After St. Peter, Apostle, Bl. PIUS IX (1792-1878) was the longest-reigning pope in the history of the Church: June 16, 1846 until his death & feast day Feb 7, 1878. A period of nearly 32 years. Reverence toward this longevity is given by countless individuals each day without their knowledge. In St. Peter’s Basilica (Vatican [...]
With familial ties to the Rothchild’s, ALPHONSE RATISBONNE advanced through a well-placed line of Jewish bankers in Strasbourg, France. After studying law in Paris, he worked for his uncle’s banking firm, and later became engaged to the eldest daughter. Ratisbonne was nominally a Jew and deeply impious. He snubbed religion of any kind and became [...]
Ralph Sherwin is the first member of the Venerable English College in Rome to die for the Faith on December 1, 1581 (Feast Day). Nestled in the center of Rome lies a small seminary for English students, founded during the Catholic persecutions under Elizabeth I. Agreeing to study there meant a contract to return to [...]
MAXIMUS, MAXIMUS” was chanted in the Colosseum in a favored movie: Gladiator. The main character Maximus, depicted as an enslaved former Roman General is an amazing figure. On a visit to Rome, in the subterranean villa underneath the church of St. Cecelia (Feast Nov 22) in Trastevere we encountered the image of “St. Maximus” behind [...]
St. Paul (1694–1775) was born near Turin, Italy, the 2nd of 16 children—6 of whom survived infancy. His parents imparted a strong religious upbringing. He taught catechism in the local churches before a deep religious conversion at the age of 19 through writings of St. Francis de Sales. After a brief stint as a soldier [...]
The acclaimed Saint (Feast Oct 4) was given the baptismal name of Giovanni (John), but his father—away in France on business when he was born in 1181—added “Francesco” to manifest his love for France. Francesco was later known in Assisi as Poverello (Little Poor Man). Possessing reputation as one of the greatest spiritual influences in [...]
