commentary
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Meet Joseph Calasanctius—More or less unheard of yet he is the Patron Saint of Catholic Schools
By Larry Peterson What follows is about a man who was ordained a priest and established the first free school for children in Europe, something unheard of at the time. His name is Joseph Calasantius. He went on the become the patron saint of Catholic Schools. Joseph Calasantius (also known as Joseph Calasanz) was born…
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A Beautiful Devotion—The Rosary for the Holy Souls in Purgatory
By Larry Peterson The Souls in Purgatory hold a place of high esteem within the Catholic faith. These are our relatives and friends and fellow Catholics who have gone before us and prior to entering heaven must spend a period of purification in a place called Purgatory What follows will help us learn how to…
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Venerable Maria Guadalupe Ortiz is a laywoman who will be beatified this year. Here’s her incredible story.
Opus Dei Communications Office | CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 By Larry Peterson On December 12, 1916, in Madrid, Spain, the fourth child and only daughter of Manuel Ortiz Landazuri and Eulogia Fernandez-Heredia, was born. Since it was the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe, her parents named her Maria Guadalupe, bestowing a great blessing on…
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Servant of God; Father Varghese Payyappilly Palakkappilly (Kathanar)
By Larry Peterson On April 14, 2018, Pope Francis met with Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. He presented the cardinal with the names of eight Catholics who have attained the designation of Servants of God. This designation is awarded to those who have attained the first pedestal on…
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How did “Visiting” Jesus become a Great Catholic tradition with Adoration and Benediction?
By Larry Peterson Growing up and going to Catholic school, we had religion class every day. One thing we all learned about was the “Real Presence.” There was no doubt in our minds that inside the church, Jesus was truly present “body and blood, soul and divinity. He was inside the tabernacle, and He was…
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Our Lady of Walsingham—the site of England’s, Nazareth
By Larry Peterson The story begins in 1061, more than a thousand years after the birth of Our Lord. It was during the reign of Edward the Confessor that a woman of noble heritage, Richeldis de Faverches, had been praying for guidance to fulfill her need to…
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Make NO Mistake and Never Forget; Mothers are Women and Female is their Gender
By Larry Peterson I found myself writing this for Mother’s Day because the legal definition of “gender” has become controversial. I begin with a quote from Cardinal Giovanni Ravasi; President of the Pontifical Council of Culture: “The…
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St. Peter Nolasco; He founded The Order of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Mercy; aka the Mercedarians. This year they celebrate 800 years of sacrifice and service to others.
By Larry Peterson Peter Nolasco was known for having as his most pronounced virtue that of ‘love of neighbor.’ It was said that people already knew of this when he was only a baby. The story was that while in his cradle, a swarm of bees landed on him, and formed a honey-comb on his…
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St. Mary of Cervellon–Formed the Third Order of Our Lady of Ransom and is the Patroness of those Shipwrecked
By Larry Peterson She was born sometime in 1230, some think around December 1, and was baptized on December 8* in Santa Maria del Mar parish in Barcelona. Her name was Mary de Cervellon, and she was the daughter of a Spanish nobleman, William de Cervellon. As a young woman, Mary began working in Saint Eulalia…
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The Wonderful Legend of St. Peter Paschal
By Larry Peterson Peter Paschal, was born in Valencia on Spain’s east coast, in the year 1227. Peter’s parents were devout Mozarabs (Iberian Christians) who managed to live under Muslim rule. They did this by paying a yearly tax, known as a jizyah. This tax was even collected as a means of sparing the life of certain non-Muslims…
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