March 12 – The Mistaken Chronicler

March 10, 2016

St. Theophanes Fresco of St. Theophanes in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Melkite Catholic Patriarchate in Jerusalem. 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, […]

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

March 10, 2016

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 10, 2016

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 10, 2016

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 10, 2016

St. Nicephorus St. Nikephoros I of Constantinople trample on John VII of Constantinople, who is laying on the ground with coins, miniature from Chludov Psalter. John VII of Constantinople is depicted with untidy straight hair sticking out in all directions, which was considered ridiculous by the Byzantines. Above – fragment of the Apostle St. Peter […]

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March 14 – Patroness of Those Falsely Accused

March 10, 2016

St. Matilda, Queen of Saxony King Henry and Queen Matilda. Photo by M. Kunz. 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 […]

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Nobility of Birth Seems a Fortuitous Fact, but It Results from a Benevolent Design of Heaven

March 10, 2016

[previous] 3. Nobility of Birth Seems a Fortuitous Fact, but It Results from a Benevolent Design of Heaven From the allocution of Leo XIII to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility on January 21, 1897: Our heart rejoices to see you here again, united by a concord of ideas and affections that honor you. Our charity […]

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Our Lady of Deliverance, Empress of China

March 7, 2016

Our Lady of Deliverance, Empress of China In 1900, the Catholic Church was healthy and growing in China. There were forty bishops, about 800 European missionaries, 600 native Chinese priests, and the number of native Catholics throughout the whole of China proper was estimated at 700,000. It was during this time that the Boxer Uprising […]

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

March 7, 2016

St. John of God 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 interests, but dominated throughout by implicit fidelity to the grace of God. A Spanish priest whom he followed to Oropeza, […]

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March 8 – Classmate of Innocent III

March 7, 2016

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 7, 2016

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 7, 2016

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

March 7, 2016

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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Our Lord Jesus Christ Willed to Be Born a Noble; He Himself Loved the Aristocracy

March 7, 2016

[previous] From the allocution of Pius IX to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility on December 29, 1872: Jesus Christ Himself loved aristocracy; and if I am not mistaken, I expounded upon this idea on another occasion. He too chose to be of noble birth, of the House of David; and His Gospel shows us His […]

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Talleyrand’s Etiquette

March 3, 2016

Charles-Maurice de Talleyrand-Périgord was born in Paris, 1754, to a noble family during the reign of Louis XV. During his long life, he became a bishop, politician and diplomat, working at the highest levels of successive French governments, most commonly as foreign minister or in another diplomatic capacity. His career spanned the regimes of Louis […]

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The knight wants nothing for himself; he wants things for God alone

March 3, 2016

by Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira On the issue of chivalry, it is part of the knight’s spirit to have a generosity whereby he is very detached from himself, whereby he wants nothing for himself but only for God, and he aims very high in the things he desires. Therefore, he desires the glory of God […]

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

March 3, 2016

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 3, 2016

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 3, 2016

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 3, 2016

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 7 – Saint Teresa Margaret of the Sacred Heart

March 3, 2016

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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Nobility Is a Gift From God

March 3, 2016

[previous] From the allocution of Pius IX to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility on June 17, 1871: One day a Cardinal, a Roman prince, presented his nephew to one of my Predecessors, who on that occasion made a very true statement: that thrones should be upheld principally through the nobility and clergy. For there is […]

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Photographs of the Golden Boy – The New Prince of Bhutan!

February 29, 2016

According to The Royal Forums: To celebrate His Majesty King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck’s 36th birthday on 21st February, new photos of His Royal Highness The Gyalsey with his parents have been released. Wrapped in his golden blanket, the baby boy, who is yet to be named, sleeps peacefully and seemingly unaware of all the […]

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Dutch Golden Coach is under restoration; some MPs unhappy

February 29, 2016

According to The Royal Forums: The Dutch Golden Coach is under restoration, which will take three years. The king is paying the restoration from his own budget, with no additional costs for the tax payer. A good deal one would think. In parliament the usual suspects still found a reason to complain, as royal issues […]

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Solicitude of Saint Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal, Toward the Impoverished Nobility

February 29, 2016

In the life of Saint Elizabeth, Queen of Portugal (1274-1336), we read the following facts that manifest an edifying trace of her character: She took particular care in assisting people who, having lived under the norm of nobility with property, found themselves ruined, their necessity and misery increasing, and ashamed to beg. She aided these […]

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February 29 – The Church in China, part II

February 29, 2016

Previous Part I Part II THE QUESTION OF RITES Father Ricci, the first superior of the Jesuits in China, had remarkable success in his work of evangelizing because of the great tolerance he showed the cult rendered by the Chinese to Heaven, to Confucius, and to ancestors. Indeed, mandarins being obliged to honor officially Heaven […]

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March 1 – St. David of Wales

February 29, 2016

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 29, 2016

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 29, 2016

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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March 3 — St. Katharine Drexel

February 29, 2016

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… Read more here.  

