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Origin of the True Cross of Jesus     St. Anthony uses the History of the Greeks from the Apocryphal Gospel to recount the story of the origin of the Cross. In his Opus for the Feast of The Discovery of the Cross St. Anthony tells the story of the tree from which the Cross came. This sermon became so popular that two hundred years later, the story was still being passed on; and subsequently inspired the well-known artist Piero della Francesca in the year 1435 to paint the story in breathtaking scenes. St. Anthony began his Opus with Joel...

Saint Angela Merici     “I want to become a Saint, because I love Jesus.” One chilly damp Spring morning, March 21, 1474, to be exact, a child was born, a girl to a farmer named Giovanni, and his wife Signora Merici, who was of the noble family - the Biancosi of Salo. From the very beginning, the child Angela was wrapped in a robe of piety and holiness, her parents having one focus, to bring her up to love and serve Jesus. And they did, first by who they were, then by word and deed. Angela asked her father...

  The years 1567 thru 1622 were not great years for the Catholics in Switzerland. Theywere not especially good years for a bishop of the Catholic Church, in particular the Bishop ofGeneva.The future St. Francis de Sales was born in a chateau on the shores of Lake Geneva onAugust 21, 1567. His family was part of the House of Savoie, a family of Nobles in Europe atthe time. He was baptised the next day in the Parish church of Thorens, and given the nameFrancis Bonaventure.Frances was born prematurely, leaving him frail, delicate, and physically challenged as ayoung child. But, he...

  Paul was born in Tarsus, a port city in the southeastern part of Turkey.  He was from a Jewish family, who traced their roots back to the tribe of Benjamin.  This Jewish community had been sent to Tarsus during the Diaspora .  Pompey had made Tarsus the capital of the province of Cilicia.  Mark Anthony gave the people of Tarsus freedom, immunity, and the right to become Roman citizens, which accounts for Paul's reference to, and pride in, his Roman citizenship.  He invoked his rights as a Roman citizen many times during his ministry to get out of some...

Saint Brother Andre Miracle Worker of Montreal Healer, Religious, Doorkeeper, Dreamer of Dreams As with many Saints that we have written about, when Blessed André died on January 6, 1937, the Faithful had already proclaimed him a Saint. In the case of Blessed André of Mont Royal, or Montreal, Canada, not only the citizens of that city, but indeed all of French Canada considered him a Saint during his lifetime. There was an expression which circulated French Canada during the early 1900’s when something could not be done, “Hey, I’m not Brother André. I can’t get it done.” One of...