching

March 20, 2017

Blessed Clemens August Graf von Galen “Lion of Münster” Born     March 16, 1878 Dinklage Castle, Dinklage, Grand Duchy of Oldenburg, German Confederation Died     March 22, 1946 (aged 68) Münster, Province of Westphalia, Germany Beatified     9 October 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI Feast     22 March The Blessed Clemens August Graf von Galen […]

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March 22 – The Le Moyne: nobles of North America

March 20, 2017

Le Moyne The name of one of the most illustrious families of the New World, whose deeds adorn the pages of Canadian history. Charles Le Moyne Founder of the family, b. of Pierre Le Moyne and Judith Duchesne at Dieppe on 1 August, 1626; d. at Ville-Marie (Montreal), 1683. On reaching Canada in 1641, he […]

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March 23 – Generous Noble Missionary

March 20, 2017

St. Toribio Alfonso Mogrovejo (aka St. Alphonsus Turibius) Archbishop of Lima; b. at Mayorga, León, Spain, 1538; d. near Lima Peru, 23 March 1606. Of noble family and highly educated, he was professor of laws at the University of Salamanca, where his learning and virtue led to his appointment as Grand Inquisitor of Spain by […]

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Queen Elizabeth gives Royal Assent to Brexit

March 16, 2017

According to BBC News: The Queen has given Royal Assent to the Brexit bill, clearing the way for Theresa May to start talks to leave the European Union. The European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill was passed by MPs and peers on Monday. It allows the prime minister to notify Brussels that the UK is […]

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Medals to the Gurkhas

March 16, 2017

According to the Royal Household: The medal ceremony started with the Royal Gurkha Rifles and The Band of The Brigade of Gurkhas marching from Wellington Barracks to Buckingham Palace. The Gurkhas then assembled in The Ballroom of Buckingham Palace where they were presented with their medals by The Prince of Wales and Prince Harry. 154 […]

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King Philippe Celebrates Anniversary of Belgian Gingerbread Maker

March 16, 2017

According to the Royal Forums: Belgium’s King Philippe paid a visit to Lebbeke on Tuesday, where he stopped at the Vondelmolen NV factory. The company, which is the largest producer of gingerbread in Belgium, this year celebrates their 150th anniversary, the reason for their royal visit. King Philippe was given a tour of the factory, […]

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Purgatory in Painting

March 16, 2017

I have read in the Dictionary of Education a very amusing anecdote, which may, nevertheless, be cited of what I have said of All Souls’ Day. Certain canons over 1,000 years ago, having had to repair their Church, added to it a chapel dedicated to the Souls in Purgatory. The Sculptor who was charged with […]

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Devotion to the Holy Rosary

March 16, 2017

By Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira    February 12th 1964 As we all know, one great value of devotion to the Rosary is that it was revealed by Our Lady to Saint Dominic as a means for reviving the Faith in regions heavily devastated by the Albigensian heresy.  Indeed, the general practice of the Rosary revived the […]

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March 17 – The Great and Noble Patrick

March 16, 2017

St. Patrick Apostle of Ireland, born at Kilpatrick, near Dumbarton, in Scotland, in the year 387; died at Saul, Downpatrick, Ireland, 17 March, 493. He had for his parents Calphurnius and Conchessa. The former belonged to a Roman family of high rank and held the office of decurio in Gaul or Britain. Conchessa was a […]

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March 17 – St. Gertrude of Nivelles

March 16, 2017

St. Gertrude of Nivelles Virgin, and Abbess of the Benedictine monastery of Nivelles; born in 626; died 17 March, 659. She was a daughter of Pepin I of Landen, and a younger sister of St. Begga, Abbess of Andenne. One day, when she was about ten years of old, her father invited King Dagobert and […]

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March 18 – Martyr King

March 16, 2017

Saint Edward the Martyr King of England, son to Edgar the Peaceful, and uncle to St. Edward the Confessor; born about 962; died March 18, 979. His accession to the throne on his father’s death, in 975, was opposed by a party headed by his stepmother, Queen Elfrida, who was bent on securing the crown […]

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March 20 – Saint Joseph, Martyr of Grandeur

