Best Fr. Michael Black Podcasts (2024)

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July 20: Saint Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr 5:40

10h ago5:40

5:40

July 20: Saint Apollinaris, Bishop and Martyr First or Second Century Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: Red Patron Saint of Ravenna, Italy, and invoked against gout and epilepsy An elusive early bishop’s memory is preserved in art Ravenna, a city on Italy’s eastern Adriatic Coast, is a miniature Istanbul. It has perhaps the most impressive group…

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July 18 (U.S.A.): Saint Camillus de Lellis, Priest 6:33

6h ago6:33

6:33

July 18 (U.S.A.): Saint Camillus de Lellis, Priest 1550–1614 In the U.S.A. this Optional Memorial is transferred to July 18 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of hospitals, nurses, and the sick A one-man Red Cross who burned with love for the sick Like so many saints, Camillus de Lellis ran hard in whatever direction he was hea…

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July 16: Our Lady of Mount Carmel 5:50

18h ago5:50

5:50

July 16: Our Lady of Mount Carmel Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patroness of the Carmelites, and for deliverance from Purgatory A Crusader legacy enriches the Church’s inner life A few miles from Lebanon near Haifa, a large city in the north of present-day Israel, is the Holy Land’s Masada of Catholic prayer and spirituality. Mount Car…

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July 15: Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor 5:56

11h ago5:56

5:56

July 15: Saint Bonaventure, Bishop and Doctor 1221–1274 Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of those with intestinal problems He seemed to have escaped the curse of Adam’s sin The scholarly heft of Saint Bonaventure legitimized the eccentric Saint Francis of Assisi. Saint Bonaventure was to the Franciscans what Thomas Aquinas was to the …

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July 14: Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin (U.S.A.) 6:05

6h ago6:05

6:05

July 14: Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, Virgin (U.S.A.) 1656–1680 Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of Canada and orphans Tough as a hide, pure as a fawn Kateri (Iroquois for “Catherine”) Tekakwitha lived a short life of twenty-four years, the same age attained by Saint Thérèse of Lisieux at her death. Kateri’s father was a pagan Mohawk Chie…

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July 13: Saint Henry 5:52

2d ago5:52

5:52

July 13: Saint Henry 973–1024 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of the childless and Benedictine Oblates A king walks the tight path of virtue Passing through the heroic-sized doors of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome, the pilgrim walks into a vast interior space, his gaze slowly rising to silently absorb the sublime vaults, criss…

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July 11: Saint Benedict, Abbot 6:25

9d ago6:25

6:25

July 11: Saint Benedict, Abbot c. 480–c. 550 Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of Europe and monks His Rule helped create Europe, one monastery at a time Before the time of today’s saint, to be a monk meant to wander into the Syrian desert and never come back, to climb a rocky summit in the Sinai and never descend, to sit cross-legged …

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July 9: Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions, Martyrs 6:24

6d ago6:24

6:24

July 9: Saint Augustine Zhao Rong and Companions, Martyrs 1746–1815 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: Red New saints for an ancient land start the Third Millennium Today’s feast commemorates one hundred and twenty martyrs, eighty-seven native Chinese and thirty-three Western missionaries, killed in a long trail of blood from 1648 to 1930. This r…

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July 6: Saint Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr 5:43

8d ago5:43

5:43

July 6: Saint Maria Goretti, Virgin and Martyr 1890–1902 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: Red Patron Saint of rape victims and teenage girls A country girl suffers death for knowing right from wrong The family of today’s saint was so poor that they farmed other people’s fields. They lost their own land and became migrant laborers who ate what t…

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July 5: Saint Anthony Zaccaria, Priest 5:56

9d ago5:56

5:56

July 5: Saint Anthony Zaccaria, Priest 1502–1539 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of physicians The man of the hour for his time and place In thirty-nine niches in the nave and transepts of St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome are thirty-nine statues of saints who founded religious congregations. Some of these saints are very well kn…