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March 3 – Empress Saint

February 29, 2016

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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How the Knights Templar Elected Their Grand Master

February 25, 2016

On the instruction of the grand commander, the commander of the election and his companion chose two more brothers, and then those four together chose two others, and so on, until their number reached twelve “in honor the twelve Apostles.” Next, these twelve appointed a brother chaplain who “will take the place of Jesus Christ” […]

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Are Museums Sepulchers for Culture?

February 25, 2016

By Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira Who has not felt the frustration that typically assails one after visiting a large museum? Wandering through the rooms and galleries where rare objects and masterpieces are exhibited, the soul expands and is enriched by the contemplation of a thousand marvels. Yet, at the same time, a sensation of emptiness, […]

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February 26 – St. Isabel of France

February 25, 2016

St. Isabel of France Daughter of Louis VIII and of his wife, Blanche of Castille, born in March, 1225; died at Longchamp, 23 February, 1270. St. Louis IX, King of France (1226-70), was her brother. When still a child at court, Isabel, or Elizabeth, showed an extraordinary devotion to exercises of piety, modesty, and other […]

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February 26 – Blessed Robert Drury

February 25, 2016

Blessed Robert Drury Martyr (1567-1607), was born of a good Buckinghamshire family and was received into the English College at Reims, 1 April, 1588. On 17 September, 1590, he was sent to the new College at Valladolid; here he finished his studies, was ordained priest and returned to England in 1593. He laboured chiefly in […]

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February 27 – Are You Hiding a Priest?

February 25, 2016

St. Anne Line English martyr, died 27 Feb., 1601. She was the daughter of William Heigham of Dunmow, Essex, a gentleman of means and an ardent Calvinist, and when she and her brother announced their intention of becoming Catholics both were disowned and disinherited. Anne married Roger Line, a convert like herself, and shortly after […]

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February 28 – St. Oswald

February 25, 2016

St. Oswald Archbishop of York, died on 29 February, 992. St. Oswald and Abbot Eadnoth 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 […]

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

February 25, 2016

St. Romanus St. Lupicinus visiting his brother St. Romanus. Abbot of Condat, now St. Claude in the French Jura, b. about 400; d. 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 […]

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February 28 – Pope Saint Hilarus

February 25, 2016

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. […]

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February 29 – The Church in China, part I

February 25, 2016

Part I Ancient Christians The introduction of Christianity into China has been ascribed not only to the Apostle of India, St. Thomas, but also to St. Bartholomew. In the third century, Arnobius, in “Adversus Gentes”, speaks of the Seres, with the Persians and the Medes, as among the nations reached by “that new power which […]

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The Best Alms Is That Given to the Impoverished Noble

February 25, 2016

Saint Peter Damian (1007-1072), Doctor of the Church, points out the particular diligence that one should have in alleviating the needs of an impoverished noble: Although alms are praised throughout the pages of sacred eloquence, and compassion is superior to the other virtues and wins the palm among the works of piety, nevertheless, that compassion […]

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February 23 – The responsibilities of leadership are heavy

February 22, 2016

Pope Benedict XIII (PIETRO FRANCESCO ORSINI) Born 2 February, 1649; died 23 February, 1730. Being a son of Ferdinando Orsini and Giovanna Frangipani of Tolpha, he belonged to the archducal family of Orsini-Gravina. From early youth he exhibited a decided liking for the Order of St. Dominic, and at the age of sixteen during a […]

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February 23 – St. Polycarp’s martyrdom

February 22, 2016

St. Polycarp’s martyrdom Polycarp’s martyrdom is described in a letter from the Church of Smyrna, to the Church of Philomelium “and to all the brotherhoods of the holy and universal Church”, etc. The letter begins with an account of the persecution and the heroism of the martyrs. Conspicuous among them was one Germanicus, who encouraged […]

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February 24 – First Christian King Among the English

February 22, 2016

St. Ethelbert, King of Kent Born, 552; died, 24 February, 616; son of Eormenric, through whom he was descended from Hengest. He succeeded his father, in 560, as King of Kent and made an unsuccessful attempt to win from Ceawlin of Wessex the overlordship of Britain. His political importance was doubtless advanced by his marriage […]

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February 24 – The Cup Is Sometimes Bitter

February 22, 2016

Blessed Thomas Mary Fusco The seventh of eight children, he was born on 1 December 1831 in Pagani, Salerno, in the Diocese of Nocera-Sarno, Italy, to Dr. Antonio, a pharmacist, and Stella Giordano, of noble descent. They were known for their upright moral and religious conduct, and taught their son Christian piety and charity to […]

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February 25 – Princess, Abbess, Miracle Worker

February 22, 2016

St. Walburga Born in Devonshire, about 710; died at Heidenheim, 25 Feb., 777. She is the patroness of Eichstadt, Oudenarde, Furnes, Antwerp, Gronigen, Weilburg, and Zutphen, and is invoked as special patroness against hydrophobia, and in storms, and also by sailors. She was the daughter of St. Richard, one of the under-kings of the West […]

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Allocution of Benedict XV to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility on January 5, 1920

February 22, 2016

In the recent annual commemoration of the Birth of Jesus Christ, there resounded in our faith the heavenly chant of the angels raising their hymns to God and to peace. Since that happy day there has not ceased to echo around Us, as in harmonious concert, voices of good will and affection that Our faraway […]

