February 17 – He burned the pagan temple

February 15, 2016

St. Theodore of Amasea Surnamed Tyro (Tiro), not because he was a young recruit, but because for a time he belonged to the Cohors Tyronum (Nilles, Kal. man., I, 105), called of Amasea from the place where he suffered martyrdom, and Euchaita from the place, Euchais, to which his body had been carried, and where […]

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February 17 – Marvelous Apparition of Our Lady To Seven Young Nobles

February 15, 2016

St. Alexis Falconieri Born in Florence, 1200; died 17 February, 1310, at Mount Senario, near Florence. He was the son of Bernard Falconieri, a merchant prince of Florence, and one of the leaders of the Republic. His family belonged to the Guelph party, and opposed the Imperialists whenever they could consistently with their political principles. […]

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February 18 – Charlemagne’s envoy to the pope

February 15, 2016

St. Angilbert Abbot of Saint-Riquier, died 18 February, 814. Angilbert seems to have been brought up at the court of Charlemagne, where he was the pupil and friend of the great English scholar Alcuin. He was intended for the ecclesiastical state and must have received minor orders early in life, but he accompanied the young […]

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February 18 – Confronted the Emperor and annulled the Robber Council of Ephesus

February 15, 2016

St. Flavian Bishop of Constantinople, date of birth unknown; died at Hypaepa in Lydia, August, 449. Nothing is known of him before his elevation to the episcopate save that he was a presbyter and skeuophylax or sacristan, of the Church of Constantinople, and noted for the holiness of his life. His succession to St. Proclus […]

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February 18 – Fra Angelico brought part of heaven to earth

February 15, 2016

Blessed Fra Angelico A famous painter of the Florentine school, born near Castello di Vicchio in the province of Mugello, Tuscany, 1387; died at Rome, 1455. He was christened Guido, and his father’s name being Pietro he was known as Guido, or Guidolino, di Pietro, but his full appellation today is that of “Blessed Fra […]

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Pius XII: Allocution of January 14, 1952

February 15, 2016

Faithful to your ancient tradition, beloved Sons and Daughters, you have again come this year to present the visible Head of the Church with a testimonial of your devotion and your fond wishes for the New Year. We welcome them with keen and affectionate gratitude, and offer you in return Our warmest regards. We include […]

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Gun salutes mark the 64th anniversary of Queen’s accession to the throne

February 11, 2016

According to ITV: Cannons were fired in public for the Queen, now the longest reigning monarch in British history. It commemorates the start of her reign, which began on the death of her father, King George VI. Princess Elizabeth, who was just 25, was thousands of miles away in Kenya…with the Duke of Edinburgh when […]

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Why Gun Salutes?

February 11, 2016

According to The British Monarchy: Gun salutes are customarily fired, both on shore and at sea, as a sign of respect or welcome. Just as a salute with the open hand was used historically to show that no weapon was concealed in the palm, so the firing of cannon as a salute indicated the friendly […]

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Prince Henry the Navigator is knighted after conquering Ceuta

February 11, 2016

Prince Henry and Prince Edward led their troops through the Almina gate of Ceuta and clattered into the narrow twisting streets. The king’s forces, meanwhile, were invading from the west. Sala-ben-Sala had bolted, taking with him a few other chiefs, their families, and whatever valuables they could hurriedly scrape together…. Prince Henry, having been separated […]

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A Knight’s Courage Stems From his Profundity of Soul and Love of Sublimity

February 11, 2016

By Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira All these are attitudes show a great profundity of soul; because in order to understand all this and proceed in this fashion, a soul must be very profound. Very profound does not necessarily mean very intelligent. A knight is not necessarily a philosopher, but he has a clear and profound […]

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February 12 – Tadeusz Kosciuszko

February 11, 2016

Tadeusz Kosciuszko Polish patriot and soldier, b. near Novogrudok, Lithuania, Poland, 12 February, 1752; d. at Solothurn, Switzerland, 15 October, 1817. He was educated at the military schools of Warsaw and Versailles, and attained the rank of captain in the Polish army. When the American Revolution broke out he embarked for the scene of conflict […]

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February 12 – Saint Eulalia of Barcelona

February 11, 2016

Saint Eulalia of Barcelona A Spanish martyr in the persecution of Diocletian (February 12, 304), patron of the cathedral and city of Barcelona, also of sailors. The Acts of her life and martyrdom were copied early in the twelfth century, and with elegant conciseness, by the learned ecclesiastic Renallus Grammaticus (Bol. acad. hist., Madrid, 1902, […]