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July 4: Saint Elizabeth of Portugal 5:19

9d ago5:19

5:19

July 4: Saint Elizabeth of Portugal 1271–1336 (Celebrated July 5 in the U.S.A.) Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of widows and victims of adultery A widowed queen embraces Sister Poverty Beautifully placed in the center of a graceful arch, behind the high altar in the Franciscan convent of Saint Clare in Coimbra, Portugal, is…

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July 4: Independence Day—USA 7:05

17d ago7:05

7:05

July 4: Independence Day—USA Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White “...nobis donet en patria.” Father hunger—the primordial longing to impress, to emulate, or just to find dad—moves us more fundamentally than any thirst for mom. Mom’s warm love and constant presence is typically assumed. She is always near. We spend the first nine months of li…

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July 3: Saint Thomas the Apostle 5:53

18d ago5:53

5:53

July 3: Saint Thomas the Apostle First Century Feast; Liturgical Color: Red Patron Saint of doubters and architects ‘Perhaps’ - the crack in the unbeliever’s wall of certainty All unbelievers have a type of faith. They firmly believe in God’s non-existence and in the weakness, not wisdom, of trusting in a reality greater than oneself. Atheism is a …

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July 1: Saint Junipero Serra, Priest 7:23

14d ago7:23

7:23

July 1: Saint Junipero Serra, Priest 1713–1784 Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of California and vocations “Always forward!” was his motto and his life The United States of America’s impressive Capitol Building in Washington, D.C., includes the majestic, semicircular Statuary Hall. Each of the fifty states chooses two citizens of his…

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June 30: First Martyrs of the Church of Rome 5:48

20d ago5:48

5:48

June 30: First Martyrs of the Church of Rome 64 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: Red or White A madman burns Christians like human torches Wave after wave of huge British and American bombers, pregnant with ordnance, opened their bays over Dresden, Germany, on February 13 and 14, 1945. Fire joined fire until the city itself was a raging, scream…

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June 29: Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles 6:21

21d ago6:21

6:21

June 29: Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles First Century  Solemnity; Liturgical Color: Red Patron Saints of the city of Rome Like the sun, Peter and Paul rose in the East but set in the West Jesus Christ is the head of the Church. The Pope is the head of the churches. The invisible, heavenly Church, mystically depicted by the Book of Revelation and d…

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June 28: Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr 6:52

22d ago6:52

6:52

June 28: Saint Irenaeus, Bishop and Martyr c. 125–c. 200 Memorial; Liturgical Color: Red Patron Saint of apologists and catechists The Church was explicitly Catholic from the start The iconic opening words of Julius Caesar’s Gallic War are “All Gaul is divided into three parts.” The chieftains of these three regions of Roman Gaul (France) met yearl…

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June 27: Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor 7:08

23d ago7:08

7:08

June 27: Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Bishop and Doctor 376–444 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of Alexandria, Egypt He was the ultimate adversary What appears from a modern perspective to be theological hairsplitting and intellectual contortionism was, in the fourth and fifth centuries, the stuff of intense, erudite, and some…

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June 26: Saint Josemaria Escriva, Priest 6:17

25d ago6:17

6:17

June 26: Saint Josemaria Escriva, Priest 1902–1975 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White (Saint Josemaria is not on the Church’s universal calendar but is included here) Patron Saint of diabetics Work is our sacrifice and the earth is our altar When today’s saint was a young priest, he was a rather well-known speaker in Madrid, Spain. Besides …

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June 24: Birth of Saint John the Baptist 5:55

27d ago5:55

5:55

June 24: Birth of Saint John the Baptist First Century Solemnity; Liturgical Color: White or Gold Patron Saint of converts and epileptics A rugged forerunner cuts a path for his cousin “Dies natalis” means “birthday” or “anniversary” in Latin. But for early Christians, “dies natalis” referred to a martyr’s date of death and its subsequent commemora…

