In the fourth century in the Isles of Britain, Constantine the Great was crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire.

When Constantine then marched on Rome with his army, he had a vision of a cross of stars in the mid-day…

St. John Chrysostom (ca. 347-407) was a famous and controversial fourth century bishop. He studied law as a young man, but then went off to the mountains for some years and lived an ascetic life; after this he became a…

Born in Aquilar del Campo, in Old Castile, Spain, Apollinaris was educated in law at Salamanca. Apollinaris entered the Franciscan Order and was sent to Japan in 1614 as a missionary, though practicing Christianity there was considered a capital offense.

He…

Nicholas was born in 1245 in Sant’Angelo in the diocese of Fermo. He was named after St. Nicholas of Myra, at whose shrine his parents prayed to have a child. Impressed by the piety of the young man, the Bishop…

St. Peter Claver was born about 1580 in Verdu, Catalonia, Spain. He studied at the University of Barcelona, and entered the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) when he was only twenty years old. In 1610 Peter left Spain and went…

The Feast of September 8 originated in Jerusalem. In the 7th century, in the Byzantine Rite and at Rome, the Birth of the Blessed Virgin was celebrated this day. Mary is believed to have been born approximately 20 B.C. Her…

Cardinal Justin F. Rigali, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Bishop William E. Lori, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Doctrine, have issued the following statement:

In the course of a “Meet the Press” interview on…

Giuseppe Sarto (1835-1914), the future Pope Pius X, was one of the greatest religious figures of the early twentieth century. He was born near Venice, the second of ten children in a very poor family. Giuseppe was educated at the…

St. Bernard (1090-1153) was an important medieval theologian and a major figure in the Cistercian Order of monks. He was one of six very gifted sons of a French nobleman.

After some hesitation, Bernard joined the Cistercian Order in 1111, persuading…

The French priest St. John Eudes (1601-1680) founded two religious orders and encouraged devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He joined the Oratorians and was ordained a priest at the age of twenty-four.

During several plagues in Normandy, he devoted…