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February 12 – St. Frideswide

February 11, 2016

St. Frideswide (FRIDESWIDA, FREDESWIDA, Fr. FRÉVISSE, Old Eng. FRIS). Virgin, patroness of Oxford, lived from about 650 to 735. According to her legend, in its latest form, she was the child of King Didan and Safrida, and was brought up to holiness by Algiva. She refused the proffered hand of King Algar, a Mercian, and […]

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February 13 – Mystic and Counselor to Future Popes

February 11, 2016

St. Catherine de Ricci, Virgin (AD 1522 – 1589) Fiammetta da Diacceto, St. Catherine and her brothers. The Ricci are an ancient family, which still subsists in a flourishing condition in Tuscany. Peter de Ricci, the father of our saint, was married to Catherine Bonza, a lady of suitable birth. The saint was born at […]

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February 13 – St. Fulcran

February 11, 2016

St. Fulcran Bishop of Lodève; died 13 February, 1006. According to the biography which Bernard Guidonis, Bishop of Lodève (died 1331), has left us his saintly predecessor, Fulcran came of a distinguished family, consecrated himself at an early age to the service of the Church, became a priest, and from his youth led a pure […]

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February 14 – Renounced Earthly Nobility To Obtain Heavenly Nobility

February 11, 2016

Sts. Cyril and Methodius These brothers, the Apostles of the Slavs, were born in Thessalonica, in 827 and 826 respectively. Though belonging to a senatorial family they renounced secular honors and became priests. They were living in a monastery on the Bosphorus, when the Khazars sent to Constantinople for a Christian teacher. Cyril was selected […]

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February 15 – St. Claude de la Colombière

February 11, 2016

St. Claude de la Colombière Missionary and ascetical writer, born of noble parentage at Saint-Symphorien-d’Ozon, between Lyons and Vienne, in 1641; died at Paray-le-Monial, 15 Feb., 1682. He entered the Society of Jesus in 1659. After fifteen years of religious life he made a vow, as a means of attaining the utmost possible perfection, to […]

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Pius XII: Allocution of January 11, 1951

February 11, 2016

But will these annals be like a closed book? Will they count only the memories of a past dead and gone? No. On the contrary, they must be a message from the vanished generations to those of the future. With all Our heart We extend Our paternal greeting to the members of the Roman Patriciate […]

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February 9 – Banished From the Court

February 8, 2016

St. Ansbert Archbishop of Rouen in 695, Confessor He had been chancelor to King Clotair III in which station he had united the mortification and recollection of a monk with the duties of wedlock, and of a statesman. Quitting the court, he put on the monastic habit at Fontenelle under St. Wandregisile, and when that […]

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February 10 – He fought socialism in both its Nazi and Soviet forms…and paid for it with his life

February 8, 2016

BL. ALOJZIJE STEPINAC was born into a large Catholic family on 8 May 1898 in Krasic. After graduation from high school in 1916, he completed military service during World War I. In 1924 he decided to study for the priesthood and was sent to Rome, where he attended the Pontifical Germanicum-Hungaricum College. He earned doctorates […]

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February 10 – The Lord God Gave Her What Her Brother Would Not

February 8, 2016

St. Scholastica, Virgin (c. 480 – 10 February 547) This saint was sister to the great St. Benedict. She consecrated herself to God from her earliest youth, as St. Gregory testifies. Where her first monastery was situated is not mentioned; but after her brother removed to Mount Cassino, she choose her retreat at Plombariola, in […]

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February 11 – Elected pope while on Crusade in Palestine

February 8, 2016

Blessed Pope Gregory X Born 1210; died 10 January, 1276. Pope Gregory X was declared Blessed on July 8, 1713 by Pope Clement XI. The death of Pope Clement IV (29 November, 1268) left the Holy See vacant for almost three years. The cardinals assembled at Viterbo were divided into two camps, the one French […]

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February 11 – St. Benedict of Aniane

February 8, 2016

St. Benedict of Aniane Born about 745-750; died at Cornelimünster, 11 February, 821. Benedict, originally known as Witiza, son of the Goth, Aigulf, Count of Maguelone in Southern France, was educated at the Frankish court of Pepin, and entered the royal service. He took part in the Italian campaign of Charlemagne (773), after which he […]

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Pius XII: Allocution of January 12, 1950

February 8, 2016

You find yourselves gathered around Us here today at the dawn of the year marking the division between the two halves of the twentieth century, a Jubilee Year inaugurated with the opening of the Holy Door. If, dear Sons and Daughters, following the example of Our Predecessors, We are accustomed to welcoming you at the […]

