On August 22 AD, St Columba was on the banks of the river Ness. He came across a group of heathenish Picts who were busy burying a friend who had been attacked by an enormous “water beast” while swimming in the river. Continue reading . (you need to scroll down for the story)
Posts Tagged ‘Saints’
Single mothers are saints
Monday, July 24th, 2017
Some time ago I found myself on the fringes of a group of Catholics discussing the impending birth of a baby to a teenage girl. I detected just the faintest whiff of scandal in the air – nothing said, but plenty implied. I quipped: “Isn’t that great.” Faces turned, eyes probing. “ Isn’t it great Read more
The mature witness of child saints
Monday, July 3rd, 2017
When Pope Francis canonized child seers and siblings Francisco and Jacinta Marto May 13, the centenary of the first apparition of the Virgin Mary at Fatima, he added to a long list of children and young people who are at some point on the road of sainthood. Granted, the number of child saints is a small Read more
Guess how many St Catherines there are
Monday, February 27th, 2017How many St Catherines do you think there are? Guess: 2, 9, 12, 16, 22? While while they all share the same name and love for God, each of the each of the Catherine’s (or Katharine’s) path to holiness is unique. Check out their stories
A saint for difficult people: Dorothy Day
Thursday, February 16th, 2017
One way to understand the saints—the radiant, aberrant beings next to whom the rest of us look so shifty and shoddy—is to imagine them as cutting-edge physicists. Their research, if you like, has led them unblinkingly to conclude that reality is not at all what, or where, or who we think it is. They have Read more
Chiara Luce Badano: Generation X Blessed
Tuesday, October 4th, 2016
Though perhaps not yet a “superstar” saint, Blessed Chiara Luce Badano’s story is rapidly building a following, especially among younger Catholics today, in part because her selfless acceptance of suffering provokes both curiosity and esteem among post-modern types. This coming October 7 is the 25th anniversary of the death of an amazing young adult Christian Read more
Miracles of healing and Vatican’s new rules
Tuesday, September 27th, 2016
Miracles of healing will have to be checked against new rules. Pope Francis has approved revised norms to ensure transparency. Historical and scientific accuracy are also important factors. The Congregation of Saints Causes must have at least six medical experts on a Consultation Team panel. Two-thirds of the team must approve a statement declaring a Read more
Saints are made to be role models and to inspire – Cardinal Dew
Tuesday, September 13th, 2016
“Saints inspire us, they are made saints so that we can look up to them as role models, figures who show us how to live out our discipleship, how to use the gifts God has given us,” said Cardinal John Dew, the Archbishop of Wellington in his homily on Saturday. He was preaching at a Mass Read more
Making saints
Friday, September 9th, 2016
In our dreary world full of incredible people making claims to leadership, finding the occasional hero or heroine can’t be a bad thing. So why begrudge the Catholic Church its idiosyncratic ways of creating people for believers to admire – the saints? Mother Teresa of Calcutta – that’s what it was called when she lived Read more
New financial rules for those putting causes of saints
Friday, March 11th, 2016
Pope Francis has imposed new rules governing the establishment and management of funds for the advancement of investigations into the lives of people proposed for sainthood. The new financial accountability regulations came after reports of gross abuses on the use of donations from the faithful. At least two books by Italian journalists revealed that the Read more