Communion of Saints
The great cloud of witnesses — explore the lives, feast days, and patronages of holy men and women who shaped the Church throughout history.
"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses…" Hebrews 12:1
Image: Saint Lawrence | Bernardo Cavallino Saint of the Day for August 10 (c. 225 – August 10, 258) Saint Lawrence’s Story The esteem in which the Church holds Lawrence is seen in the fact that today’s celebration ranks as a feast. We know very little about his life. He is one of those whose martyrd...
Image: Statue of Saint Lawrence of Brindisi on the church at the Capuchin Friary and Seminary | photo by threecharlie Saint of the Day for July 21 (July 22, 1559 – July 22, 1619) Saint Lawrence of Brindisi’s Story At first glance, perhaps the most remarkable quality of Lawrence of Brindisi is his ou...
Image: Saint Louis of Toulouse | Carlo Crivelli | Church of Santa Lucia, Montefiore dell’Aso, Italy Saint of the Day for August 18 (February 9, 1274 – August 19, 1297) Saint Louis of Toulouse’s Story When he died at the age of 23, Louis was already a Franciscan, a bishop, and a saint! Louis’s parent...
Image: Stained glass window of Saint Maria Goretti | Reinhard Müller Saint of the Day for July 6 (October 16, 1890 – July 6, 1902) Saint Maria Goretti’s Story One of the largest crowds ever assembled for a canonization—250,000—symbolized the reaction of millions touched by the simple story of Maria...
Image: Stained glass window at Saint Mary MacKillop shrine, Penola South Australia | photo by Pru.mitchell Saint of the Day for July 19 (January 15, 1842 – August 8, 1909) Saint Mary MacKillop’s Story If Saint Mary MacKillop were alive today, she would be a household name. It’s not that she sought t...
Image: Saint Mary Magdalene, Head hands and feet | photo by Simon Webster | flicker Saint of the Day for July 22 (d. c. 63) Saint Mary Magdalene’s Story Except for the mother of Jesus, few women are more honored in the Bible than Mary Magdalene. Yet she could well be the patron of the slandered, sin...
Image: Stained glass in Our Lady of Czestochowa Grotto (Sorrowful Mother Shrine) | photo by Nheyob Saint of the Day for August 14 (January 8, 1894 – August 14, 1941) Saint Maximilian Mary Kolbe’s Story “I don’t know what’s going to become of you!” How many parents have said that? Maximilian Mary Kol...
Image: Oliver Plunkett | Edward Luttrell Saint of the Day for July 2 (November 1, 1629 – July 1, 1681) Saint Oliver Plunkett’s Story The name of today’s saint is especially familiar to the Irish and the English—and with good reason. The English martyred Oliver Plunkett for defending the faith in his...
Image: Stained glass window of Saint Peter Julian Eymard | Santa Clara de Montefalco Parish Church, Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila | photo by Judgefloroo Saint of the Day for August 3 (February 4, 1811 – August 1, 1868) Saint Peter Julian Eymard’s Story Born in La Mure d’Isère in southeastern...
Image: Portrait of Pope Saint Pius X | Library of Congress | Tryphosa Bates-Batcheller Saint of the Day for August 21 (June 2, 1835 – August 20, 1914) Saint Pius X’s Story Pope Pius X is perhaps best remembered for his encouragement of the frequent reception of Holy Communion, especially by children...
Image: Saint Sharbel Makhlouf | unknown Saint of the Day for July 24 (May 8, 1828 – December 24, 1898) Saint Sharbel Makhlouf’s Story Although this saint never traveled far from the Lebanese village of Beka-Kafra where he was born, his influence has spread widely. Joseph Zaroun Maklouf was raised by...
Image: Imre Varga’s statue of Saint Stephen I, Apostolic king of Hungary, 1993, along the cathedral, Aachen, Germany Saint of the Day for August 16 (975 – August 15, 1038) Saint Stephen of Hungary’s Story The Church is universal, but its expression is always affected—for good or ill—by local culture...
Image: Portrait of Teresa Benedicta of the Crossin the student chapel of the Hochschulgemeinde Wien im Edith-Stein-Haus | photo by Braveheart Saint of the Day for August 9 (October 12, 1891 – August 9, 1942) Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross’ Story A brilliant philosopher who stopped believing in...
Image: Saint Thomas | Georges de La Tour Saint of the Day for July 3 (1st Century – December 21, 72) Saint Thomas’ Story Poor Saint Thomas! He made one remark and has been branded as “Doubting Thomas” ever since. But if he doubted, he also believed. He made what is certainly the most explicit statem...
Image: St. Titus Brandsma | Wikipedia Commons Saint of the Day for July 27 (February 23, 1881-July 26, 1942) Saint Titus Brandsma’s Story Given the birth name Anno, Brandsma and his siblings grew up on their parents’ dairy farm in rural Frisia. As devout Catholics, the family was in the minority amo...
Image: Statue of Saint Veronica Giuliani | Mercatello sul Metauro, Marches, Italie | photo by Adri08 Saint of the Day for July 10 (December 27, 1660 – July 9, 1727) Saint Veronica Giuliani’s Story Veronica Giuliani’s desire to be like Christ crucified was answered with the stigmata. Veronica was bor...
Image: Detail | Abrazo de San Joachim and Santa Anne ante la Puerta Dorada | Ambrosius Benson Saints of the Day for July 26 (c. 1st century) Saints Joachim and Anne’s Story In the Scriptures, Matthew and Luke furnish a legal family history of Jesus, tracing ancestry to show that Jesus is the culmina...
Image: Forty Martyrs of England and Wales commissioned by the General Postulation of the Society of Jesus | Daphne Pollen Saints of the Day for July 12 Saint John Jones (c.1530 – 1598) and Saint John Wall (1620 – 1679) Saint John Jones’ and Saint John Wall’s stories These two friars were martyred in...