Bride of the Eternal One
An Extraordinary Woman Seventy–four years ago today, on August 9, 1942, the Carmelite Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, known in the world as Dr. Edith...
Saint Alfonso Maria de Liguori
It is no secret, to my friends at least, that I am immensely fond of Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, and I would like to...
When God shall be all our love
Today, 23rd July, is the onomastico (name day) of Brother Cassian Maria. Dear Brother Cassian, today is your first nameday under the patronage of our...
Castitatem amare
It is fitting on this feast of Saint Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr, to offer some random thoughts on chastity, the joyful virtue. Chastity leads...
The Joy of Innocence
Sexual Exploitation, Then and Now The young Italian prince Luigi Gonzaga preserved his innocence in a milieu where boys were often the victims of sexual...
Innocens manibus, et mundo corde
A Saint for Schoolboys When I was growing up, Catholic schoolboys were given a choice of two patron saints: Dominic Savio and Luigi (more often...
Heroic confidence in the midst of impossibilities
June 17th was the dies natalis of Marie-Adèle Garnier, Mother Mary of St. Peter, Foundress of the Adorers of the Sacred Heart of Jesus of...
Pope Benedict XVI on Saint Basil the Great
A Luminary of the Church Dear Brothers and Sisters, let us remember today one of the great Fathers of the Church, St Basil, described by...
Happy 108th Birthday, Francisco!
“How beautiful God is, how beautiful! But He is sad because of the sins of men. I want to console Him, I want to suffer...
Priests: Ministers of the Sun
On this feast of Saint Catherine of Siena, here is a particularly poignant passage from The Dialogue. The image is Giovanni da Paola’s Saint Catherine...
The Body of the Priest and the Body of Christ
In the following passage from The Dialogue of Saint Catherine of Siena with the Eternal Father, God the Father addresses the clergy wallowing in sin....
Catherine in My Life
Images Today’s feast of Saint Catherine brings to mind how she has moved about in my life at various times. Having grown up in a...
I Will Never Be Able to Thank Enough
A Little Soul Blessed Maria Gabriella was “a little soul.” She has affinities with Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus and of the Holy Face,...
Mio Dio, la tua gloria!
Ut Unum Sint Although the Roman Martyrology notes the day of her death on April 23, 1939, the Cistercian and Trappist calendars commemorate Blessed Maria...
Saint Juliana of Mont Cornillon
In celebration of the feast of Saint Juliana of Mont Cornillon, it is fitting to re–read Pope Benedict’s discourse (General Audience of Wednesday, 17th November...
The Trust I Have In Your Mercy
On the occasion of the visit of the relics of Saint Claude La Colombière to Ireland in 2006, Father Bernard McGuckian, S.J. prepared some remarkable...
Saint Francesca of Rome
This painting, attributed to Antonio da Viterbo the Elder (1450-1516), depicts Saint Francesca being clothed by the Blessed Virgin in the great white veil that,...
An Act of Hope and Confidence in God
February 15th is the liturgical memorial of Saint Claude La Colombière, Priest, S.J. My God, I believe most firmly that Thou watchest over all who...
Martyrs Close to Home
The photograph shows statues of the martyrs Blessed Margaret Ball and Blessed Francis Taylor at Saint Mary’s Pro-Cathedral in Dublin. We keep their feast today....
Blessed Columba Marmion: In Die Natalis
Several years ago, on a visit to the Irish College in Rome where the ever gracious Father Bernard Healy, then a student there, I was...