Saints of the Day & More

Around the year 320 in Constantinople by the Empress Helena found the True Cross , the cross that killed Jesus Christ, The Empress and her son Constantine were built on the site of the discovery of the Holy Sepulchre Basilica , which kept the relic. Years later, King Chosroes II of Persia, in 614 invaded and conquered Jerusalem and carried the cross , putting it under the feet of his throne as a sign of his contempt for Christianity. But in 628 the emperor Heraclius managed to beat him and recovered the Cross and took her back to Jerusalem on 14 September that year. This ceremony was performed in which the cross was taken in person by the emperor through the city. Since then, the day was noted in the liturgical calendars as that of the Exaltation of the True Cross. Christianity is a message of love . Why then exalt the Cross? In addition, the Resurrection , rather than the Cross, gives meaning to our lives. But that is the Cross , the scandal of the Cross , St. Paul. We would not have ...

A native of Pisa, she is reported as having experienced visions from an early age. On one occasion, the figure on the crucifix at the Holy Sepulchre church held out his hand to her. At another church, she saw a vision of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and three saints, including James the Greater. She was frightened by the light around these figures, and ran away. James pursued her, and led her back to the image of Jesus. Bona observed a very pronounced devotion to James for the rest of her life. By the age of ten, she had dedicated herself as an Augustinian tertiary. She regularly fasted from an early age, taking only bread and water three days a week. Four years later, she made the first of her many journeys, going to see her father who was fighting in the Crusades near Jerusalem. On her trip home, she was captured by Muslim pirates on the Mediterranean Sea, wounded, and subsequently imprisoned. Remains of Santa Bona, in Church of San Martino, PisaShe was later rescued by some of her countr...

Paul, called Saul on the use and rigorous Jewish vehemently asserted that the gospel he preached had not learned or received from men. He belonged to the caste of the Pharisees. He was born in Tarsus, a city that belonged to the Greco-Roman world, who was born there was the Roman citizen status was less so when the centurion, the prosecutor, the magistrate or tribune. Necessarily, being Jewish does not fit him better luck in childhood hiding his condition to walk among the rest of the people, hiding their belief as superstition held by the heathen Romans. This may be going on inside him and he affirmed his faith even when he grew older and had to defend himself going against the tide. Was rather low, with broad shoulders and somewhat lame. Strong and solid as a log. A grin that had made him a fan. He knew the old manuscripts written with signs that the Greeks and Romans seemed unintelligible scrawl, but they contained all the wisdom and rationale of a people. Usually as a scholar in Gr...

Stephen was born in the 1st Century in Jerusalem. Stephen is the very First Martyr in the Catholic Church, this is why he is referred to as a ProtoMartyr. Stephen's story is in Acts 6:5-15 and Acts 7:55-60. Stephen was chosen by the The Twelve (Peter, Andrew, John, James, James,Phillip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, Thaddeus, Simon and Barnabas.)to be another follower and proclaim the " good news " that was Christ. Since Peter was made the Bishop and later Pope by Christ, he and the Twelve decided to make St. Stephen a Deacon. Stephen is usually depicted in the Deacon's Dalmatic also with the stones at his head and with the Palm of the Martyr(as we see above). Later on in the Acts of the Apostles it mentions where St. Stephen had traveled to Acts 11:19-20. While they killed Stephen a young man named Saul of Tarsus who had approved of the killing later proclaimed a mass persicution of any Christians. To this many went into hiding but many were killed such as Stephen. T...

Born at Kenty, near Oswiecim, Diocese of Krakow, Poland, 1412 died at Krakow, 1473, and was buried there under the church of St. Anne; his feast is on 20 October. He was the son of Stanislaus and Anne who were pious country people; he received his primary education at his native town, and then being sent by his parents to the Academy of Krakow, he soon impressed his professors and colleagues with his pleasant and amiable disposition; always happy, but serious, humble, and godly, he won the hearts of all who came in contact with him. Having made excellent progress in the study of philosophical and theological sciences, he was graduated first as bachelor, then as master and doctor, was ordained priest and then appointed professor of theology at the Academy of Krakow, from where he was sent, after a short time, by his superiors to Olkusz, Diocese of Krakow, to be parish priest. Being afraid of the great responsibility of parish work, he very soon left the parish, and was again appointed p...