St. Joseph is the Swiss army knife of saints. Over the centuries he has accumulated many duties as patron of various people and things: Canada, unborn children, fathers, travellers, immigrants, even real estate agents, and the Universal Church, to name…
St. Catherine of Siena is one of my favourite saints. She was born in 1347, in a world shaken by war, plague and deep division. Yet from this uncertain beginning came a woman whose life still speaks to us in…
St. Patrick, though the patron saint of Ireland, was born in Britain when the Roman rule of the land was coming to an end – around the end of the 4th century. At the age of 16 he was captured…
February 14. Is it the feast day of a saint? A throwback to pagan gods? A holiday for romance? A commercial opportunity for chocolate and candy makers, florists, card designers and fancy restaurants? And what about the little Valentine cards…
John Bosco (1815 – 1888), affectionately known as Don Bosco, was an Italian Catholic priest, educator and writer. He worked in Turin and ministered to people who were harshly affected by industrialization and urbanization. He dedicated himself to supporting street…
He was a frail young man, born in 1845 in St-Grégoire-d’Iberville, Quebec, who couldn’t read or write – an orphan by the age of 12. He tried various trades without much success, including in the United States, where many went…
I recently suffered from a nasty eye infection. I couldn’t see properly and suffered from acute photo sensitivity. This experience led me to a deeper appreciation of healthy vision. St Lucy, patron saint of eyesight, became a welcome prayer companion.…
What does it mean to be a saint? An appropriate question, don’t you think, for the solemnity of All Saints, celebrated by the Catholic Church this year on Nov. 1. If asked, most people would refer to the official saints,…
October 4 is the feast day for St. Francis of Assisi, who I believe to be, the best-known saint in our secularized society. He was born sometime in 1181 or 1182, died 1226, and then was canonized quickly in 1228…
When French lawyer and university professor Frédéric Ozanam organized a group of young men into an organization to help the poor of Paris, he decided to put it under the patronage of St. Vincent de Paul (1581-1660). He couldn’t have…