By Sarah Losardo … One of the sons of Zebedee – also known as the Sons of Thunder – John shows up in the Gospels as the “one who Jesus loved”, one of the ones who asked for a place at Jesus’ right and left hand, the one disciple who followed Jesus to the Cross, the only disciple not to be martyred, and the writer of a gospel, three letters, and the book of Revelation (or the Apocalypse). What else do we know about this apostle?
By Sarah Losardo … It was in Paris that she discovered the identity of the priest in her vision – St. Vincent De Paul, the founder of the Sisters of Charity. In January 1830, Zoe finally joined the Sisters of Charity in Paris, taking the name Catherine. The same year, first in July and again in November, Sister Catherine was visited by the Blessed Virgin Mary, who entrusted to her a medallion to be given to the world.
By Sarah Losardo … Cara dashed tears away from her face with the back of her hand, blinking hard in an attempt to see well enough to drive safely. Her twenty-year-old civic rattled a little at 70 miles per hour, but Cara was pretty sure it wasn’t anything serious. It certainly didn’t matter right now – all that mattered was getting home to Maryland to the side of her mother’s hospital bed.
By Sarah Levesque Losardo … In the Bible, the rich man seemingly ignored the poor, destitute, starving man at his door. Perhaps he thought himself generous for letting Lazarus even stay there. Or perhaps that is where Lazarus collapsed of hunger. In any case, I find four points of this story particularly interesting.
By Sarah Levesque Losardo … Since my husband came into my life, I have learned more about love then I dreamed of. As St. John tells us, God IS love, and it has been interesting to see how my relationship with my husband has made me understand more about God.
At the age of 21, Grafton was confirmed in the Episcopal Church. Two years later, he graduated from Harvard University with a law degree, but soon recognized his calling to the ministry.
By Sarah Levesque (G) St. Cyril and St. Methodius were brothers who became known as the Apostles to the Slavs and are celebrated on the same day – February 14th in the West, May 11th in the East. St. Methodius was born around 815 while St. Cyril, originally named Constantine, was born around 827, both in […]
By Sarah Levesque Onesimus (own-ESS-ee-mus) Nesib was born around 1856 near Hurumu in Ethiopia. His parents named him Hiikaa Awaaji; or “translator”. At a young age, Hika was stolen from his widowed mother, renamed Nesib, and sold or stolen multiple times before being liberated by the vice-consul of the French Consulate, Werner Munzinger. The boy […]
By Sarah Levesque … Giulia Salzano was born on October 13, 1846, in Santa Maria Capua Vetere, Caserta, Italy. Her father, Diego Salzano, died when Giulia was only four years old, and she was taken in by the Sisters of Charity, with whom she stayed until she was fifteen years old.
By Sarah Levesque … Adoniram Judson, missionary to Burma (Myanmar), was born on August 9, 1788 in Malden, Massachusetts. After a period of skepticism, Judson studied theology at Andover Theological Seminary in his home state…
By Sarah Levesque … Macarius the Great, also known as Macarius the Egyptian or Macarius the Elder, was one of the Desert Fathers of the early Church. He was born around the turn of the fourth century in Egypt, the son of a Christian. Originally a camel driver, Macarius was ordained a priest and became a hermit, following the words of an angel that appeared to him twice.
By Sarah Levesque … Isn’t it strange how big a difference the word “my” makes? Someone recently asked me, “When the Psalm says ‘God, my God, how awesome is your name,’ isn’t that redundant?” I struggled to give a good response; it was hard to put into words on the spot. But it’s the idea of claiming God as our own. He isn’t just a god, like Zeus or Osiris or Odin. He is my God. I have claimed Him.
By Sarah Levesque … St. Bernadette was born Marie-Bernadette Soubirous in Lourdes, France, on January 7, 1844. She was considered a sickly child, and had asthma. Whether due to ailments or other difficulty learning, Bernadette was unable to read, write, or learn her catechism lessons properly as a child, which delayed her First Communion. At the age of fourteen, over the course of six months, she had eighteen visions of Mary, Mother of God…
By Sarah Levesque … Gregory of Tours was likely born in the Merovingian kingdom (now France) around the year 539. He had many important relations, which likely eventually helped secure his appointment to the bishopric. Be that as it may, Gregory was appointed bishop of Tours during the reign of King Sigebert and Queen Brunhild of East Francia in 573.
Join us as we explore the Pursuit of Happiness! What does it mean and where can it be found? Plus our first nonfiction author interview, a new Evermore story, and the fifth installment of Knights of Adonai. Don’t forget to check out the photo contest, Scripture Search, book & media recommendations, and Bible trivia!
St. Narcissus’ origins are lost to history, but he was born at the end of the first century and was appointed as the thirtieth bishop of Jerusalem around 180AD. He was known for his many virtues and his dedication to his office. During his episcopacy, there was a year that the church ran out of lamp oil.
Theodore de Beze was born on June 24, 1519, in Vezelay, France. He studied to be a lawyer then set up practice in Paris, where he also wrote poetry. At one point he became very ill and, once he recovered, he sought out the famous reformation leader John Calvin, who was living in Geneva, Switzerland. There, Beza became a professor of Greek, then he travelled Europe preaching the Protestant cause.
“Good King Wenceslaus” is largely remembered today in the old Christmas carol that actually takes place on the second day of Christmas – December 26th, St. Stephen’s Day. In the song, Wenceslaus is revered as kind, gracious, courageous, and persevering. The real Wenceslaus, a prince of Bohemia, was born around the year 903AD to Duke Wratislaw (son of the devout Princess Ludmilla) and his wife Dragomir.