Somehow people think if you are a female Catholic saint you must be a doormat. Here we have a saint who left her husband and daughter to become a monk. Nope. Not a typo. St. Matrona is complicated. So much […]
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Category: Catholic Life
Sinner or saint, perfect we ain’t!
St. Cyprian the… Sorcerer?
Just in time for Halloween, this month’s saint was a real charmer. Literally. Don’t get him mixed up with the other, famous, respectable St. Cyprian who was once bishop of Carthage and is now mentioned in the Mass. This is […]
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Lucky Enough to Be Irish Is Lucky Enough: Irish Gift of the Gab
A certain percentage of my husband is Irish. The rest of him reluctantly concedes being Scottish and Welsh – a fact that some would say makes him a danger to his own bodily well-being. Like his Chinese/Irish buddy who isn’t […]
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St. Gianna Molla Told her Future Husband “I Love You” First
St. Gianna Molla embraced life with gusto. She was adventurous and passionate by nature. Her oldest child, Pierluigi, remembers that his mother loved to drive fast. If the roads were clear she put the pedal to the metal. She was […]
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Saint Bucolus: Middle Child Syndrome?
There is not a lot of information about Saint Bucolus but that suits a greater purpose. You see, Saint Bucolus was the first bishop of Smyrna in Asia Minor (present day Turkey to you and me). He reposed peacefully in […]
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Left to Tell on Screen: Immaculée Ilibagiza
When Immaculée Ilibagiza first published her memoir Left to Tell, it was with the modest hope of sharing the book with friends. Her agent, however, told her to quit her job. The book tells in harrowing detail about the 1994 […]
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Serving Special Needs Orphans of Ukraine
Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction. (James 1:27) Nazar sits in a crib in a bare room, smiling and laughing. Staffers gather around in […]
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Saint Olha: Mafia Godmother
July’s saint may have a funny name but let me tell you, Saint Olha (890 – 969) was no joke. Just ask the Drevlians. They murdered her husband so she murdered them — 5,000 of them. Mafia style. That was […]
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So, What Exactly ARE Your Sins? Let’s Talk Catholic Confession
How do these conversations get started? My seatmate on the flight was a sixteen year old cowboy named Cody. The flight attendant had come around handing out wine which I accepted with delight. Traveling stresses me out. Cody, who looked […]
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Saint Patapius: Early Christian Hermit and Reluctant Celebrity
It always happens. You go off to be by yourself and the kids find you. You just want to pray and savor the silence but it’s, “Can you help me? What do I do? Can you figure this out?” Saint […]
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