St. Peter Canisius was an intrepid Dutch Jesuit priest and a key figure in the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Peter was born in 1521 at Nijmagen, Holland to the wealthy Jacob Kanis (Canisius in English) and his wife. Jacob was the burgermeister, a role similar to mayor. Later in life, Peter wrote...
“For whereas the Word of God was without flesh, He took upon Himself the holy flesh by the holy Virgin, and prepared a robe which He wove for Himself, like a bridegroom, in the sufferings of the cross, in order that by uniting His own power with our mortal body,...
St. Stanislaus Kostka was a Polish nobleman and Jesuit novice who showed remarkable perseverance in following God’s call to his vocation. Stanislaus was born in 1550 at Rostkovo Castle in Poland, and was named after the 11th century martyr and bishop, St. Stanislaus. His father, John, was a senator for...
“Watch with the heart, watch with faith, watch with hope, watch with charity, watch with good works; and then, when you shall sleep in your body, the time will come that you shall rise. And when you shall have risen, make ready the lamps. Then shall they go out no...
St. Francis Borgia was a royal-born husband and father, Jesuit priest, and superior-general. Francis was born in eastern Spain in 1510. He was born into the Spanish branch of the Borgia family, his father being the 3rd Duke of Gandia and his mother being the granddaughter of King Ferdinand V...
“’And [Naaman] dipped himself…seven times in the Jordan.’ It was not for nothing that Naaman of old, when suffering from leprosy, was purified upon his being baptized, but as an indication to us. For as we are lepers in sin, we are made clean, by means of the sacred water...
Blessed Hermann of Reichenau was an esteemed scientist and abbot, as well as a profoundly disabled man. Hermann was born in 1013 to Count Wolverad II von Althausen and his wife Hiltrud. Althausen was located in the Swabian region of southern Germany. Hermann was born with multiple anomalies, likely including...
“Let the cross, as our seal, be boldly made with our fingers upon our brow, and on all occasions: over the bread we eat, over the cups we drink, in our comings and in our goings, before sleep…it is a grace from God, a badge of the faithful, and a...
St. Peter Faber was a one of the original members of the Society of Jesus, a missionary priest and reformer. Peter Faber is the anglicized form of the name Pierre LeFèvre or Favre. He was born in 1506 to a family of farmers in a small village in France near...
“We don’t walk to God with the feet of our body, nor would wings, if we had them, carry us to Him; but we go to Him by the affections of our soul.” St. Augustine (4th-5th centuries, Doctor of the Church) “Lord, since eternity is Yours, are You unaware of...