Newman on Friendship and Love
It seems to me that this sermon, preached on the feast of Saint John the Apostle, sheds some light on the way the Venerable Servant...
Saint Colette of Corbie, Reforming Abbess
My beloved Poor Ladies at Bethlehem Monastery in Barhamsville, Virginia gently chided me for forgetting that today is indeed the solemn festival of Saint Colette,...
7 February, Blessed Pius IX
“In human affairs we must be content to do the best we can and then abandon ourselves to Providence, which will heal our human faults...
Eight Days Would Be Enough
The Saints in Our Lives The saints come into our lives, each one with a particular mission. We do not choose the saints to whom...
In Festo S. Agathae, Virginis et Martyris
I would ask all my readers to join me today in praying for a very bright, engaging young woman who has been in poor health...
Marcella: The Glory of the Ladies of Rome
Today is not only the feast of Saint John Bosco, the gentle spiritual father of countless children and young people, it is also the feast...
Saint Joseph, Advocate and Defender
A Priest’s Prayer to Saint Joseph Saint Joseph, I take you this day as my advocate and defender, my counselor and my friend. Open your...
Ite ad Joseph
Some years ago I received the inspiration for these prayers to Saint Joseph. It was at a time of darkness and discouragement for many priests....
He Who Has an Ear, Let Him Hear
New York Again Yesterday I returned to the Italian Consulate in New York City to pick up my visa. The magnificent Church of Saint Jean–Baptiste...
The Gospel of the Father
I like this painting by the Dominican Fra Bartolomeo (1473–1517), a disciple of Savonarola, because it shows our Holy Father Saint Bernard together with Saint...
Drink to the Love of Saint John!
BLESSING OF WINE ON THE FEAST OF SAINT JOHN, APOSTLE AND EVANGELIST On the Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist, at the end of...
Quod vidimus et audivimus, annuntiamus vobis
This Saint John the Evangelist was painted by Francesco Furini sometime in the 1630s. Today it hangs in the Musée des Beaux–Arts of Lyon. December...
Et nox sicut dies illuminabitur
Soeur Bénédicte’s Closet When, on the occasion of her twenty-fifth anniversary of profession, Sister Bénédicte–Marie de la Croix asked to make her retreat with us,...
Our Lady’s Hermit
“Hear and let it penetrate into your heart, my dear little son: let nothing discourage you, nothing depress you: let nothing alter your heart or...
4 December, Saint Barbara, Virgin and Martyr
I am mindful today of the dear friends named Barbara whom God has sent into my life. According to tradition, Saint Barbara was confined to...
Recommended Reading
I have never made a secret of it: Blessed Abbot Marmion has been for me a spiritual master, a father, and a friend from the...
Les belles amitiés: Thérèse et Théophane
Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face (1873–1897) Saint Théophane Vénard (1829–1861) It is true that the Lord chooses the little...
Mother Clelia Merloni
Today is the anniversary of the death of Mother Clelia Merloni (1861–1930), the foundress of the Apostles of the Sacred Heart. Mother Clelia’s life was...
My Elizabethan Friend
I happen to have a friend who — quite apart from the fact that she is of Hungarian descent — reminds me of Saint Elizabeth...
A Passion for Holiness
Laus Crucis introduces us to yet another holy young Passionist: Blessed Pio (Campidelli) of Saint Aloysius. In many ways, Blessed Pio reminds me of Blessed...