February 7 – This Saintly King Is Father To Three More Saints

February 7, 2013

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 Warburga, […]

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February 8 – Saint John of Matha, a strong and mighty Angel

February 7, 2013

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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February 8 – Mary Queen of Scots

February 7, 2013

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 9 – Banished From the Court

February 7, 2013

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 form, and paid for it with his life

February 7, 2013

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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Priest rebukes King publicly during Holy Week ceremony

February 4, 2013

Jesuit Father Gouthier preached to the Court at Saint-Gervais during the Holy Week ceremonies, but became upset with the ladies’ behavior, seeing them giggling and sending frequent signals to the king so as to provoke him to laughter as well. Indignant, he raised his voice from the pulpit and said: —    “Your Majesty, when will […]

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Grand Duchess a patroness of new Notre Dame bell – Luxemburger Wort

February 4, 2013

According to the Luxemburger Wort: [Luxembourg] Grand Duchess Maria Teresa will act as patroness at the consecration of Notre Dame Cathedral’s new bells in Paris on Saturday. Nine new bells will be blessed by [the] Archbishop of Paris, at the French capital’s cathedral to mark its 850th anniversary, with Luxembourg’s Grand Duchess assisting the blessing […]

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Cornish town remembers its little princess – Western Morning News

February 4, 2013

According to the Western Morning News: An intriguing chapter linking the last emperor of a 3,000-year-old African dynasty and a West Cornwall town has come to a close with the death of Ethiopian princess, Aida Desta. Aida Desta was the… direct descendant of King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba…. His granddaughter, who died in […]

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Pius XII: Allocution of January 11, 1951

February 4, 2013

With all Our heart We extend Our paternal greeting to the members of the Roman Patriciate and Nobility who, true to an ancient tradition, have gathered around Us at the dawn of the New Year to offer Us their fervent best wishes, as expressed with filial devotion by their illustrious and eloquent representative. One after […]

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February 4 – St. Jeanne de Valois

February 4, 2013

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 4, 2013

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 5 – St. Agatha

February 4, 2013

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 – St. Adelaide of Cologne

February 4, 2013

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 5 – He put the Bible to verse and prose

February 4, 2013

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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Plans unveiled for anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s coronation, trip to Rome – ITV

January 31, 2013

According to ITV: The 60th anniversary of the Queen’s coronation is to be marked by a service of celebration at Westminster Abbey. The service is expected to be one of the major highlights of this year’s coronation celebrations along with a four-day festival in Buckingham Palace Gardens in July. Buckingham Palace said the service will […]

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Queen Beatrix to abdicate Dutch throne – National Post

January 31, 2013

According to the National Post: Dutch Queen Beatrix announced Monday that she will abdicate on April 30 after 33 years as head of state, clearing the way for her eldest son, Crown Prince Willem-Alexander, to become the nation’s first king in more than a century. “Responsibility for our country must now lie in the hands […]

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General of the Army Douglas MacArthur: “the symbol of the conscience of the American people”

January 31, 2013

[President Roosevelt] sent for me frequently and often asked my comments on his social programs, but almost never again on military affairs. One evening, during dinner, curiosity and perhaps some measure of pique prompted me to ask him, “Why is it, Mr. President, that you frequently inquire my opinion regarding social reforms under consideration, matters […]

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Pius XII: Allocution of January 9, 1958

January 31, 2013

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

January 31, 2013

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.” Indeed, she used her abundant wealth to help the working classes […]

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January 31 – The Glory of the Ladies

January 31, 2013

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 3 – The Stuff of Which Saints Are Made

January 31, 2013

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

January 31, 2013

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

January 28, 2013

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 family […]

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RIP Princess Aida Desta of Ethiopia

January 28, 2013

Princess Aida Desta died on January 15, 2013 in northern Virginia. She was the daughter of Ras Desta Damtew and Princess Tenagnework, granddaughter of Emperor Haile Selassie of Ethiopia. She was the wife of Leul Ras Mangasha Seyum, Prince of Tigray, son of Seyum Mangasha, and great-grandson of Emperor Yohannes IV.     The young […]

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Larochejacquelein is killed by the men whose lives he spared

January 28, 2013

While Turreau was thus devastating La Vendée, where were Larochejacquelein, Stofflet, and Charette? Had they forgotten their country and its cause—were they deaf to her cries of distress? Charette still fought in the depths of the Marais; Stofflet in the recesses of the Bocage; but Larochejacquelein, the young, the brave, the chivalrous, the peasants’ idol […]