March 16, 2017

By Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira To have an idea of what Saint Joseph—the Patron of the Church—was like, we must consider two prodigious facts: he was the foster father of the Child Jesus and he was the spouse of Our Lady. The husband must be proportional to the wife. Now who is Our Lady? She […]

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March 20 – St. Joseph

March 16, 2017

Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and foster-father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. LIFE Sources. The chief sources of information on the life of St. Joseph are the first chapters of our first and third Gospels; they are practically also the only reliable sources, for, whilst, on the holy patriarch’s life, as on many other […]

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March 20 – Homeless Noble Poet

March 16, 2017

Blessed Baptista Mantuanus (Or SPAGNOLI). Carmelite and Renaissance poet, born at Mantua, 17 April, 1447, where he also died, 22 March, 1516. The eldest son of Peter Spagnoli, a Spanish nobleman at the court of Mantua, Baptista studied grammar under Gregorio Tifernate, and philosophy at Pavia under Polo Bagelardi. The bad example of his schoolfellows […]

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March 20 – St. Wulfram

March 16, 2017

St. Wulfram Bishop of Sens, missionary in Frisi, born at Milly near Fontainebleau, probably during the reign of Clovis II (638-56); died 20 March, before 704, in which year a translation of his body took place (Duchesne, “Fastes épiscopaux de l’ancienne Gaule”, II, Paris, 1900, 413). His father Fulbert stood high in the esteem of […]

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March 20 – Vendor of Learning

March 16, 2017

St. Clement of Ireland Also known as Clemens Scotus (not to be confounded with Claudius Clemens). Born in Ireland, towards the middle of the eighth century, died perhaps in France, probably after 818. About the year 771 he set out for France. His biographer, an Irish monk of St. Gall, who wrote his Acts, dedicated […]

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March 20 – St. Cuthbert

March 16, 2017

St. Cuthbert Bishop of Lindisfarne, patron of Durham, born about 635; died 20 March, 687. His emblem is the head of St. Oswald, king and martyr, which he is represented as bearing in his hands. His feast is kept in Great Britain and Ireland on the 20th of March, and he is patron of the […]

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March 14 – Patroness of Those Falsely Accused

March 13, 2017

St. Matilda, Queen of Saxony Queen of Germany, wife of King Henry I (The Fowler), born at the Villa of Engern in Westphalia, about 895; died at Quedlinburg, 14 March, 968. She was brought up at the monastery of Erfurt. Henry, whose marriage to a young widow, named Hathburg, had been declared invalid, asked for […]

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March 15 – Pope St. Zachary

March 13, 2017

Pope St. Zachary (ZACHARIAS.) Reigned 741-52. Year of birth unknown; died in March, 752. Zachary sprang from a Greek family living in Calabria; his father, according to the “Liber Pontificalis”, was called Polichronius. Most probably he was a deacon of the Roman Church and as such signed the decrees of the Roman council of 732. […]

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March 15 – Her nuns earned the name “Angels of the Battlefield”

March 13, 2017

St. Louise de Marillac Le Gras Foundress of the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, born at Paris, 12 August, 1591, daughter of Louis de Marillac, Lord of Ferrieres, and Marguerite Le Camus; died there, 15 March, 1660. Her mother having died soon after the birth of Louise, the education of the latter […]

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March 16 – Chancellor to Italy and Germany

March 13, 2017

St. Heribert, Archbishop of Cologne Born at Worms, c. 970; died at Cologne, 16 March, 1021. His father was Duke Hugo of Worms. After receiving his education at the cathedral school of Worms, he spent some time as guest at the monastery of Gorze, after which he became provost at the cathedral of Worms. In […]

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Doña Magdalena de Ulloa teaches noble charity to Don John of Austria

March 9, 2017

Doña Magdalena only allowed Jeromín [Don John of Austria] two days in which to rest from the fatigue of his journey, and to visit the village and castle; the third day, which was a Monday, she made him begin to regulate his hours and studies, according to the plans she had prepared. She had given […]

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Virtue began to seem more fitting for women

March 9, 2017

Note a curious thing. Books on the spiritual life began to be addressed more and more to women. And virtue itself began to take on a note of something more fitting to women than to men, although this was never part of the mentality of any saint.   (Excerpt from an MNF, Thursday, Sept. 14, […]

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March 10 – “I want no prayers from heretics!”

