The Innocence of Faith
St. Bernadette Soubirous
The modern tendency to enshrine the human intellect—to the exclusion of the spiritual—was well underway in mid-nineteenth century Europe. Continue »
Home At Last
The Legacy of Sister Thea Bowman
On June 17, 1989, less than a year before she died of bone cancer, Sister Thea Bowman, F.S.P.A., was invited to address the American bishops. Different as she was from this group—a Southern black woman, a nun raised among Protestants, a dying woman vibrantly alive—Sister Thea was fully herself and very much at home. Continue »
Four Portraits of Mary
Why each Gospel tells her story in its own unique way
Ever since the third century, when efforts were made to meld the four Gospels into one, the church has insisted on maintaining the separate integrity of each account of the good news. Continue »
The Impact of One Life
The Story of St. Patrick
What can an indolent, self-absorbed teenager have to do with God’s plan for evangelizing a nation? Sixteen years old and from a well-to-do family, this kid has never applied himself to his studies, let alone taken his Christian faith seriously. Continue »
John of God
A saint for booksellers and health care workers alike
St. John of God is one of Spain’s leading religious figures. He was born in Montemoro Novo, Portugal, on March 8, 1495, into a deeply religious family that was poor but had once been wealthy and prominent. Continue »
Finding Friends in an Unlikely Place
Life Lessons from Saints Perpetua and Felicity
“Holy martyrs, Perpetua and Felicity, pray for us.” Many times in my life, I have heard Perpetua and Felicity mentioned in litanies of saints and prayers of the Church. Continue »