Saint of the day

Saint of the day

May 13: Our Lady of Fatima

Prayer and Penance 

It was May 13, 1917, when Our Lady appeared to three children who were in a field grazing their sheep: Francisco Marto, aged 9, his younger sister Jacinta Marto , aged 7, and their cousin, Lucia dos Santos, aged 10. The apparition took place in Cova da Iria, a town near Fatima and was the first of a series apparitions. In fact, every 13th  of the month, from May to October, the Virgin Mary appeared to the three little shepherds, entrusting them with a message.

May 12: Saint Pancras Martyr

Christ’s Athlete

 "Pancrazio" was the name of a sport practiced in the Olympics of ancient Greece. The athletes had to compete in a cross between boxing and hand-to-hand wrestling, with no holds barred. Only biting and blinding were prohibited.

May 10: Saint John of Ávila, Doctor of the Church

Master of Saints 

He was called the Apostle of Andalusia, a great preacher, a spiritual Master who guided many people to holiness and who was able to inspire conversions among those who listened to him.

His name was John of Ávila. He was born in Almodóvar del Campo (Ciudad Real), Spain around 1499 or 1500 into a very religious and wealthy family who owned a silver mine.

May 9: Saint Pachomius, Abbot

The father of cenobitic monasticism 

Founder of cenobitic monasticism and the first to have written a rule for religious  community life, Pachomius was born to a pagan family around the year 292 A.D., in the Thebaid region of Upper Egypt. At age twenty, he was enlisted against his will in the imperial armies of the Emperor Constantine to fight the Persian incursions. Locked in the  barracks in Thebes with other soldiers and left without food, he was fed by the local Christians. Struck by their charity, Pachomius prayed to the God of the Christians, promising that if he were freed from this bondage  he would dedicate his life to the service of his brothers. In fact, as soon as he was free, he converted and was baptized.

May 7: Saint Rosa Venerini

Serving Women: Emancipation through education 

She understood the difficulties and marginalization to which women of her time were subjected and spared no energy to educate them and teach them the truths of faith. She was convinced that to welcome the Gospel it was necessary to free people from ignorance and error. Together with education, she believed that offering professional training would promote human development and affirmation in society. There were no doubts for Rosa Venerini, as she dedicated herself entirely to her apostolate and to the vocational education for women in the 17th century, an era in which they were barred from many opportunities.

May 5: Saint Nunzio Sulprizio

A tragic and poor existence illuminated by the love of the One Crucified 

Everything that for the world is nothing but misfortune and failure can be found in this young man who died at only 19 years of age. Orphaned, poor, exploited at work, chronically ill, discriminated against, he found his fulfillment in following Christ Crucified. He is Nunzio Sulprizio, who discovered in the love of God the reason for his life. A sorrowful and unfortunate existence from a human point of view, but rich in sanctity and goodness.