ALL POSTS IN: JANUARY

Mary, our Blessed Mother, was only a young girl when she learned that she was going to be an important part of God’s plan for the whole world.

Sometimes our choices change our lives. In 1805, Elizabeth Seton chose to become a Catholic. This choice changed her life and ours.

Born in 1870 in a small town in Spain, Genoveva had a difficult childhood. By the time she was eight, her parents and four of her brothers and sisters had died. When she was 13, doctors had to amputate her leg because of an infection.

The new Bishop of Philadelphia had just about had it with the unfair treatment of Catholic students in the public school system of his city. We can hardly imagine such an occurrence today, but in the middle 1800s, school boards, administrators, and teachers were mostly Protestant and forced their beliefs on all the students. Catholic children were pressured (often with whippings) to read the Protestant Bible and participate in Protestant worship services in their schools.

André Bessette was born in Quebec, Canada, in 1845. By the time he was 12 he was an orphan who had to take care of himself. He traveled to the United States and worked for a time in a textile mill in New England. But he soon returned home to Canada with a dream of entering religious life.

Raymond was born near Barcelona, Spain, in 1175. He was such a gifted student that he was already teaching philosophy at the university by the time he was 20. He went on to earn degrees in both Church and civil law. After hearing the homilies of a Dominican preacher, he decided to join the Dominican order and made his vows in 1222.

Hardship and danger can deter some people. But for St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, hardship and danger gave rise to an active and purposeful life.

How does a pagan man eventually become one of the most important Christians of his time? The story of St. Hilary helps us to see that God can and does work through each one of us.

The Church calls Anthony the father of monks. Before his time, many men and women went out into the desert to pray and do penance. These hermits lived alone, far apart from other people. Anthony of Egypt formed a community—or monastery—of hermits. The monks spent most of their time alone, but they met each day to worship and to eat together.

Basil Moreau was born in 1799, near the end of the French Revolution, a conflict that lasted for ten years and during which time the Church was often suppressed. But Basil’s family was very religious. They prayed together as a family and attended Mass every week.