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Australian republicans have a problem

February 4, 2016

According to The Telegraph: [T]he Australian Republic Movement (ARM), …add their voices to that of Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull, himself a former head of ARM. The political stars, in other words, seem aligned for a new plebiscite. Except for one small detail: the sure and settled will of the people. Mr Turnbull skirts this by […]

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Prince Philip’s favorite beer is back in production

February 4, 2016

According to The Crown Chronicles: A favourite tipple of The Duke of Edinburgh’s has been revamped after decades off the shelf – and Prince Philip is delighted. The Duke’s favourite beer was Double Diamond, an ale, but production was stopped in the 1990s. Now, a brewery in Burton-on-Trent – home of lager Carling – has […]

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El Cid dies and the king rushes to help his widow defend Valencia

February 4, 2016

Rodrigo died at Valencia…. After his death his sorrowing wife remained in Valencia with a great company of knights and footsoldiers. When the news of his death spread all the Saracens who lived across the seas mustered a considerable army and marched against Valencia. They laid siege to it on all sides and attacked the […]

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A Knight Shows Respect for the Sacred

February 4, 2016

By Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira [T]his spirit of chivalry is an elevated spirit that always strives to have in mind the consideration of one’s own dignity, the consideration of the Christian and Catholic order of things that must be respected, and which, for this very reason takes into account first and foremost the rights of […]

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February 5 – Patroness of Nurses

February 4, 2016

St. Agatha One of the most highly venerated virgin martyrs of Christian antiquity, put to death for her steadfast profession of faith in Catania, Sicily. Although it is uncertain in which persecution this took place, we may accept, as probably based on ancient tradition, the evidence of her legendary life, composed at a later date, […]

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February 5 – He put the Bible to verse and prose

February 4, 2016

St. Avitus (Alcimus Ecdicius). A distinguished bishop of Vienne, in Gaul, from 490 to about 518, though his death is place by some as late as 525 or 526. He was born of a prominent Gallo-Roman family closely related to the Emperor Avitus and other illustrious persons, and in which episcopal honors were hereditary. In […]

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February 5 – St. Adelaide of Cologne

February 4, 2016

St. Adelaide (of Cologne) Abbess, born in the tenth century; died at Cologne, 5 February, 1015. She was daughter of Megingoz, Count of Guelders, and when still very young entered the convent of St. Ursula in Cologne, where the Rule of St. Jerome was followed. When her parents founded the convent of Villich, opposite the […]

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February 6 – Apostle of Flanders

February 4, 2016

St. Amandus One of the great apostles of Flanders; born near Nantes, in France, about the end of the sixth century. He was, apparently, of noble extraction. When a youth of twenty, he fled from his home and became a monk near Tours, resisting all the efforts of his family to withdraw him from his […]

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February 7 – Refused admission to the Pontifical Noble Guard, he became Pope instead

February 4, 2016

Pope Blessed Pius IX (GIOVANNI MARIA MASTAI-FERRETTI). Pope from 1846-78; born at Sinigaglia, 13 May, 1792; died in Rome, 7 February, 1878. BEFORE HIS PAPACY His early years. After receiving his classical education at the Piarist College in Volterra from 1802-09 he went to Rome to study philosophy and theology, but left there in 1810 […]

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February 7 – Saintly King, and Father of Three More Saints

February 4, 2016

St. Richard, King and Confessor This saint was an English prince, in the kingdom of the West-Saxons, and was perhaps deprived of his inheritance by some revolution in the state: or he renounced it to be more at liberty to dedicate himself to the pursuit of Christian perfection. His three children, Winebald, Willibald, and Warburg… […]

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February 8 – Mary Queen of Scots

February 4, 2016

Mary Queen of Scots Mary Stuart, born at Linlithgow, 8 December, 1542; died at Fotheringay, 8 February, 1587. She was the only legitimate child of James V of Scotland. His death (14 December) followed immediately after her birth, and she became queen when only six days old. The Tudors endeavored by war to force on […]

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February 8 – A strong and mighty Angel – calm, terrible, and bright – the cross in blended red and blue, upon his mantle white

February 4, 2016

Saint John of Matha Founder of the Order of the Most Holy Trinity. He was born into Provencal nobility in 1154 at Faucon-de-Barcelonnette, France. As a youth, he was educated at Aix-en-Provence, and later studied theology at the University of Paris. While in Paris, he was urged by a vision during his first Mass to […]

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Pius XII: Allocution of January 15, 1949