March 9, 2017

St. John Ogilvie Ogilvie, the son of a wealthy noble, was born into a Calvinist family near Keith in Banffshire, Scotland and was educated in mainland Europe where he attended a number of Roman Catholic educational establishments, under the Benedictines at Regensburg in Germany and with the Jesuits at Olomouc and Brno in the present […]

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March 11 – Saint Sophronius

March 9, 2017

Saint Sophronius Patriarch of Jerusalem and Greek ecclesiastical writer, b. about 560 at Damascus of noble parentage; d. probably March 11, 638, at Jerusalem. In company with John Moschus he traveled extensively through the East and also went to Rome. He probably became a monk in Egypt about 580 and later removed to Palestine. From […]

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March 11 – Constantine the Great

March 9, 2017

His coins give his name as M., or more frequently as C., Flavius Valerius Constantinus. He was born at Naissus, now Nisch in Servia [Nis, Serbia —Ed.], the son of a Roman officer, Constantius, who later became Roman Emperor, and St. Helena, a woman of humble extraction but remarkable character and unusual ability. The date […]

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March 11 – Saint under the Caliphs

March 9, 2017

St. Eulogius of Cordova Spanish martyr and writer who flourished during the reigns of the Cordovan Caliphs, Abd-er-Rahman II and Mohammed I (822-886). It is not certain on what date or in what year of the ninth century he was born; it must have been previous to 819, because in 848 he was a priest […]

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March 12 – The Mistaken Chronicler

March 9, 2017

St. Theophanes Chronicler, born at Constantinople, about 758; died in Samothracia, probably 12 March, 817, on which day he is commemorated in the Roman Martyrology. He was the son of Isaac, imperial governor of the islands of the White Sea, and of Theodora, of whose family nothing is known. After the early death of his […]

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March 13 – Though not a learned man, he established a school known today as Oxford

March 9, 2017

Bl. Agnellus of Pisa Friar Minor and founder of the English Franciscan Province, born at Pisa c. 1195, of the noble family of the Agnelli; died at Oxford, 7 May, 1236. In early youth he was received into the Seraphic Order by St. Francis himself, during the latter’s sojourn in Pisa, and soon became an […]

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March 13 – There Is No Price Tag on Happiness

March 9, 2017

St. Euphrasia (aka Eupraxia) Virgin, born in 380; died after 410. Antigonus, the father of this saint, was a nobleman of the first rank and quality in the court of Theodosius the younger, nearly allied in blood to that emperor, and honored by him with several great employments in the state. He was married to […]

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March 13 – St. Leander of Seville

March 9, 2017

St. Leander of Seville Bishop of that city, born at Carthage about 534, of a Roman family established in that city; died at Seville, 13 March, 600 or 601. Some historians claim that his father Severian was duke or governor of Carthage, but St. Isidore simply states that he was a citizen of that city. […]

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March 13 – St. Nicephorus

March 9, 2017

St. Nicephorus Patriarch of Constantinople, 806-815, b. about 758; d. 2 June, 829. This champion of the orthodox view in the second contest over the veneration of images belonged to a noted family of Constantinople. He was the son of the imperial secretary Theodore and his pious wife Eudoxia. Eudoxia was a strict adherent of […]

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March 7 – Saint Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart

March 6, 2017

Saint Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart Born July 15, 1747. Died March 7, 1770 in Florence. She was born Anna Maria Redi to a large noble family in Arezzo, Italy. She was the daughter of Count Ignatius Redi and Camilla Billeti. After attending the boarding school of the Benedictine nuns of St. Apollonia’s in […]

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March 8 – He was not a prince, but they buried him as one

March 6, 2017

St. John of God Statue of St. John of God by Bernardo de Mora at the Basilica de San Juan de Dios in Granada. Born at Montemor o Novo, Portugal, 8 March, 1495, of devout Christian parents; died at Granada, 8 March, 1550. The wonders attending the saints birth heralded a life many-sided in its […]

