The Martyrdom of Polycarp
Who would have thought the old man had so much courage in him?
The story you are about to read is the earliest known account of a Christian martyrdom. Written about a.d. 156, within a year of the event it describes, it is an authentic eyewitness report of the heroic death of an elderly man named Polycarp. Continue »
Making Disciples of All Nations
The Pioneering Work of Sts. Cyril and Methodius
Our God is a God of surprises who often works in unexpected ways to bring his saving truth to his people. Continue »
From Slave to Saint
The Story of St. Josephine Bakhita
The girl was walking in the fields some ways off from her home, when two strangers appeared and asked her to pick them some fruit. Brought up to show courtesy to adults, the nine-year-old hurried to obey. Not until she was in the forest did she realize it was a trick. Continue »
Paul’s Conversion
A Closer Look at the Damascus Event.
I would like to look more closely at the Damascus event, just as Paul did later in some of his letters. Continue »
You Have Written Well of Me
The Story of St. Thomas Aquinas
It is an early winter day in Naples, over seven hundred years ago. Two men in the distinctive black and white robes of the Dominican order make their way to a small chapel. One is a large man with sharp, intelligent eyes. His clothing is frayed and poorly fitted. The other man is younger, an obviously attentive friend. Continue »
Two Tables, One Banquet
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Scripture, and the Eucharist
One day around 1780, an Episcopalian stepmother opened her King James Bible and introduced her stepdaughter to Psalm 23: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. . . ." Though the two were not close and the woman was preoccupied with many cares, the moment was extraordinarily significant. Continue »