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June 22: Saints John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr, and Thomas More, Martyr 8:20

28d ago8:20

8:20

June 22: Saints John Fisher, Bishop and Martyr, and Thomas More, Martyr John Fisher: 1469–1535; Thomas More: 1478–1535 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: Red Patron Saint of the Diocese of Rochester (Fisher) and of lawyers and politicians (More)  They would not bend to the marriage  In 1526 a German painter named Hans Holbein could not find work …

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June 22: Saint Paulinus of Nola, Bishop 6:21

29d ago6:21

6:21

June 22: Saint Paulinus of Nola, Bishop c. 354–431 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of bell makers The best of Rome—the best of the Church Saint Paulinus was to the manor born. And it was a very nice manor. He was raised on an aristocratic estate near Bordeaux, France, in an elite Roman family replete with senators and other …

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June 21: Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious 6:32

1M ago6:32

6:32

June 21: Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, Religious 1568–1591 Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of Catholic youth and plague victims Though he had many possessions, he did not go away sad The Jesuit Order, from its very founding, had a sharp sense of its educational superiority, its fidelity to the Holy Father, and its mission to educate and sp…

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June 19: Saint Romuald, Abbot 6:37

1M ago6:37

6:37

June 19: Saint Romuald, Abbot 951–c. 1025 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Founder of the Camaldolese Benedictine Order To be alone with God is not to be alone It is easy today to slip down a technological hole into a cave piled high with televisions, video games, and the toys of virtual reality. Many technological “hermits” disappear fro…

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June 13: Saint Anthony of Padua 5:58

1M ago5:58

5:58

June 13: Saint Anthony of Padua 1195–1231 Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of lost articles He mastered the Word of God Saint Anthony of Padua is a famous Franciscan saint especially honored at an impressive shrine in Padua, in Northern Italy. But he was not born as Anthony, was an Augustinian priest before he became a Franciscan, and…

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June 11: St. Barnabas, Apostle 6:10

1M ago6:10

6:10

June 11: Saint Barnabas, Apostle Early First Century–c. 62 Memorial; Liturgical Color: Red Patron Saint of Cyprus A multi-talented disciple recruits Saint Paul Today’s saint was an Apostle in the exact same sense in which St. Paul was an Apostle. Saint Barnabas was not one of the Twelve original followers of Christ nor a replacement for one of the …

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June 9: Saint Ephrem, Deacon and Doctor 5:56

1M ago5:56

5:56

June 9: Saint Ephrem, Deacon and Doctor Early Fourth Century–373 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of spiritual directors The Harp of the Holy Spirit The Councils of Ephesus in 431 and Chalcedon in 451 ended a centuries-long scorpion dance. Bishops, theologians, and scholars from Egypt to Syria had long circled one another wit…

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Immaculate Heart of Mary 5:26

1M ago5:26

5:26

Immaculate Heart of Mary Saturday following the Second Sunday after Pentecost Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Wing to wing, oar to oar, heart to heart The images by which the Church describes Herself are primarily feminine—Bride, Mother, Virgin, Spouse—while masculine terms are used for the Church’s ministry— the Office of Saint Peter, Office of …

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Sacred Heart of Jesus 6:05

1M ago6:05

6:05

Sacred Heart of Jesus Friday following the Second Sunday after Pentecost Solemnity; Liturgical Color: White Behold the heart which drips red for love of man It’s always the tissue of male heart muscle when the molecular structure of a Eucharistic miracle is examined under a microscope. Jesus had “heart” but, more importantly, He had a heart. The wo…

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June 6: Saint Norbert, Bishop 5:57

1M ago5:57

5:57

June 6: Saint Norbert, Bishop c. 1080–1134 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of Bohemia and of expectant mothers Thrown down like Saint Paul, he stood up a changed man Today’s saint was born into an elite Central European family with connections to imperial dynasties and the nobility of his time. He received an excellent sacre…