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January 28 – Great in War and in Peace

January 28, 2013

Charlemagne (French for Charles the Great, Carolus Magnus, or Carlus Magnus; German Karl der Grosse). The name given by later generations to Charles, King of the Franks, first sovereign of the Christian Empire of the West; born 2 April, 742; died at Aachen, 28 January, 814. At the time of Charles’ birth, his father, Pepin […]

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January 28 – Angelic Doctor, Italian Count

January 28, 2013

St. Thomas Aquinas Philosopher, theologian, doctor of the Church (Angelicus Doctor), patron of Catholic universities, colleges, and schools. Born at Rocca Secca in the Kingdom of Naples, 1225 or 1227; died at Fossa Nuova, 7 March, 1274. I. LIFE The great outlines and all the important events of his life are known, but biographers differ […]

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Princess Sophie has twin boys!

January 24, 2013

The official website of the House of Hohenzollern announced that Princess Sophie, wife of the head of the Prussian Royal Family, Prince Georg Friedrich, gave birth to twin boys on Sunday, 20 January, 2013, in Bremen, Germany: “With great joy and gratitude the head of the house announced the birth of his sons Louis and […]

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BBC News – Royal succession: Rules from ‘bygone era’, says Clegg

January 24, 2013

According to BBC News: Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg told MPs: “The current rules of succession belong to a bygone era. They reflect old prejudices and old fears. Under current laws, dating back to the 1701 Act of Settlement, women are superseded by their brothers in succession even if they are the first born. The […]

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The Church Loves All the Classes and the Harmonious Inequality Among Them

January 24, 2013

Leo XIII teaches in his allocution to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility on January 24, 1903: The Roman Pontiffs have always taken care to equally protect and ameliorate the lot of the humble, and to support and augment the honor of the upper classes. For they carry on the mission of Jesus Christ, not only […]

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January 24 – Ironmonger Was His Alias

January 24, 2013

Blessed William Ireland (Alias Ironmonger.) Jesuit martyr, born in Lincolnshire, 1636; executed at Tyburn, 24 Jan. (not 3 Feb.), 1679; eldest son of William Ireland of Crofton Hall, Yorkshire, by Barbara, a daughter of Ralph Eure, of Washingborough, Lincolnshire (who is to be distinguished from the last Lord Eure) by his first wife. He was […]

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January 24 – Saintly and Aristocrat

January 24, 2013

St. Francis de Sales Bishop of Geneva, Doctor of the Universal Church; born at Thorens, in the Duchy of Savoy, 21 August, 1567; died at Lyons, 28 December, 1622. His father, François de Sales de Boisy, and his mother, Françoise de Sionnaz, belonged to old Savoyard aristocratic families. The future saint was the eldest of […]

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January 25 – St. Poppo

January 24, 2013

St. Poppo Abbot, born 977; died at Marchiennes, 25 January, 1048. He belonged to a noble family of Flanders; his parents were Tizekinus and Adalwif. About the year 1000 he made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land with two others of his countrymen. Soon after this he also went on a pilgrimage to Rome. He […]

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January 25 – Blessed Teresa Grillo Michel

January 24, 2013

BL. TERESA GRILLO MICHEL was born in Spinetta Marengo (Alessandria), Italy, on 25 September 1855. She was the fifth and last child of Giuseppe, the head physician at the Civil Hospital of Alessandria, and of Maria Antonietta Parvopassau, a descendent of an illustrious family of Alessandria. At Baptism she was given the name of Maddalena. […]

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January 26 – She was from one of the first families of Rome

January 24, 2013

St. Paula Born in Rome, 347; died at Bethlehem, 404. She belonged to one of the first families of Rome. Left a widow in 379 at the age of 32 she became, through the influence of St. Marcella and her group, the model of Christian widows. In 382 took place her decisive meeting with St. […]

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220 years ago today, this king was put to death – just for being a king

January 21, 2013

His Last Will and Testament The last Will and Testament of Louis XVI, King of France and Navarre, given on Christmas day, 1792. In the name of the Very holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. To-day, the 25th day of December, 1792, I, Louis XVI King of France, being for more than four months […]

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New royal succession law despite MP’s Kaiser warning – BBC News

January 21, 2013

According to BBC News: [T]he MP for Louth and Horncastle Sir Peter Tapsell has warned of the dangers of breaking with centuries of tradition. Speaking in the Commons, the Father of the House said: “But for our law of male primogeniture, the German Kaiser would have become King of England…” A quick check on the […]