February 4, 2016

We remind you of the fundamental and immutable duties, in all their variety and multiple aspects, imposed upon you by your station in society. Last year We delineated them for you with the brevity required by the circumstances. We do not doubt that, in examining your conscience, you have asked yourselves with what loyalty and […]

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February 2 – “Though in chains, he is as gay as a little bird”

February 1, 2016

St. Théophane Vénard (JEAN-THÉOPHANE VÉNARD.) French missionary, born at St-Loup, Diocese of Poitiers, 1829; martyred in Tonkin, 2 February, 1861. He studied at the College of Doue-la-Fontaine, Montmorillon, Poitiers, and at the Paris Seminary for Foreign Missions which he entered as a sub-deacon. Ordained priest 5 June, 1852, he departed for the Far East, 19 […]

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February 2 – He hastened to the king, exhibited his wounded body and related his vision

February 1, 2016

St. Lawrence Second Archbishop of Canterbury, d. 2 Feb., 619. For the particulars of his life and pontificate we rely exclusively on details added by medieval writers being unsupported by historical evidence, though they may possibly embody ancient traditions. According to St. Bede, he was one of the original missionaries who left Rome with St. […]

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February 3 – The Stuff of Which Saints Are Made

February 1, 2016

St. Anschar (Or Saint Ansgar, Anskar or Oscar.) Called the Apostle of the North, was born to the French nobility in Picardy, 8 September, 801; died 5 February, 865. He became a Benedictine of Corbie, whence he passed into Westphalia. With Harold, the newly baptized King of Denmark who had been expelled from his kingdom […]

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February 3 – Half Fierce Pagan Princess, Half Gentle Christian Princess

February 1, 2016

St. Werburgh of Chester (WEREBURGA, WEREBURG, VERBOURG). Benedictine, patroness of Chester, Abbess of Weedon, Trentham, Hanbury, Minster in Sheppy, and Ely, born in Staffordshire early in the seventh century; died at Trentham, 3 February, 699 or 700. Her mother was St. Ermenilda, daughter of Ercombert, King of Kent, and St. Sexburga, and her father, Wulfhere, […]

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February 4 – Daughter of one king and wife of another

February 1, 2016

St. Jeanne de Valois Queen and foundress of the Order of the Annonciades, b. 1464; d. at Bourges, 4 Feb., 1505. Daughter of one king and wife of another, there are perhaps few saints in the calendar who suffered greater or more bitter humiliations than did Madame Jeanne de France, the heroic woman usually known […]

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February 4 – Portuguese noble and favorite of the king, he strove to convert the nobility of India – and paid for it with his life

February 1, 2016

St. John de Brito Martyr, born in Lisbon, 1 March, 1647, and was brought up at Court, martyred in India 11 February, 1693. Entering the Society of Jesus at fifteen, he obtained as his mission-field Madura in southern India. In September, 1673, he reached Goa. Before taking up his work he spent thirty days in […]

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February 4 – Wild and dissolute, but then he heard this!

February 1, 2016

St. Andrew Corsini Of the illustrious Corsini family; born in Florence, in 1302; died 1373. Wild and dissolute in youth, he was startled by the words of his mother about what had happened to her before his birth, and, becoming a Carmelite monk in his native city, began a life of great mortification. He studied […]

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February 4 – Sent into Muslim lands, he sought to preach to the Sultan

February 1, 2016

St. Joseph of Leonessa In the world named Eufranio Desiderio, born in 1556 at Leonessa in Umbria; died 4 February, 1612. From his infancy he showed a remarkably religious bent of mind; he used to erect little altars and spend much time in prayer before them, and often he would gather his companions and induce […]

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February 4 – Probably the most learned man of his age

February 1, 2016

Blessed Maurus Magnentius Rabanus (Hrabanus, Rhabanus) Abbot of Fulda, Archbishop of Mainz, celebrated theological and pedagogical writer of the ninth century, born at Mainz about 776 (784?); died at Winkel (Vinicellum) near Mainz on 4 February, 856. He took vows at an early age in the Benedictine monastery of Fulda, and was ordained deacon in […]

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February 4 – Pope Gregory V

February 1, 2016

Pope Gregory V Born c. 970; died 4 February, 999. On the death of John XV the Romans sent a deputation to Otto III and asked him to name the one he would wish them to elect in the place of the deceased pontiff. He at once mentioned his chaplain and relation, Bruno, the son […]

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February 4 – Patron of Armenia

