As July 31, 1556, was dawning, Ignatius of Loyola uttered his last words, “O my God!” Quickly, the news of his death spread through the streets of Rome. People exclaimed, “The saint has died.”

In 1622, Ignatius was indeed proclaimed a saint. Gregory XIII’s declaration echoed what the common people knew all along: “Ignatius had a heart big enough to hold the universe” (Mary Purcell, The First Jesuit: Saint Ignatius Loyola [1491–1556], p. iv). Continue »

Since at least the year 354, this day has been set aside to honor the apostles Peter and Paul. The memory of these great apostles and our reverence for the work of grace in their lives have pierced the hearts of the faithful ever since. Of all the men and women who have ever lived, these two were chosen to be the apostles to the Jews and the Gentiles. Continue »

To her many friends and admirers, Clare of Assisi was a model of medieval womanhood. Born around 1193 into one of Assisi’s noble families, she seemed to flourish naturally in an environment of privilege and prestige. Her father, Favarone, was an accomplished warrior-knight, and her mother, Ortulana, was known both for her ability to manage her extensive household and for her personal piety and charity. Continue »

In 1824, in a small village in northern Italy, a nine-year-old boy dreamt that he was standing in a field, surrounded by a crowd of other young boys who were playing and shouting, pouring their energy into their activity. Not far away, he saw another group of boys fighting each other, yelling and cursing the whole time. Continue »

For a few brief years early in the seventeenth century, two Jesuit saints-in-the-making lived together on the beautiful Mediterranean island of Majorca. Alphonsus Rodriguez, the respected older brother at the Jesuit College there, had taken under his wing Peter Claver, a devoted young seminarian. Continue »

Stories abound about the extraordinary events coloring the life of St. Anthony of Padua, the “wonder-worker.” Fish are said to have listened to him preach, their heads attentively raised out of the river, when the hard of heart refused to heed his words. Continue »

Monday, April 9, 1945: The Allied military forces were continuing to advance deeper into the heartland of Germany. At the same time, in a Nazi concentration camp behind the battle lines, a German doctor was witnessing a martyrdom. Continue »

“I am only a man, just like you,” time after time Brother André Bessette reminded petitioners who came to him. Known as a miracle worker of healing during his lifetime, this humble lay brother insisted on giving all the credit to God, the faith of those healed, and the intercession of St. Joseph. Quietly, he said, “I will pray for you.” Time after time, healing came. Continue »

In the year 1112, a bright young nobleman embarked on an adventure that pioneered new paths—politically, socially, and spiritually—throughout Western Europe. His passion for the gospel and his charismatic personality were so attractive that he drew thirty other men—peers and elders—into the adventure with him. Continue »

The modern tendency to enshrine the human intellect—to the exclusion of the spiritual—was well underway in mid-nineteenth century Europe. Rationalism had become entrenched among the educated elite, many of whom regarded the church and its beliefs as relics of the past. For them, religion was for the poor masses who didn’t know better. Continue »