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Bahrain police disperse anti-regime protest

January 21, 2013

According to AFP: Bahrain police on Friday fired tear gas to disperse Shiite protesters who took to the streets of the capital Manama chanting anti-regime slogans, witnesses said. The demonstration coincided with the final football game in the Gulf Cup of Nations being hosted in the Sunni-ruled kingdom. “Down (King) Hamad,” yelled protesters who attempted […]

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René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de la Salle, claims the Mississippi, its affluents, and the Great West for Louis XIV and France

January 21, 2013

And now they neared their journey’s end. On the sixth of April [1682] the river divided itself into three broad channels. La Salle followed that of the west, and Dautray that of the east, while Tonty took the middle passage. As he drifted down the turbid current, between the low and marshy shores, the brackish […]

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Pius XII: Allocution of January 14, 1948, to the Roman Patriciate and Nobility

January 21, 2013

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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January 22 – St. Vincent Mary Pallotti

January 21, 2013

St. Vincent Mary Pallotti The founder of the Pious Society of Missions (q. v.), born at Rome, 21 April, 1798; died there, 22 Jan., 1850. He lies buried in the church of San Salvatore in Onda. He was descended from the noble families of the Pallotti of Norcia and the De Rossi of Rome. His […]

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January 22 – Blessed Prince László Batthyány-Strattmann

January 21, 2013

Ladislaus Batthyány-Strattmann (1870-1931), a layman, doctor and father of a family. He was born on 28 October 1870 in Dunakiliti, Hungary, into an ancient noble family. He was the sixth of 10 brothers. In 1876 the family moved to Austria. When Ladislaus was 12 years old his mother died. He was already convinced at an […]

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January 22 – Patroness of abuse victims

January 21, 2013

Blessed Laura Vicuña Laura del Carmen Vicuña was born on April 5, 1891 in Santiago, Chile. She was the first daughter of the Vicuña Pino family. Her parents were José Domingo Vicuña, a soldier with aristocratic roots, and Mercedes Pino. Her father was in military service and her mother worked at home. At the very […]

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January 21 – A Child Shall Lead Them

January 21, 2013

St. Agnes of Rome Of all the virgin martyrs of Rome none was held in such high honour by the primitive church, since the fourth century, as St. Agnes. In the ancient Roman calendar of the feasts of the martyrs (Depositio Martyrum), incorporated into the collection of Furius Dionysius Philocalus, dating from 354 and often […]

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In Britain, royal heirs can marry a Muslim, but not a Catholic?

January 17, 2013

According to AFP: The law will…remove the ban on royal heirs marrying Roman Catholics… — there is no such prohibition on heirs marrying into Islam, Hinduism or other faiths. This presents potential problems when allied with the continuing ban on Catholics taking the throne, which is designed to protect the monarch’s position as head of […]

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German military praise for General Patton’s audacity

January 17, 2013

Patton…believed in a smashing blow on a narrower front with his power lined up more in depth. He often struck at the enemy’s strongest point and then fanned out behind their lines…. He preferred to risk heavy casualties over a relatively brief time. A war of attrition was alien to his nature and beliefs…. His […]

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Pius XII: Allocution of January 15, 1949

January 17, 2013

The Christmas holidays and the renewal of the year are for Christian families a joyous occasion for strengthening the bonds of affection and for manifesting love of one another with good wishes and mutual promise of prayers. We feel this joy today, as in accordance with ancient tradition you have come, beloved Sons and Daughters, […]

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January 17 – She Opposed Her Father the Count

January 17, 2013

St. Roseline of Villeneuve (or Rossolina.) Born at Château of Arcs in eastern Provence, 1263; d. 17 January, 1329. Having overcome her father’s opposition Roseline became a Carthusian nun at Bertaud in the Alps of Dauphiné. Her “consecration” took place in 1288, and about 1330 she succeeded her aunt, Blessed Jeanne or Diane de Villeneuve, […]

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January 18 – St. Margaret of Hungary

January 17, 2013

 St. Margaret of Hungary Daughter of King Bela I of Hungary and his wife Marie Laskaris, born 1242; died 18 Jan., 1271. According to a vow which her parents made when Hungary was liberated from the Tatars that their next child should be dedicated to religion, Margaret, in 1245 entered the Dominican Convent of Veszprem. […]

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January 19 – Blessed Marcelo Rafael José María de los Dolores Hilario Spinola y Maestre, Archbishop of Seville

