Saints of the Day & More

His parents, who practiced Christianity in secret, he was baptized and taught religion. His father, a Roman proconsul, was killed when Demetrio was an adult. Emperor Maximian (IV) appointed governor and military Demetrio all Thessaloniki. The main function of San Demetrio was to defend the province of the enemy, forcing the Emperor to exterminate the Christians also. Demetrius instead of this began to eliminate pagan customs and converted pagans to Christianity. Soon reached the ears of the emperor who was the deputy Demetrius Christian and knowing Demetrius, was prepared for death, divided his possessions to the poor, making a life of fasting and penance. The Emperor detained the deputy and began to be distracted by scenes of gladiators and circuses, where he had to sand the Christians. The gladiator known Liac easily dominated the submissive Christians in the struggle and to the jubilant crowd threw them on the spears of the warriors. The young Christian St. Nestor, St. Demetrius vis...

Pope St. Pius V established this feast in 1573. The purpose was to thank God for the victory of Christians over the Turks at Lepanto—a victory attributed to the praying of the rosary. Clement XI extended the feast to the universal Church in 1716. The development of the rosary has a long history. First, a practice developed of praying 150 Our Fathers in imitation of the 150 Psalms. Then there was a parallel practice of praying 150 Hail Marys. Soon a mystery of Jesus' life was attached to each Hail Mary. Though Mary's giving the rosary to St. Dominic is recognized as a legend, the development of this prayer form owes much to the followers of St. Dominic. One of them, Alan de la Roche, was known as "the apostle of the rosary." He founded the first Confraternity of the Rosary in the 15th century. In the 16th century the rosary was developed to its present form—with the 15 mysteries (joyful, sorrowful and glorious). In 2002, Pope John Paul II added the Mysteries of Light t...

Bruno means " sharp as a shield or metallic armor " (Brunner , German 's armor) . This saint was famous for having founded the religious community more austere and penitent, the Carthusian monks who live in perpetual silence , never eat meat or drink alcohol . Born in Cologne, Germany, in 1030 . From a young age he demonstrated great intellectual qualities , and very special skills to lead others spiritually . And at 27 years was spiritual director of many important people. One of his target was the future Pope Urban II. Ordained a priest he was professor of theology for 18 years in Reims, and Chancellor of the Archbishop , but he died , an unworthy man named Manasseh , had himself elected archbishop of that city, and to their behavior as immoral , Bruno accused him before a meeting of bishops and the Pope dismissed Manasseh. He was offered the post of Archbishop to our saint, but he did not want to accept, because it was thought unworthy of high office. The dismissed in ...

Sister Faustina was born in 1905 in the village of Glogowiec , near Lodz, as the third of ten children in the Kowalski family . From childhood she was distinguished by the love of prayer , hard work , obedience and sensitivity to human poverty. Her schooling lasted only three years. At the age of 16 left home to work as a maid in the homes of wealthy families. At 20 he entered the Congregation of the Sisters of Mother of God of Mercy , where as Sister Maria Faustina lived 13 years performing the duties of cook, gardener and porter. His life was apparently insignificant, monotonous and dull , was characterized by the extraordinary depth of his union with God. From her childhood she wanted to be a great saint and , therefore, walked towards this goal, working together with Jesus in the work of saving lost souls, to offer as a sacrifice for sinners. The years of monastic life were marked , then, by the stigma of suffering and the extraordinary mystical graces . The mission of Sister Faust...

Saint Francis is called the little poor man of Assisi. He was born in the year 1182 in the town of Assisi in Italy. His father's name was Bernadone. Bernadone was a very wealthy merchant of Assisi. Francis was a very good-looking boy. He was merry and soft-hearted. So he had many friends. All the noble men's sons were his companions. Francis was brought up in luxury and gaiety. He spent a considerable portion of his wealth in extravagant pleasures. He used to drink with the young princes of the land. One day Francis was joking and laughing with his friends. A beggar came along crying for alms. Francis, who was soft-hearted, gave whatever he had in his pocket to the beggar. His companions mocked at him for his charitable act. Dispassion dawned in his heart. The sight of the beggar set him thinking about the poverty and misery of mundane life. He gave much money to the poor. His father thought that Francis was wasting his money and rebuked him. Sometime after this, Francis was la...

The two priests were companions, both natives of Northumbria, England. According to the example of many at that time, they spent several years as students in the schools of Ireland. Ewald the Black was the more learned of the two, but both were equally renowned for holiness of life. They were apparently acquainted with St. Willibrord, the Apostle of Friesland, and were animated with his zeal for the conversion of the Germans. Some sources number them among the eleven companions of that saint. More probably, however, they set out from England after St. Willibrord's departure, in an attempt to convert their own cousins in Old Saxony. They entered upon their mission about 690. The scene of their labours was the country of the ancient Saxons, now part of Westphalia, and covered by the dioceses of Münster, Osnabrück, and Paderborn. At first the Ewalds took up their abode in the house of the steward of a certain Saxon earl or ealdorman (satrapa). Bede remarks that "the old Saxons ha...

We celebrate the Seven Holy Archangels and Guardian Angels . Let us know who they are, what we teach and how we relate to them . Angels are messengers of God. Specifically, the guardian angels are in charge of taking care here on Earth . A little history Who are the angels? What is your mission? Angels are spiritual beings created by God for a free choice of his divine will. They are immortal beings, endowed with intelligence and will. Because of its spiritual nature, angels can not be seen or collected by the senses. In some very special occasions, with the intervention of God , have been heard and seen physically . The reaction of people to see or hear has been in awe and respect. For example , the prophet Daniel and Zechariah. In the fourth century religious art represented angels or human figure shaped . In the V century wings were added as a symbol of their readiness to do God's will and move from one place to another without the slightest difficulty. In the Bible we find some...