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Russian Orthodox Church Blocks Funeral for Last of Romanov Remains

February 18, 2016

According to The New York Times: …a funeral was scheduled last October for two long-lost children…whose remains were found in nearby woods… But it was not to be. The Russian Orthodox Church interceded, questioning — not for the first time — whether any of the remains were authentic, and the service was postponed indefinitely. The […]

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The Marvelous Origin of the Holy Crown of St. Stephen of Hungary

February 18, 2016

“In the fourth year after his father’s death, encouraged by divine grace, (Stephen) sent Bishop Asherik…so that he may ask the heir of St. Peter, prince of the apostles, to send his copious blessings to the first fruits of Christianity blossoming in the parts of Pannonia… to grant him the favour of fortifying him with […]

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Three Faces of the Revolution

February 18, 2016

By Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira As we have demonstrated so many times, the Protestant Revolt of the sixteenth century, the French Revolution, and the Communist Revolution constitute the three phases of the same immense movement, united in spirit, objectives and even methods. By analyzing the faces of three great leaders of the Revolution, we will […]

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February 19 – St. Conrad of Piacenza

February 18, 2016

St. Conrad of Piacenza Hermit of the Third Order of St. Francis, date of birth uncertain; died at Noto in Sicily, 19 February, 1351. He belonged to one of the noblest families of Piacenza, and having married when he was quite young, led a virtuous and God-fearing life. On one occasion, when he was engaged […]

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February 20 – Leaders and future nobility appear in times of desperate distress

February 18, 2016

Andreas Hofer A patriot and soldier, born at St. Leonhard in Passeyrthale, Tyrol, 22 Nov., 1767; executed at Mantua, 20 Feb., 1810. His father was known as the “Sandwirth” (i. e., landlord of the inn on the sandy spit of land formed by the Passeyr. The inn had been in the family for over one […]

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February 20 – Pope Martin V

February 18, 2016

Pope Martin V (Oddone Colonna) John the Evangelist and Pope Martin V, painting by Masolino da Panicale. Born at Genazzano in the Campagna di Roma, 1368; died at Rome, 20 Feb., 1431. He studied at the University of Perugia, became prothonotary Apostolic under Urban VI, papal auditor and nuncio at various Italian courts under Boniface […]

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February 20 – Repeatedly racked

February 18, 2016

Ven. Thomas Pormort English martyr, b. at Hull about 1559; d. at St. Paul’s Churchyard, 20 Feb., 1592. He was probably related to the family of Pormort of Great Grimsby and Saltfletby, Lincoln shire. George Pormort, Mayor of Grimsby in 1565, had a second son Thomas baptized, 7 February, 1566, but this can hardly be […]

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February 21 – Shakespeare’s Inspiration

February 18, 2016

Saint Robert Southwell Poet, Jesuit, martyr; born at Horsham St. Faith’s, Norfolk, England, in 1561; hanged and quartered at Tyburn, 21 February, 1595. St. Robert SouthwellHis grandfather, Sir Richard Southwell, had been a wealthy man and a prominent courtier in the reign of Henry VIII. It was Richard Southwell who in 1547 had brought the […]

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February 21 – Terror of the Wicked, Supporter of the Weak

February 18, 2016

Blessed Pepin of Landen Mayor of the Palace to the Kings Clotaire II, Dagobert, and Sigebert. He was son of Carloman, the most powerful nobleman of Austrasia, who had been mayor to Clotaire I, son of Clovis I. He was grandfather to Pepin of Herstal, the most powerful mayor, whose son was Charles Martel, and […]

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February 21 – His mother almost allowed him to die

February 18, 2016

St. Peter Damian Doctor of the Church, Cardinal-Bishop of Ostia, born at Ravenna “five years after the death of the Emperor Otto III,” 1007; died at Faenza, 21 Feb., 1072. He was the youngest of a large family. His parents were noble, but poor. At his birth an elder brother protested against this new charge […]

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February 22 – The Cavalier’s Mistress Who Became a Saint

February 18, 2016

St. Margaret of Cortona A penitent of the Third Order of St. Francis, born at Laviano in Tuscany in 1247; died at Cortona, 22 February, 1297. At the age of seven years Margaret lost her mother and two years later her father married a second time. Between the daughter and her step-mother there seems to […]

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Pius XII: Allocution of January 9, 1958

February 18, 2016

With great satisfaction We welcome you, beloved Sons and Daughters, into Our house, which is still pervaded by the holy fragrances of the Christmas holiday. You have come to reconfirm your devout fidelity to this Apostolic See, and with the heart of a father anxious to surround himself with his children’s affections, We comply most […]

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February 16 – Founded and ruled a religious order as his family Manorhouse, but only joined that order in his old age

February 15, 2016

St. Gilbert of Sempringham Founder of the Order of Gilbertines, born at Sempringham, on the border of the Lincolnshire fens, between Bourn and Heckington. The exact date of his birth is unknown, but it lies between 1083 and 1089; died at Sempringham, 1189. His father, Jocelin, was a wealthy Norman knight holding lands in Lincolnshire; […]

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