The great cloud of witnesses — explore the lives, feast days, and patronages of holy men and women who shaped the Church throughout history.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…" Hebrews 12:1
Image: Stained glass window of Saint Maria Goretti | Reinhard Müller Saint of the Day for July 6 (October 16, 1890 – July 6, 1902) Saint Maria Goretti’s Story One of the largest crowds ever assembled for a canonization—250,000—symbolized the reaction of millions touched by the simple story of Maria...
Image: Stained glass window at Saint Mary MacKillop shrine, Penola South Australia | photo by Pru.mitchell Saint of the Day for July 19 (January 15, 1842 – August 8, 1909) Saint Mary MacKillop’s Story If Saint Mary MacKillop were alive today, she would be a household name. It’s not that she sought t...
Image: Saint Mary Magdalene, Head hands and feet | photo by Simon Webster | flicker Saint of the Day for July 22 (d. c. 63) Saint Mary Magdalene’s Story Except for the mother of Jesus, few women are more honored in the Bible than Mary Magdalene. Yet she could well be the patron of the slandered, sin...
Image: Saint Matthew and the Angel | Guido Reni Saint of the Day for September 21 (c. 1st Century) Saint Matthew’s Story Saint Matthew was a Jew who worked for the occupying Roman forces, collecting taxes from other Jews. The Romans were not scrupulous about what the “tax farmers” got for themselves...
Image: Stained glass in Our Lady of Czestochowa Grotto (Sorrowful Mother Shrine) | photo by Nheyob Saint of the Day for August 14 (January 8, 1894 – August 14, 1941) Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe’s Story “I don’t know what’s going to become of you!” How many parents have said that? Maximilian Mary Kol...
Image: Detail | Stained glass window in the Church of Saint James the Greater in Bouxwiller | photo by GFreihalter Saint of the Day for August 27 (c. 330 – 387) Saint Monica’s Story The circumstances of Saint Monica’s life could have made her a nagging wife, a bitter daughter-in-law, and a despairin...
Image: Oliver Plunkett | Edward Luttrell Saint of the Day for July 2 (November 1, 1629 – July 1, 1681) Saint Oliver Plunkett’s Story The name of today’s saint is especially familiar to the Irish and the English—and with good reason. The English martyred Oliver Plunkett for defending the faith in his...
Image: Saint Paul VI | photo by Ambrosius007 Saint of the Day for September 26 (September 26, 1897 – August 6, 1978) Saint Paul VI’s Story Born near Brescia in northern Italy, Giovanni Battista Montini was the second of three sons. His father, Giorgio, was a lawyer, editor, and eventually a member o...
Image: Stained glass window depicting Saint Peter Claver Saint of the Day for September 9 (June 26, 1581 – September 8, 1654) Saint Peter Claver’s Story A native of Spain, young Jesuit Saint Peter Claver left his homeland forever in 1610 to be a missionary in the colonies of the New World. He sailed...
Image: Stained glass window of Saint Peter Julian Eymard | Santa Clara de Montefalco Parish Church, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila | photo by Judgefloroo Saint of the Day for August 3 (February 4, 1811 – August 1, 1868) Saint Peter Julian Eymard’s Story Born in La Mure d’Isère in southeastern...
Image: Saint Pio of Pietrecina | San Sebastian Cathedral of Tarlac, Philippines | photo by Ramon FVelasquez Saint of the Day for September 23 (May 25, 1887 – September 23, 1968) Saint Pio of Pietrelcina’s Story In one of the largest such ceremonies in history, Pope John Paul II canonized Saint Pio o...
Image: Portrait of Pope Saint Pius X | Library of Congress | Tryphosa Bates-Batcheller Saint of the Day for August 21 (June 2, 1835 – August 20, 1914) Saint Pius X’s Story Pope Pius X is perhaps best remembered for his encouragement of the frequent reception of Holy Communion, especially by children...
Image: Detail | Stained glass window in Saint Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, Dayton, Ohio | photo by Nheyob Saint of the Day for September 17 (October 4, 1542 – September 17, 1621) Saint Robert Bellarmine’s Story When Saint Robert Bellarmine was ordained in 1570, the study of Church history and t...
Image: Saint Rose of Lima with Child Jesus | anonymous Saint of the Day for August 23 (April 20, 1586 – August 24, 1617) Saint Rose of Lima’s Story The first canonized saint of the New World has one characteristic of all saints—the suffering of opposition—and another characteristic which is more for...
Image: Saint Rose of Viterbo | fresco, Duomo di Ivrea | photo by Laurom Saint of the Day for September 4 (1233 – March 6, 1251) Saint Rose of Viterbo’s Story Even as a child, Rose had a great desire to pray and to aid the poor. While still very young, she began a life of penance in her parents’ hous...
Image: Saint Sharbel Makhlouf | unknown Saint of the Day for July 24 (May 8, 1828 – December 24, 1898) Saint Sharbel Makhlouf’s Story Although this saint never traveled far from the Lebanese village of Beka-Kafra where he was born, his influence has spread widely. Joseph Zaroun Maklouf was raised by...
Image: Imre Varga’s statue of Saint Stephen I, Apostolic king of Hungary, 1993, along the cathedral, Aachen, Germany Saint of the Day for August 16 (975 – August 15, 1038) Saint Stephen of Hungary’s Story The Church is universal, but its expression is always affected—for good or ill—by local culture...
Image: Portrait of Teresa Benedicta of the Crossin the student chapel of the Hochschulgemeinde Wien im Edith-Stein-Haus | photo by Braveheart Saint of the Day for August 9 (October 12, 1891 – August 9, 1942) Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross’ Story A brilliant philosopher who stopped believing in...