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: 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...
Image: The Ecstasy of Saint Teresa of Avila | Gian Lorenzo Bernini | photo by Tybo | flickr Saint of the Day for October 15 (March 28, 1515 – October 4, 1582) Saint Teresa of Avila’s Story Saint Teresa of Avila lived in an age of exploration as well as political, social, and religious upheaval. It w...
Photo from CNS-Saint Teresa of Calcutta Saint of the Day for September 5 (August 26, 1910 – September 5, 1997) Saint Teresa of Calcutta’s Story Saint Teresa of Calcutta, the tiny woman recognized throughout the world for her work among the poorest of the poor, was beatified October 19, 2003. Among t...
Image: Saint Theodora Guerin | Image courtesy and © Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary-of-the-Woods Saint of the Day for October 3 (October 2, 1798 – May 14, 1856) Saint Theodora Guérin’s Story Trust in God’s Providence enabled Mother Theodore to leave her homeland, sail halfway around the world, and...
Image: Saint Thérèse of Lisieux as a novice at age 16. | Carmelite Archives of Lisieux Saint of the Day for October 1 (January 2, 1873 – September 30, 1897) Saint Thérèse of Lisieux’s Story “I prefer the monotony of obscure sacrifice to all ecstasies. To pick up a pin for love can convert a soul.” T...
Image: Saint Thomas | Georges de La Tour Saint of the Day for July 3 (1st Century – December 21, 72) Saint Thomas’ Story Poor Saint Thomas! He made one remark and has been branded as “Doubting Thomas” ever since. But if he doubted, he also believed. He made what is certainly the most explicit statem...
Image: Saint Thomas of Villanova | Francisco Camilo Saint of the Day for September 10 (1488 – September 8, 1555) Saint Thomas of Villanova’s Story Saint Thomas of Villanova was from Castile in Spain and received his surname from the town where he was raised. He received a superior education at the U...
Image: St. Titus Brandsma | Wikipedia Commons Saint of the Day for July 27 (February 23, 1881-July 26, 1942) Saint Titus Brandsma’s Story Given the birth name Anno, Brandsma and his siblings grew up on their parents’ dairy farm in rural Frisia. As devout Catholics, the family was in the minority amo...
Image: Statue of Saint Veronica Giuliani | Mercatello sul Metauro, Marches, Italie | photo by Adri08 Saint of the Day for July 10 (December 27, 1660 – July 9, 1727) Saint Veronica Giuliani’s Story Veronica Giuliani’s desire to be like Christ crucified was answered with the stigmata. Veronica was bor...
Image: Detail | Saint Vincent de Paul | Jean-Jules-Antoine Lecomte du Nouÿ Saint of the Day for September 27 (1580 – September 27, 1660) Saint Vincent de Paul’s Story The deathbed confession of a dying servant opened Saint Vincent de Paul’s eyes to the crying spiritual needs of the peasantry of Fran...
Image: Saint Wenceslaus statue on the Gothic Bridge in Kłodzko | photo by Jacek Halicki Saint of the Day for September 28 (c. 907 – 929) Saint Wenceslaus’ Story If saints have been falsely characterized as “other worldly,” the life of Wenceslaus stands as an example to the contrary: He stood for Chr...
Image: Saint Andrew Kim Taegon and Companions | CNS Photo Saints of the Day for September 20 Saint Andrew Kim Taegon (August 21, 1821 – September 16, 1846); Saint Paul Chong Hasang and Companions (d. between 1839 – 1867) Saints Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasang, and Companions’ Stories The first...
Image: Detail | Abrazo de San Joachim and Santa Anne ante la Puerta Dorada | Ambrosius Benson Saints of the Day for July 26 (c. 1st century) Saints Joachim and Anne’s Story In the Scriptures, Matthew and Luke furnish a legal family history of Jesus, tracing ancestry to show that Jesus is the culmina...
Image: Forty Martyrs of England and Wales commissioned by the General Postulation of the Society of Jesus | Daphne Pollen Saints of the Day for July 12 Saint John Jones (c.1530 – 1598) and Saint John Wall (1620 – 1679) Saint John Jones’ and Saint John Wall’s stories These two friars were martyred in...
Image: Monastery Church: Altar of the crucifixion, Mecklenburg | Gaston Lenthe | (Longinus, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus) Saints of the Day for August 31 (1st century) Saints Joseph of Arimathea’s and Nicodemus’ Story The actions of these two influential Jewish leaders give insight into the cha...
Saints Louis and Marie-Azelie Guerin Martin, the parents of St. Therese of Lisieux. (CNS photo/Sanctuary of Lisieux) Saints of the Day for September 25 Saint Louis Martin (August 22, 1823 – July 29, 1894) and Saint Zélie Guérin (December 23, 1831 – August 28, 1877) Saints Louis Martin and Zélie Guér...
Image: Jesus, Lazarus, Martha and Mary | St. Botolph without Aldersgate Saints of the Day for July 29 (c. 1st century) Saints Martha, Mary and Lazarus’ story Martha, Mary, and their brother Lazarus were evidently close friends of Jesus. He came to their home simply as a welcomed guest, rather than a...