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March 8 – Classmate of Innocent III

March 6, 2017

Bl. Vincent Kadlubek (KADLUBO, KADLUBKO). Bishop of Cracow, chronicler, born at Karnow, Duchy of Sandomir, Poland, 1160; died at Jedrzejow, 8 March, 1223. The son of a rich family in Poland, he made such progress in his studies that in 1189 he could sign his name as Magister Vincentius (Zeissberg, in “Archiv fur osterreichische Geschichte”, […]

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March 9 – She Could Detect Diabolical Plots

March 6, 2017

St. Frances of Rome One of the greatest mystics of the fifteenth century; born at Rome, of a noble family, in 1384; died there, 9 March, 1440. Her youthful desire was to enter religion, but at her father’s wish she married, at the age of twelve, Lorenzo de’ Ponziani. Among her children we know of […]

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March 9 – Incorrupt

March 6, 2017

St. Catherine of Bologna Poor Clare and mystical writer, born at Bologna, 8 September, 1413; died there, 9 March, 1463. When she was ten years old, her father sent her to the court of the Marquis of Ferrara, Nicolò d’Este, as a companion to the Princess Margarita. Here Catherine pursued the study of literature and […]

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Surrounded by enemies, Maria Theresa turns to God to defend her realms

March 2, 2017

The young Queen had no Melbourne to teach and advise her as she faced for the first time the task of being a ruler. But indeed, even a Melbourne would have been insufficient here. She needed, rather, a Disraeli: ten years were to pass before she found one. To begin with she had to make […]

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March 3 — St. Katharine Drexel

March 2, 2017

St. Katharine Drexel, the second America canonized saint, was born into a wealthy family in Philadelphia in 1858. Her father was an international banker and philanthropist accustomed to spending each evening in a prayerful vigil. Although her mother passed away a few weeks after Katharine’s birth, her stepmother Emma Bouvier , wealthy in her own […]

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March 3 – Empress Saint

March 2, 2017

St. Cunegundes, Empress (c. 975 – 3 March 1040 at Kaufungen), also called Cunegundes and Cunegonda ST. CUNEGUNDES was the daughter of Sigefride, the first count of Luxemburgh, and Hadeswige his pious wife. They instilled into her from her cradle the most tender sentiments of piety, and married her to St. Henry, duke of Bavaria, […]

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March 4 – “Your Honor, was St. Augustine also a traitor?”

March 2, 2017

Blessed Christopher Bales (Or Bayles, alias Evers) Priest and martyr, b. at Coniscliffe near Darlington, County Durham, England, about 1564; executed 4 March, 1590. He entered the English College at Rome, 1 October, 1583, but owing to ill-health was sent to the College at Reims, where he was ordained 28 March, 1587.Sent to England 2 […]

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March 4 – This Prince had a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin

March 2, 2017

St. Casimir Prince of Poland, born in the royal palace at Cracow, 3 October, 1458; died at the court of Grodno, 4 March, 1484. He was the grandson of Wladislaus II Jagiello, King of Poland, who introduced Christianity into Lithuania, and the second son of King Casimir IV and Queen Elizabeth, an Austrian princess, the […]

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March 5 – St. John Joseph of the Cross

March 2, 2017

St. John Joseph of the Cross Born on the Island of Ischia, Southern Italy, 1654; died 5 March, 1739. From his earliest years he was given to prayer and virtue. So great was his love of poverty that he would always wear the dress of the poor, though he was of noble birth. At the […]

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March 6 – Bishop Prime Minister

March 2, 2017

St. Chrodegang Bishop of Metz, born at the beginning of the eighth century at Hasbania, in what is now Belgian Limburg, of a noble Frankish family; died at Metz, 6 March, 766. He was educated at the court of Charles Martel, became his private secretary, then chancellor, and in 737 prime minister. On 1 March, […]

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March 6 – Of Kings and Princesses

