Late one evening, a young man was hobbling on crutches down a Montreal city street. A car pulled up alongside him, and a middle-aged passenger in a religious habit leaned his head out of the window. “What happened to you?” he asked. More »

John of the Cross is one of the “greats” in the long line of saints who wrote and taught about what it is like to experience God. An outstanding theologian, he was the confessor, coworker, and cherished friend of St. Teresa of Avila. More »

The image of Our Lady of Guadalupe, miraculously imprinted on St. Juan Diego’s cloak, speaks a message about life. First, it shows that Mary is carrying Christ within her. More »

St. Nicholas, the real person behind the figure of Santa Claus, was a fourth-century bishop who was known for his generosity, especially to young people. More »

St. Elizabeth of Hungary (1207–1231) was a wealthy princess. As was common with royalty in her day, when she was only four years old, she was betrothed to the prince of a neighboring country in what is modern-day Germany. More »

Here’s a paradox that is central to Christianity: We lose what we keep, and we gain what we give away! “Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but whoever loses it will save it,” Jesus told his disciples (Luke 17:33). More »

Eight-year-old Martin de Porres was not what most people today would call a “normal” child. Living in Lima, Peru, in 1587, the boy was already in training to be a barber, which in his world also meant learning to be a surgeon, pharmacist, and physician. More »

St. Jude is invoked in desperate or hopeless situations, perhaps because the Letter of Jude in the New Testament encourages the faithful to persevere and protect the faith in an especially difficult situation, in which “certain intruders have stolen in among you” (verse 4). More »