Dedication of the Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore
The Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, one of the four papal basilicas of Rome, is so called to indicate its pre-eminence over all the other churches in the world named after the Blessed Virgin. Its name is linked to the centuries-old cult of Our Lady of the Snow.
Saint John Mary Vianney
The first loves of Saint John Mary Vianney (1786-1859), known as the Curé d'Ars, were the Blessed Sacrament and Our Lady. “The Priesthood is the love of Jesus' heart”, the saint said, proclaimed by Pius XI in 1929 patron saint of all parish priests.
Saint Aspren of Naples
Naples boasts the Basilica of Saint Peter in Aram, which according to tradition was founded on the place where St. Peter baptized St. Aspren (1st-2nd century), the first bishop of Naples.
Saint Eusebius of Vercelli
While Constantius II used every means to impose Aryan heresy throughout the Roman Empire, Saint Eusebius of Vercelli (end of the 3rd century - 371) was one of the few bishops to defend strenuously, at the cost of persecution, the righteous faith in the Son of God “begotten, not created, of the same substance as the Father”, as had been solemnly confirmed by the Nicene Creed.
Saint Alphonsus Maria de’ Liguori
A distinguished moral theologian, composer of famous melodies in Neapolitan and Italian (including the Christmas carol “Tu scendi dalle stelle”), able to speak of the truths of faith to both learned and simple people, author of over a hundred works, some of which have been translated into more than 70 languages.
Saint Ignatius of Loyola
Before choosing holiness and consecrating his life to the greater glory of God, Saint Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) had had a rather turbulent youth. The great protagonist of the Catholic Reformation was the last of 13 children of a couple of the high Spanish nobility, who had baptized him with the name of Iñigo.
Saint Peter Chrysologus
The nickname of Chrysologus, Greek term for “golden word”, was deserved for the eloquence with which he set out the truths of faith. Allegedly it was given to him by the Empress Galla Placidia (daughter of Theodosius I, one of the three emperors who had jointly issued the Edict of Thessalonica), a fervent Christian and central figure in the history of the 5th century....
Saint Martha of Bethany
Bethany is two to three kilometres from Jerusalem and is known because Jesus passed through there several times during His public life. It was the village of Lazarus (hence the name given to it by the Arabs, al-Azariya, which means “of Lazarus”) and of his two sisters Mary and Martha.
Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception
“I feel that the Lord has destined me to be an oblation, a sacrifice of suffering... I consider the day I have not suffered a lost day for me,” said Saint Alphonsa of the Immaculate Conception (1910-1946), a native of a village in the state of Kerala, India.
Saint Pantaleon
Saint Pantaleon is one of the most famous figures to have witnessed to his faith in Christ with his martyrdom during the Great Persecution (303-305). He is the patron saint of midwives and co-patron of doctors together with the famous Cosmas and Damian.
Saints Anne and Joachim
Today the Church jointly celebrates Saints Anne and Joachim, parents of the Virgin Mary and therefore elected instruments in God's plan of salvation. Their story is not told in the canonical Gospels, but appears for the first time in the apocryphal Proto Gospel of James, a text written in the middle of the second century and with Gnostic accents.
Saint James the Greater
Saint James, called the Greater to distinguish him from the apostle of the same name (James, son of Alphaeus), was the first of the Twelve to bear witness to Christ through martyrdom. Son of Zebedee and Salome, one of the pious women who followed Our Lord on Calvary, he was the brother of St. John the Evangelist.
