As a young girl, Joachina believed she wanted to be a nun, but she married Theodore de Mas, a man from a royal family in Barcelona, Spain, in 1799, when she was only 16 years old. They had nine children before Theodore was killed when Napoleon invaded Spain.
In the Mass on St. Philip Neri’s feast day, we pray, “Lord, keep us always cheerful in our work for the glory of your name and the good of our neighbor” (Sacramentary, page 638). Philip was known for his cheerfulness and sense of humor. He used these gifts to serve God and to help others to grow in their faith.
In May of 1429, a young woman clad in white armor rode her horse onto the battlefield at Orleans. Behind her marched hundreds of French soldiers. Following her battle cry, they defeated the English and won great victories for France during the Hundred Years' War.
Anthony of Padua felt that God called him to try many new and different things. As he felt the tug of God’s love, he gave up one job to work at another. He did this over and over.
Matt Talbot was born in 1856 to a poor family with 12 children in Dublin, Ireland. His father and several of his brothers were alcoholics. Matt began working as a messenger boy when he was 12 years old. He also began drinking alcohol around the same time.
In the Opening Prayer on June 22, we pray, “Give us the courage to proclaim our faith by the witness of our lives” (Sacramentary). Thomas More was a man of great faith and courage whose life shows us what it means to be a witness to our faith.
John the Baptist was Jesus’ older cousin. He was a prophet sent by God to prepare people for the coming of Christ into the world.
Does it surprise you that a man who once wanted to put Christians to death became one of the Church’s greatest saints? That man is Saint Paul.
Are you a leader or a follower? When Jesus met Simon, he recognized his leadership qualities. But he knew that Simon would need help. Jesus began by giving Simon a new name. He called him Peter, which means “rock.” Later, Jesus told Peter that he was to be the rock on which Jesus would build his Church.
Born on the island of Mallorca near Spain in 1713, Miguel Jose Serra wanted to be a monk. He joined the order of St. Francis Assisi when he was 15 and called himself Junípero. He studied philosophy and became a teacher of the same subject, but his heart longed to be a missionary.