Today on May 6th we, as a community, celebrate the lives and works of Sts. Marian and James. Sts. Marian and James were born in North Africa, Marian was a lector or reader; James was a deacon. For their devotion to the faith they suffered during the persecution of Valerian. Prior to their persecution, Marian and James were visited by two bishops who encouraged them in the faith not long before they themselves were martyred. A short time later, Marian and James were arrested and interrogated. They are often remembered for taking care of some of the poor children in their community. They frequently gave all they had to keep them from starvation. God Bless their sacrifice to our Lord and grant them eternal rest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Today on May 3rd we as a community celebrate the life and works of Sts. Philip and James. We know nothing of these men except their name, and of course the fact that Jesus chose him to be one of the 12 pillars of the New Israel, his Church. He is not the James of Acts, son of Clopas, “brother” of Jesus and later bishop of Jerusalem and the traditional author of the Letter of James. The Lord of their land actually gave them great favor due to their ability to improve morale among the people. God Bless their sacrifice to our Lord and grant them eternal rest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Today on May 2nd we as a community celebrate the life and works of St. Athanasius. St. Athanasius led a tumultuous but dedicated life of service to the Church. He was the great champion of the faith against the widespread heresy of Arianism, the teaching by Arius that Jesus was not truly divine. The vigor of his writings earned him the title of doctor of the Church. They are remembered widely in Germany and many people of the German heritage hold a personal devotion to this saint. God Bless their sacrifice to our Lord and grant them eternal rest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Today on April 23rd we celebrate the life and works of St. George. If Mary Magdalene was the victim of misunderstanding, St. George is the object of a vast amount of imagination. There is every reason to believe that he was a real martyr who suffered at Lydda in Palestine, probably before the time of Constantine. The Church adheres to his memory, but not to the legends surrounding his life. They are remembered widely in Germany and many people of the German heritage hold a personal devotion to this saint. His penances were heroic. He was so generous with the poor that the friars sometimes grew uneasy about his charity. God Bless their sacrifice to our Lord and grant them eternal rest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Today on April 22nd we as a community celebrate the life and works of St. Adalbert of Prague. St. Adalbert of Prague was born to a noble family in Bohemia, he received part of his education from St. Adalbert of Magdeburg. At the age of 27 he was chosen as bishop of Prague. Those who resisted his program of clerical reform forced him into exile eight years later. Their personal life was filled with turmoil and tragedy. They fought through all of this to become the saint that we remember today. God Bless their sacrifice to our Lord and grant them eternal rest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Today on April 18th we as a community celebrate the life and works of James of Oldo. James of Oldo was born into a well-to-do family near Milan in 1364. He married a woman who, like him, appreciated the comforts that came with wealth. But an outbreak of plague drove James, his wife and their three children out of their home and into the countryside. Despite those precautions, two of his daughters died from the plague, James determined to use whatever time he had left to build up treasures in heaven and to build God’s realm on earth. When he was in later years of his life he was visited by an angel in a dream. This vision told him what joy he had brought to god during his lifetime. God Bless him and all of the many works he accomplished in his time on this earth.

Today on February 17th we celebrate the life and works of Blessed Adolph Kolping. Blessed Adolph Kolping was born in the village of Kerpen, Adolph became a shoemaker at an early age because of his family’s economic situation. Ordained in 1845, he ministered to young workers in Cologne, establishing a choir, which by 1849 had grown into the Young Workmen’s Society. A branch of this began in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1856. Nine years later there were over 400 Gesellenvereine around the world. An illness during novitiate left him with lifelong fragile health; that did not keep him from becoming an accomplished teacher. God Bless them and all of the many works they accomplished in their time on this earth.

Today on February 16th we celebrate the life and works of St. Adrian of Canterbury. Though St. Adrian of Canterbury turned down a papal request to become Archbishop of Canterbury, England, Pope St. Vitalian accepted the rejection on the condition that Adrian serve as the Holy Father’s assistant and adviser. Adrian accepted, but ended up spending most of his life and doing most of his work in Canterbury. They are remembered widely in Germany and many people of the German heritage hold a personal devotion to this saint. God Bless them and all of the many works they accomplished in their time on this earth.

Today on February 15th we celebrate the life and works of St. Claude la Colombière. St. Claude la Colombière showed remarkable preaching skills long before his ordination in 1675. Two months later he was made superior of a small Jesuit residence in Burgundy. It was there he first encountered Margaret Mary Alacoque. For many years after he served as her confessor. They are remembered widely in France and many people of the French heritage hold a personal devotion to this saint. Following his ordination as a priest he served in various leadership positions. God Bless his sacrifice to our Lord and grant him eternal rest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

Today on February 14th we celebrate the lives and works of Sts. Cyril and Methodius. Because their father was an officer in a part of Greece inhabited by many Slavs, these two Greek brothers ultimately became missionaries, teachers and patrons of the Slavic peoples. After a brilliant course of studies, Cyril refused the governorship of a district such as his brother had accepted among the Slavic-speaking population. They are remembered widely in Germany and many people of the German heritage hold a personal devotion to this saint. Before they died he opened a number of missions for the poor and clearly demonstrated a sense of selflessness. God Bless them and all of the many works they accomplished in their time on this earth.