Our Lady of Mount Carmel
The feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, linked to the very unusual history of the Carmelite Order, is one of the dearest to Christian piety. Considering the wealth of biblical and mystical references attached to it, one could also say that it manifests in a special way the beauty of God's saving plan.
Saint Bonaventure
“No one can attain bliss unless he transcends himself, not with the body, but with the spirit. But we cannot rise by ourselves except through a higher virtue. Whatever the inner dispositions, these have no power without the help of Divine Grace. But this is granted only to those who ask for it [...] with fervent prayer. Prayer is the beginning and the source of our elevation”. So wrote saint Bonaventure of Bagnoregio (c. 1217-1274) in one of his masterpieces.
Saint Camillus de Lellis
On May 25, 1550, seventy-eight days after the death in Spain of the Portuguese Saint John of God (1495-1550), Saint Camillus de Lellis (1550-1614) was born in Bucchianico, a small town in Abruzzo....
Saint Henry II
mperor of the Holy Roman Empire and king of Italy, Saint Henry II (c. 973-1024) was a great political actor of his time. Together with his wife, Saint Cunigunde (c. 978-1039), he promoted the building of churches and monasteries and contributed to the renewal of the Church.
Saints Nabor and Felix
Saints Nabor and Felix (†303) were two Berber soldiers who embraced the Christian faith after their arrival in Italy and suffered martyrdom under Diocletian. Saint Ambrose (340-397) extolled their virtues in the hymn Victor, Nabor, Felix pii, also dedicated to Saint Victor, their comrade-in-arms commemorated on 8 May.
Saint Benedict of Nursia
The search for God as man's first goal and the Benedictine monasteries that have sprung up in every corner of Europe bear witness to the greatness of the work of Saint Benedict (480-547), who with his life glorified the Creator and made a fundamental contribution to the formation of European civilization.
Saints Rufina and Secunda
Saints Rufina and Secunda (†257) were two sisters, both betrothed, who put God first and suffered martyrdom during Valerian's persecutions. Their names are mentioned in several ancient documents...
Holy Chinese Martyrs
The liturgical calendar commemorates today the heroic testimony of a large number of martyrs who made themselves imitators of Christ crucified in order to guard their greatest gift, faith, by shedding the blood with which the Chinese Church was built.
Saints Aquila and Priscilla
They are among the first great examples of Christian spouses, persevering in faith and united in joy and adversity. Saints Aquila and Priscilla (diminutive of Prisca) are known for their work in the nascent Church and the great help given to Saint Paul, who in his Letter to the Romans left us a beautiful eulogy of the couple...
Saint Pantaenus
Saint Pantaenus († c. 200), an important apologist and missionary of the 2nd century, originally from Sicily, was trained in the school of the Stoic philosophers and as an adult had experienced a radical conversion to Christianity.
Saint Maria Goretti
The heroic life of Saint Maria Goretti (1890-1902) is like an anthology of virtues, full of teachings now forgotten by the world and even mocked. “The sweet little martyr of purity” (as Pius XII called her when he canonized her) preferred earthly death rather than sin with the one who became her executioner.
Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria
“It is the nature of great hearts to put themselves at the service of others without reward and to fight not for pay”, said the founder of the Barnabites, Saint Anthony Mary Zaccaria (1502-1539), one of the protagonists of the Catholic Reformation.
