Venerable Pope Pius XII called St. Andrew Bobola, patron of Poland, "the greatest martyr." Brother Josh, MIC, learns why.
He may not have been born in Canada, but he was exiled and died there, and a national shrine of Canadian martyrs is named for him. He is Blessed Bishop Vasyl Velychkovsky (feast day: June 27), a Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishop martyred for the faith after the Soviet Union’s takeover of Ukraine during World War II.
John the Baptist knew Jesus and spoke the truth that he saw. We celebrate his nativity on June 24.
Saint María Guadalupe Garcia Zavala, also known as “Mother Lupita” (feast day: June 24), is the patron saint of nurses. She co-founded the Handmaids of St. Margaret Mary and the Poor, and in 2013 became Mexico’s second female saint.
If you had money, power, and status second only to the king of your country, would you be able to lay it all down for the sake of conscience and faith? Would you possess a trust in God greater than your many extraordinary possessions? Saint Thomas More, whom we celebrate on June 22, is a gallant example.
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga (feast day: June 21) is the patron saint of youth. For most of his brief life, this son of a warrior was fighting a very different battle with an absolute determination to win: a war against against sin. As the Church attests, he won.
Throughout the lifetime of the Marian Founder, St. Stanislaus of Jesus and Mary Papczyński, the nation of Poland was scourged by wars, plagued by repeated epidemics, and burdened with unimaginable trials. Indeed, those trials helped form the founding calls of the Order. Sound familiar?
Jesus Thirsts: The Miracle of the Eucharist, now the #1 documentary of the year, returns to cinemas by popular demand, now until June 26. Don't miss it!
"A member of Encounter Ministries told me a year ago that the Father was looking on me with great pride because of my perseverance," reports Br. Josh, MIC, "but this didn’t sink home until now."
As we celebrate Father’s Day, let us remember the Father who is in Heaven from whom all fatherhood takes its name, says Chris Sparks. Let us remember that God the Father is rich in mercy, and that St. Joseph, model of earthly fatherhood, is most remembered for his silence, not his dominance; for his wife and Son, whom he tended with such effective love and dedication, not for his earthly power.
Without a doubt, St. Anthony of Padua is one of the world’s most beloved and popular saints. Known for finding lost articles, awe-inspiring miracles, and his love for the poor, his feast is celebrated on June 13.
It is said that there were more martyrs in the 20th century than in all centuries of Christian history combined. Here are two of them, on their feast day, June 12, both Marian priests.