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June 5: Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr 5:31

2M ago5:31

5:31

June 5: Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr c. 675–754 Memorial; Liturgical Color: Red Patron Saint of Germany Pagans cut down a man of action in his grey hairs In the treasury of the Cathedral of Fulda, Germany, there is a medieval Codex, a large, bound book of prayers and theological documents, which very likely belonged to Saint Boniface. The roug…

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June 3: Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs 5:11

2M ago5:11

5:11

June 3: Saint Charles Lwanga and Companions, Martyrs 1860–1886 Memorial; Liturgical Color: Red Patron Saint of African youth Young African Christians die like the martyrs of old Many of the faces of the saints in heaven that shine with the light of God are dark faces. North Africa was one of the first regions to be evangelized and was home to a vib…

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The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) 5:53

2M ago5:53

5:53

The Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi) Thursday after Holy Trinity unless otherwise indicated. In the U.S, the solemnity is transferred to the Sunday after the Holy Trinity Solemnity; Liturgical Color: White The gift of all gifts Standing at the crowded table in the dim candle light of the Upper Room during the Last Supper, Jesus C…

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June 2: Saints Marcellinus and Peter, Martyrs 6:24

2M ago6:24

6:24

June 2: Saints Marcellinus and Peter, Martyrs Mid-third Century–c. 304 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: Red Their memory was preserved by their very executioner Saint Helen went to the Holy Land and returned to Rome with remnants of the true cross of Christ. This same Helen was the mother of Constantine, the Roman Emperor who legalized Christia…

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June 1: Saint Justin Martyr 6:23

2M ago6:23

6:23

June 1: Saint Justin Martyr c. 100–c. 165 Memorial; Liturgical Color: Red Patron Saint of philosophers The cut and thrust of philosophical debate led him to Truth On one of his first missionary journeys, Saint Paul found himself in Syria. He was at a crossroads and needed to decide where he would travel to preach the Gospel. Do I head east and brin…

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May 31: Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary 6:25

2M ago6:25

6:25

May 31: Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Feast; Liturgical Color: White Two young mothers and their treasures meet Only in the Catholic Church would a Feast Day first celebrated in the thirteenth century be considered “new.” But that is when the Visitation first appeared in some liturgical calendars. Our oldest liturgical feasts date from the …

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May 29: Saint Paul VI, Pope 6:57

2M ago6:57

6:57

May 29: Saint Paul VI, Pope 1897–1978 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White An erudite introvert helms the Church in stormy waters Over the two millennia of its storied existence, the papacy has piled prestige upon power upon privilege like so many bricks in a high, impregnable, theological fortress. The Bishop of Rome is without doubt the wor…

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May 27: Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop 6:29

2M ago6:29

6:29

May 27: Saint Augustine of Canterbury, Bishop Early Sixth Century–604 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of England The Church’s Augustus conquered by example Gaius Octavius Thurinus was a noble Roman. Julius Caesar became his stepfather when he adopted Octavius, posthumously, in his will. Octavius then added his dead stepfathe…

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May 26: Saint Philip Neri, Priest 6:47

2M ago6:47

6:47

May 26: Saint Philip Neri, Priest 1515–1595 Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of Rome, humor and joy Everyone saw the halo Saint Philip Neri often begged alms from his wealthy friends and acquaintances to redistribute to needy children. On one occasion, he approached a friend, held out his hand, and asked him, once again, for a few coi…

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The Most Holy Trinity 6:47

2M ago6:47

6:47

First Sunday after Pentecost: The Most Holy Trinity Solemnity; Liturgical Color: White God is more like a family than a monk We pray in the “name” of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, not in their “names.” God must logically be only one. To hold that there is a vast government of gods is to hold that two mountains are the tallest in the wor…

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May 25: Saint Gregory VII, Pope, Religious 6:12

