Saint Stephen of Hungary
The first Hungarian king was a pivotal player in the Christianization of the Magyar country. He encouraged the establishment of Christianity with various laws and availed himself of the help of the Cluniac monks for the evangelization of the country
Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
On 1 November 1950, Pius XII solemnly defined the dogma of the Assumption of Mary: “We pronounce, declare, and define it to be a divinely revealed dogma: that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory”
Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe
The “martyr of love” reminded the world, in the midst of the destruction of mankind in the Nazi concentration camps, of all the fruitfulness and power of faith, sacrificing himself to save a family man
Saints Pontian and Hippolytus
Before being deported together to Sardinia, at the beginning of the persecution of Maximinus the Thracian, the holy martyrs Pontian and Hippolytus (†235) had found themselves on opposite sides. Pontian was in fact the legitimate Pope, while Hippolytus was an anti-pope
Saint Jane Frances de Chantal
The name of St. Jane Frances de Chantal (1572-1641) is linked to that of St. Francis de Sales (1567-1622) for the spiritual bond that was established between these two blessed souls, who co-founded the Order of the Visitation
Saint Clare of Assisi
Before following the example of St. Francis and continuing his work by founding the Poor Clares, a female branch of his order, Saint Clare of Assisi (c. 1193-1253) had been able to ask in prayer and meditate in her heart about what God was calling her to do
Saint Lawrence
The figure of Saint Lawrence (†258), deacon and martyr, has over the centuries been a source of inspiration for artists and poets, from Titian to Giovanni Pascoli, and an object of great devotion among the faithful.
Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein)
The life of this brilliant philosopher, for a long time atheist, then in love with God and victim of the Shoah, never ceases to fascinate. The existential pilgrimage of Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, born Edith Stein (1891-1942), proclaimed co-patroness of Europe by John Paul II, contains much of the dramatic history of the 20th century
Saint Dominic
Saint Dominic of Guzmán (1170-1221) - founder of the Order of Friars Preachers, commonly known as Dominicans - was born into a wealthy family in a small village in Old Castile. St. Dominic taught his friars that “our study must primarily, with ardour, with every energy, aim to make us useful to our brothers”, with the aim of saving souls
Saint Cajetan of Thiene
Saint Cajetan of Thiene (1480-1547), founder of the Theatines, is among the most luminous figures of the Catholic Reformation. He is called “the saint of Providence” because of the immense trust he had in the good Lord, from whom he drew the strength for many works of charity in favour of the sick and the needy
Transfiguration of the Lord
Introducing the Mysteries of Light in the recitation of the Rosary, Saint John Paul II wrote that the Gospel scene of the Transfiguration of Our Lord can be taken as an “icon of Christian contemplation”. And our goal, as it was for the apostles, annihilated and ecstatic before the divine majesty, is “to fix our eyes on the face of Christ”.
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.