January 17, 2013

Blessed Marcelo Rafael José María de los Dolores Hilario Spinola y Maestre, Archbishop of Seville born: 14 January 1835. died 20 January 1906 Marcelo Spínola was born on the island of San Fernando, Cádiz Province. His parents were Juan Spínola y Osorno, Marquis of Spínola and Antonia Maestre y Osorno; they had eight children, of […]

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January 19 – Sts. Maris, Martha, Audifax, and Abachum

January 17, 2013

Sts. Maris, Martha, Audifax, and Abachum All martyred at Rome in 270. Maris and his wife Martha, who belonged to the Persian nobility, came to Rome with their children in the reign of Emperor Claudius II. As zealous Christians, they sympathized with and succoured the persecuted faithful, and buried the bodies of the slain. This […]

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January 19 – Saintly King

January 17, 2013

St. Canute IV Martyr and King of Denmark, date of birth uncertain; died 10 July 1086, the third of the thirteen natural sons of Sweyn II surnamed Estridsen. Elected king on the death of his brother Harold about 1080, he waged war on his barbarous enemies and brought Courland and Livonia to the faith. Having […]

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Pius XII: Allocution of January 14, 1945

January 14, 2013

Once again, beloved Sons and Daughters, amid the devastation, the mourning, the anxieties of every sort presently tormenting the human family, you have come to offer Us your devout best wishes, which your illustrious representative has presented Us with nobility of sentiment and delicacy of expression. We thank you for this with all Our heart, […]

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Wars come and go, but the wine tradition endures

January 14, 2013

After five years as a prisoner of war, Gaston Huet quickly became one of France’s greatest winemakers. He also became mayor of Vouvray, a post he held for forty-six years. At age ninety, he is still active.(1) He spends a great deal of time visiting oenological schools and speaking with aspiring winemakers. His advice: “Forget […]

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Romanée-Conti: symbol of tradition and nobility

January 14, 2013

We should not be surprised that a single bottle of Romanée-Conti sometimes sells for $10,000 and more, for the Domaine Romanée-Conti (aka DRC) is one of the oldest and finest vineyards of Burgundy, France, and its wines, a veritable symbol of tradition and nobility. In 1087—eight years before Blessed Urban II would call the nobility […]

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January 14 – Blessed Devasahayam Pillai

January 14, 2013

Blessed Devasahayam Pillai Devasahayam Pillai (named Neelakanda Pillai at birth) was born into an affluent Nair-caste family at Nattalam in the present-day Kanyakumari District, on 23 April 1712. His father Vasudevan Namboodiri, hailed from Kayamkulam, in present-day Kerala state, and was working as a priest at Sri Adi Kesava Perumal temple in Thiruvattar in present-day […]

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January 14 – Matriarch of Saints

January 14, 2013

St. Macrina the Elder Our knowledge of the life of the elder Macrina is derived mainly from the testimony of the great Cappadocian Fathers of the Church, her grandchildren: Basil (Ep. 204:7; 223:3), Gregory of Nyssa (“Vita Macrinae Junioris”), and the panegyric of St. Gregory of Nazianzus on St. Basil (Gregory Naz., Oratio 43). She […]

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January 15 – Most Glorious King Ceolwulp

January 14, 2013

King Ceolwulf (also CEOLWULPH or CEOLULPH) Coelwulf, King of Northumbria and monk of Lindisfarne, date and place of birth not known; died at Lindisfarne, 764. His ancestry is thus given by the “Anglo-Saxon Chronicle”: “Ceolwulf was the son of Cutha, Cutha of Cuthwin, Cuthwin of Leoldwald, Leoldwald of Egwald, Egwald of Aldhelm, Aldhelm of Ocga, […]

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January 15 – St. Maurus & St. Placidus

January 14, 2013

St. Maurus Deacon, son of Equitius, a nobleman of Rome, but claimed also by Fondi, Gallipoli, Lavello etc.; died 584. Feast, 15 Jan. He is represented as an abbot with crozier, or with book and censer, or holding the weights and measures of food and drink given him by his holy master. He is the […]

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January 12 – If you like stained glass, here’s the man to thank

January 10, 2013

St. Benedict Biscop An English monastic founder, born of a noble Anglo-Saxon family, c. 628; died 12 January 690. He spent his youth at the court of the Northumbrian King Oswy. When twenty-five years old, he made the first of his five pilgrimages to Rome. On his return to England, Benedict introduced, whenever he could, […]

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