March 2, 2017

Saints Kyneburge, Kyneswide, and Tibba The two first were daughters of Penda, the cruel pagan king of Mercia, and sisters to three successive Christian Kings, Peada, Wulfere, and Ethelred, and to the pious prince Merowald. Kyneburge, as Bede informs us, (1) was married to Alcfrid, eldest son of Oswi, and in his father’s life-time king […]

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February 28 – One of the many men who spent their lives building a Christian Civilization

February 27, 2017

St. Romanus Abbot of Condat, now St. Claude in the French Jura, born about 400; died in 463 or 464. When thirty-five years old he went into the lonely region of Condat to live as a hermit, where after a while his younger brother Lupicinus followed him. A large number of scholars, among whom was […]

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February 28 – St. Oswald

February 27, 2017

St. Oswald Archbishop of York, died on 29 February, 992. Of Danish parentage, Oswald was brought up by his uncle Odo, Archbishop of Canterbury, and instructed by Fridegode. For some time he was dean of the house of the secular canons at Winchester, but led by the desire of a stricter life he entered the […]

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February 28 – Pope Saint Hilarus

February 27, 2017

Pope Saint Hilarus [Also spelled HILARIUS, or HILARY]Elected 461; the date of his death is given as 28 Feb., 468. After the death of Leo I, an archdeacon named Hilarus, a native of Sardinia, according to the “Liber Pontificalis”, was chosen to succeed him, and in all probability received consecration on 19 November, 461. Together […]

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March 1 – St. David of Wales

February 27, 2017

St. David (DEGUI, DEWI). Bishop and Confessor, patron of Wales. He is usually represented standing on a little hill, with a dove on his shoulder. From time immemorial the Welsh have worn a leek on St. David’s day, in memory of a battle against the Saxons, at which it is said they wore leeks in […]

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March 2 – This Princess Refused to Marry the Emperor

February 27, 2017

St. Agnes of Bohemia (Also called Agnes of Prague). Born at Prague in the year 1200; died probably in 1281. She was the daughter of Ottocar, King of Bohemia and Constance of Hungary, a relative of St. Elizabeth. At an early age she was sent to the monastery of Treinitz, where at the hands of […]

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March 2 – Warrior Bishop Prince

February 27, 2017

St. John Maron Origin of St. John Maron John Maron was born in Sarum, a prosperous town located south of the city of Antioch. His date of birth is not mentioned but many historians place it around the third decade of the seventh century. He descended from a Frankish royal family which governed Antioch, a […]

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Why Treating Everyone Equally Is a Problem

February 23, 2017

by John Horvat II I recently received an email from someone who questioned me on a comment I made about manners. I had said that manners presuppose distinctions. They call upon us to honor those who are excellent with special treatment. At the same time, they allow us to show compassion and consideration toward those […]

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Princess Anne Helps Celebrate Cashmere Makers’ 250th Anniversary

February 23, 2017

According to the Royal Forums: While on a visit to Yorkshire, the Princess Royal has helped to mark the 250th anniversary of Joshua Ellis & Co, one of the leading companies in Britain that produces handcrafted cashmere. Princess Anne met with staff who work in the company’s factory, learning about their processes and what products […]

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Eight out of ten Norwegians now favour monarchy

February 23, 2017

According to Norway Today: A survey conducted by Norstat for NRK shows that support for the royal family is on the rise. In 2005, seven out of ten stated that they were in favour of the monarchy, while the current survey discloses that more than eight out of ten Norwegians support the Royals. The survey […]

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Of that which happened to a Falcon and a Heron, and, more particularly, to a cunning Falcon, which belonged to the Infant Don Manuel

February 23, 2017

Count Lucanor conversed one day with his counsellor, Patronio, in the manner following: — “Patronio,” said he, “it has happened lately to me to have contentions with many men, and no sooner is one quarrel ended than I am by some one instigated to commence another; others again recommend me to rest and be at […]

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The Blessed Sacrament and the Apostolate in the Modern World – Part II

February 23, 2017

Continued from Part I Second meaning: that which suggests progress Analyzing the meaning of the word “modern” more profoundly, we see that it is sometimes used to signify something else, so that by “modern” is understood that which is contrary to what existed in the past. So, whatever begins now is modern. In this sense, […]

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