Lives of Saints 
Stories and biographies of the Saints and Blessed.
Church celebrates feast of St. Nicholas, the ‘original’ Santa Claus
CNA STAFF, Dec 6, 2009 / 04:47 am (CNA).- Today, December 6, the faithful commemorate a Turkish bishop in the early church who was known for generosity and love of children. Born in Lycia in Asia Minor around the late third or fourth century, St. Nicholas of Myra is more than just the inspiration for… Read More ›
William of St. Thierry: The Nature and the Dignity of Love
Vatican City, Dec 2, 2009 / 11:42 am (CNA). Pope Benedict XVI delved into the life and teachings of William of St. Thierry, a Cistercian monk who wrote extensively about the nature of love. William of St. Thierry was a friend of Bernard of Clairvaux and helped reform monasticism in the 12th century. He also… Read More ›
St. Peter the Venerable: Model for Christians in a Frenetic World
Vatican City, Oct 14, 2009 / 10:34 am (CNA).- Pope Benedict XVI focused … on the twelfth-century Abbot of Cluny Peter the Venerable who “constituted the ideal of a monk, but also of every Christian who wants to become a true disciple of Christ” in today’s fast-paced world. Born in 1094 in Auvergne, France, Peter… Read More ›
The Custom of Veneration of Relics
It’s funny to me how a culture that is filled with autograph hounds and those who clamor to be around those glittered with “star dust” can consider the Catholic veneration of relics as a joke. A lovely dish is just a lovely dish, but one owned by your great-grandmother is a treasure. Some stranger’s pocketwatch… Read More ›
St. Anselm Raises the Mind to the Contemplation of God
Vatican City, Sep 23, 2009 / 10:50 am (CNA).- Pope Benedict XVI . . . called on all Christians to imitate (Benedictine) St. Anselm of Canterbury’s example of love for the truth and constant thirst for God. This year, Benedict XVI recounted, marks eleven centuries since the death of Anselm. Known also as Anselm of… Read More ›
What Mighty Opponents Oppose Us
Once, when about to eat, having risen up to pray about the ninth hour, Antony perceived that he was caught up in the spirit, and, he stood and saw himself, as it were, from outside himself, and that he was led in the air by certain ones. Next certain bitter and terrible beings stood in… Read More ›
St. Odo an Example of Joy Amid a Society of Vice
Vatican City, Sep 2, 2009 / 11:16 am (CNA).- Although society was filled with an “immensity of vices” during his time, St. Odo was able to encourage the faithful to live the faith with joy, Pope Benedict said at the general audience today as he continued his series of teachings on the medieval saints. Focusing… Read More ›
Abandonment Is an Awful Poverty
One day I visited a house where our sisters shelter the aged. This is one of the nicest houses in England, filled with beautiful and precious things, yet there was not one smile on the faces of these people. All of them were looking toward the door. I asked the sister in charge, “Why are they… Read More ›
Feast of St. Bernard of Clairvaux
CNA STAFF, Aug 16, 2009 / 12:15 pm (CNA).- This week the Church is preparing to celebrate the feast day of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, a Doctor of the Church thanks to his writings and sermons which greatly influenced Europe during the 12th century, and his efforts which helped to avoid a schism in the… Read More ›
St. Dominic & the Rosary
Dominic Guzman was born in 1170 in Calaroga, Castile (Spain) in an age of change. The sons of Mohammed had swept across the Mediterranean, turning Christian temples into Moorish mosques, leaving many regions of Spain under the Moorish yoke. At the age of 14, Dominic went to the University of Palencia and graduated with a… Read More ›