Saint Hildegard of Bingen
Saint Robert Bellarmine
Robert Bellarmine was the nephew of Pope Marcellus II. At the age of eighteen he entered the Society of Jesus. He became professor of theology at the University of Louvain, where he opposed the teachings of Michel Baius. Later, at the request of Pope Gregory XIII, he taught at the Roman College, where he also […]
Saints Cornelius and Cyprian
Cornelius, a priest of the Roman Church, was chosen as shepherd of the community after a long vacancy of the See of Peter, caused by the devastation of the harsh persecution under Decius. He governed from 251 to 253, not without grave difficulties. A rigorist minority, led by Novatian, opposed the new pope and even […]
Our Lady of Sorrows
Private devotion to the Seven Sorrows of the Blessed Virgin preceded the institution of a corresponding liturgical feast by quite some time. This devotion became especially popular from the fifteenth century onward. We need only recall the countless “pietà” images that depict Mary holding on her lap the body of her Son taken down from […]
The Exaltation of the Holy Cross
On September 13, 335, the two great Constantinian basilicas in Jerusalem were dedicated: the Martyrium on Golgotha—also called ad Crucem—and the Anastasis, or Church of the Resurrection. The following day, September 14, the relic of the Cross was displayed; according to tradition, it had also been discovered on a September 14 (the story of Saint […]
Saint John Chrysostom
John was born in Antioch. His father, an army officer, died early, and his upbringing was entrusted to his mother, Saint Anthusa, an intelligent and educated woman. As a youth, he had the good fortune to study under Libanius, from whom he received a broad and solid Hellenic education that prepared him for his future […]
The Most Holy Name of Mary
Saint Peter Claver
Peter Claver was born in Verdú (in Urgell, Catalonia) in 1580. Educated by the Jesuits in Barcelona, he entered the Society of Jesus in 1602 and made his novitiate in Tarragona. He spent some time in Girona, then studied philosophy in Mallorca. There he came under the influence of Saint Alphonsus Rodríguez, the humble Jesuit […]
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Nativity of the Virgin is one of the oldest Marian feasts. Its origin is believed to be linked to the dedication, in the 4th century, of an ancient Marian basilica in Jerusalem, on whose ruins the current church of Saint Anne was built in the 12th century. Tradition says that this was the site […]
Saint Gregory the Great
Saint Gregory the Great, born around 540 AD in Rome, Italy, was a pivotal figure in the early medieval Church, leaving a lasting impact on both its spiritual and administrative development. Hailing from a noble Roman family, Gregory initially pursued a secular career, serving as the Prefect of Rome. However, a deep spiritual calling led […]