Saint of the day

Saint of the day

24 March: Saint Catherine of Sweden

In the footsteps of Saint Bridget

Catherine of Sweden was a member of the royal family of Sweden through her mother, Saint Bridget, and her father, Ulf Gudmarson. Born around 1331, she was entrusted to the care of Cistercian nuns in Riseberg from a very young age. She left the monastery against her wishes when  her father arranged for her to marry the knight, Edgar von Kyren, at the age of 16. Her husband, who was also very devout, agreed to live a marriage of chastity. Throughout her marriage, Catherine took care of her disabled husband. Her father, Ulf, died in 1344.

23 March: Turibius of Mogrovejo, Archbishop of Lima

Defender of the Indigenous Peoples

He was still a layman when he was appointed Archbishop of Lima, and at the time he was already a renowned jurist. Originally from Spain, his life was radically changed when he set out for the New World. His name was Turibius, a member of the noble Spanish Mogrovejo family.

22 March: Blessed Clemens August von Galen, Cardinal

“The Lion of Münster”

Because of his courage during the Nazi dictatorship in Germany, he was called “the Lion of Münster.” He never tired of denouncing the abuses of the State and of defending the right to life, firmly condemning the Nazi theory of killing “unproductive and worthless lives.”

21 March: Saint Nicholas of Flüe, Patron Saint of Switzerland and the Pontifical Swiss Guard

A hermit, worker of peace and reconciliation

Nicholas was a hermit, who mediated and advised his fellow citizens and reconciled opposing hearts. Although he lived far away from the world in the solitude of a cell nourished by the Eucharist alone, he was able to prevent the onset of war between brothers, using the Rosary he always carried with him as his only weapon. Known as Bruder Klaus and Saint Nicholas of Flüe, he was born in 1417 in the small village of Flüeli, Obwalden, which was part of the Confederation of eight Cantons of central Switzerland. His family earned a living from agriculture.

20 March: Saint John Nepomucene, Martyr

Symbol of fidelity to the truth and to the freedom of the Church

John Nepomucene was born in 1330 (or 1345, depending on the sources) in Nepomuk, currently part of the Czech Republic. He stood out for his intelligence from a young age and graduated in Canon Law from the University of Padua in 1387, but never had any personal ambitions of an ecclesiastical career, preferring instead to humbly dedicate himself to his vocation. He served in different roles, including as parish priest and canon of St. Vitus Cathedral in Prague, for which he received no financial benefit.