Saint Spotlight
CATEGORY
Mary’s Birthday: The Church Celebrates the Nativity of the Blessed Mother
The Catholic Church celebrates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary on its traditional fixed date of Sept. 8, nine months after the Dec. 8 celebration of her Immaculate Conception as the child of Sts. Joachim and Anne.
St. Monica: The Persistent Mother of St. Augustine Who Never Gave Up on Her Family’s Conversion
On August 27, one day before the feast of her son St. Augustine, the Catholic Church honors St. Monica, whose holy example and fervent intercession led to one of the most dramatic conversions in Church history.
What is the Queenship of Mary, and Why Does it Matter?
The Catholic Church annually celebrates the feast of the Queenship of Mary on Aug. 22. Most people, upon hearing of this celebration, would think of it as something rather sweet and sentimental, a quaint devotion for grandmothers with a taste for saccharine spirituality.
85 Years ago, St. Maximilian Kolbe Gave His Life in Auschwitz to Save a Father of a Family
Eighty-five years ago, St. Maximilian Kolbe died in Auschwitz on August 14 after volunteering to take the place of a father in the concentration camp’s starvation bunker.
A Dog, a Torch and a Saint: The Fiery Mission of St. Dominic
The first image to greet visitors to the basilica containing the tomb of St. Dominic in Bologna, Italy, is a mosaic of the saint next to a dog carrying a flaming torch in its mouth.
Why St. Ignatius of Loyola is a Saint for Difficult Times
When Ignatius of Loyola found himself bedridden with a shattered leg, all of his big dreams and plans disappeared. Arrogant, stubborn, and hot-tempered, Ignatius was a soldier to his core, and he excelled on the battlefield.
Saint Spotlight – Pope St. Marcellus
Nothing of Marcellus’ life before his papacy has survived the centuries. He became pope at the end of the persecutions of Diocletian around 308-309.
Saint Spotlight – Gregory of Nazianzus
St. Gregory was a Doctor of the Church, born at Arianzus in Asia Minor, probably in 325, and died in 389. He was the son of Gregory, Bishop of Nazianzus (329-374).
Saint Spotlight – Peter Canisius
An important figure in the Catholic counter-reformation that responded to the 16th century spread of Protestantism, the priest and Doctor of the Church St. Peter Canisius, is remembered liturgically on December 21.
Saint Spotlight – Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary
“The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Savior of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin.”
Submission Deadline
The deadline for submissions to the biweekly Notebook/Parish Obituaries listing is every other Wednesday at 4:30 p.m. Please refer to the Publication Schedule for edition dates and deadlines.