2M ago6:12

6:12

May 25: Saint Gregory VII, Pope, Religious c. 1015–1085 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White A pope dies on the run The last words spoken by Pope Saint Gregory VII were “I have loved justice and hated iniquity, that is why I die in exile.” His enemies would have claimed that they loved justice equally as much but understood it differently, wh…

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May 25: Saint Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, Virgin 5:59

2M ago5:59

5:59

May 25: Saint Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi, Virgin 1566-1607 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of the sick Life’s true drama is on the inside Today’s Carmelite saint was the Italian counterpart to Spain’s famous Carmelite, Teresa of Ávila, although Mary Magdalene de’ Pazzi is less well known than her Spanish contemporary. Teresa w…

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May 25: Saint Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor 6:15

2M ago6:15

6:15

May 25: Saint Bede the Venerable, Priest and Doctor c. 672–735 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of scholars Life’s drama is found in going deeper, not wider There is no world bigger than a monk’s cell. Those four, high walls shape thought like hard, steep banks contain the flow of a river. Rock curtains hanging on both sides …

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May 22: Saint Rita of Cascia, Religious 5:12

2M ago5:12

5:12

May 22: Saint Rita of Cascia, Religious c. 1386–1457 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of abuse victims, sterility, and difficult marriages She suffered for two spouses Rita Lotti gave birth to her first son at the age of twelve. Fortunately the child was not born out of wedlock. Rita’s husband had been chosen for her by her p…

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May 21: Saint Christopher Magallanes, Priest & Martyr, & Companions, Martyrs 7:41

2M ago7:41

7:41

May 21: Saint Christopher Magallanes, Priest and Martyr, and Companions, Martyrs Fr. Magallanes: 1869–1927; 22 priests and 3 laymen: 1915-1937, the majority killed between 1926-1929 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: Red A Mexican bloodletting The governor of Mexico’s Tabasco state in the 1920s, Garrido Canabal, was so insanely anti-Catholic that…

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May 20: Saint Bernardine of Siena, Priest 6:18

2M ago6:18

6:18

May 20: Saint Bernardine of Siena, Priest 1380–1444 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of advertising and gambling A sensational preacher popularizes the Holy Name devotion Saint Bernardine of Siena was the Billy Graham of his day. Graham was a well-known American evangelist who traveled ceaselessly from city to city preaching …

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The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church 6:12

2M ago6:12

6:12

Monday after Pentecost: The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church Memorial; Liturgical Color: White One Mother, two motherhoods Mary mothered Jesus, Jesus then gave life to the Church with water and blood from His side, and the Church then mothers us into existence through baptism. Devotion to Mary goes hand in hand with devotion to the Church …

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Pentecost Sunday 6:54

2M ago6:54

6:54

Pentecost Sunday c. 33 A.D. Sunday after the Seventh Sunday of Easter Solemnity; Liturgical Color: Red Happy Birthday, Church! All living things have a birthday. The Church is a living organism and Pentecost is her birthday. Pentecost was a Jewish Feast Day. The author of the Acts of the Apostles identifies the day before the Holy Spirit ever desce…

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May 18: Saint John I, Pope and Martyr 6:51

2M ago6:51

6:51

May 18: Saint John I, Pope and Martyr c. Late Fifth Century–526 Optional Memorial; Liturgical Color: Red The pope is crushed in a secular vice by two worldly masters The early Popes were Roman citizens who retained their birth or baptismal names upon being elected to the See of Peter. Their names perfectly reflect a flourishing Roman culture rather…

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May 15: Saint Isidore 6:30

2M ago6:30

6:30

May 15: Saint Isidore c. 1080–1130 Optional Memorial (U.S.A.); Liturgical Color: White Patron Saint of farmers and brick layers Our daily duties are not a distraction from God’s will It would be wonderful to see in a church a marble statue of a nurse taking a patient’s blood pressure. It would be edifying to see in a Basilica’s bright stained glass…

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