February 1, 2016

Gregory the Illuminator Born 257?; died 337?, surnamed the Illuminator (Lusavorich). Gregory the Illuminator is the apostle, national saint, and patron of Armenia. He was not the first who introduced Christianity into that country. The Armenians maintain that the faith was preached there by the Apostles Bartholomew and Thaddaeus. Thaddaeus especially (the hero of the […]

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Pius XII: Allocution of January 14, 1948

February 1, 2016

Although the present difficult circumstances have advised Us this year to give your traditional audience an external form different from the custom, neither the reception of your homages and vows nor the expression of Our best wishes for you and your families has lost any of their intimate value and profound significance. Just as the […]

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Norway Celebrates King Harald’s Silver Jubilee

January 28, 2016

According to The Royal Forums: The day began with a church service in the Palace Chapel, which the entire royal family attended, as did their guests from overseas: Queen Margrethe II of Denmark and King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden. The royal family appeared on the Palace balcony to thank the gathered […]

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England Will Debate Anthem to Rival ‘God Save the Queen’

January 28, 2016

According to The New York Times: “God Save the Queen”…the anthem, and not just the sovereign, may be in need of saving. On Wednesday, lawmakers agreed to debate in March a bill that, while not scrapping “God Save the Queen,” would create another anthem to be played before England’s teams take on foreign rivals. …Toby […]

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How The Death Of A Queen Led To 68,000 People Being Fed

January 28, 2016

By Medievalists.net The death of a medieval queen was often an occasion for great sorrow throughout their own country – even more so when the lady was very popular among the people. Such was the case when Matilda, the wife of King Henry I, passed away in the year 1118. Over an eight-day period commemorations […]

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No One Fools Around With a Knight

January 28, 2016

By Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira For this very reason the man is a knight in the drawing room, amiable but distinguished, making it understood that you don’t play around with him. The knight is serious. The knight is not a joker. He is habitually serious and kind, but he does not fool around and no […]

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January 29 – Noble enough to cover five contemporary kings with invective

January 28, 2016

St. Gildas Surnamed the Wise; born about 516; died at Houat, Brittany, 570. Sometimes he is called “Badonicus” because, as he tells us, his birth took place the year the Britons gained a famous victory over the Saxons at Mount Badon, near Bath, Somersetshire (493 or 516). The biographies of Gildas exist — one written… […]

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January 30 – Cured in body and in soul

January 28, 2016

St. Hyacintha Mariscotti A religious of the Third Order of St. Francis and foundress of the Sacconi; born 1585 of a noble family at Vignanello, near Viterbo in Italy; died 30 January, 1640, at Viterbo; feast, 30 January; in Rome, 6 February (Diarium Romanum). Her parents were Marc’ Antonio Mariscotti (Marius Scotus) and Ottavia Orsini. […]

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January 30 – St. Martina

January 28, 2016

St. Martina Statue of St. Martina at the Basilica of St. Martina in Martina Franca, Italy. Roman virgin, martyred in 226, according to some authorities, more probably in 228, under the pontificate of Pope Urban I, according to others. The daughter of an ex-consul and left an orphan at an early age, she so openly […]

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January 31 – St. John Bosco Meets His First Noble Patroness

January 28, 2016

Juliette Colbert, a native of Vendée, had married Marquis Tancredi Falletti of Barolo, and of her it could be said, even as we read of Tabitha in the Acts of the Apostles: “This woman had devoted herself to good works and acts of charity… Read more here.

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January 31 – The Glory of the Ladies

January 28, 2016

St. Marcella (325–410)  She was a Christian ascetic in ancient Rome. Growing up in Rome, she was influenced by her pious mother, Albina, an educated woman of wealth and benevolence. Childhood memories centered around piety, and one in particular related to Athanasius, who lodged in her home during one of his many exiles. He may […]

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February 1 – She and Saint Patrick were “one heart and one mind”

January 28, 2016

Saint Brigid of Ireland Born in 451 or 452 of princely ancestors at Faughart, near Dundalk, County Louth; d. 1 February, 525, at Kildare. Refusing many good offers of marriage, she became a nun and received the veil from St. Macaille. With seven other virgins she settled for a time at the foot of Croghan […]

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February 1 – Immediately after his martyrdom, they lined up to venerate his relics

January 28, 2016

St. Henry Morse Martyr; born in 1595 in Norfolk; died at Tyburn, 1 Feb., 1644. He was received into the church at Douai, 5 June, 1614, after various journeys was ordained at Rome, and left for the mission, 19 June, 1624. He was admitted to the Society of Jesus at Heaton; there he was arrested […]

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