Christian Today

Bl. Mark Barkworth - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. Mark Barkworth, Roman Catholic Priest and English Martyr. He was the first English Benedictine martyr. With Father Richard Filcock he was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn. Feastday February 27

St. Anne Line - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Anne Line, Roman Catholic Laywoman and English Martyr. She hid Catholic priests in a London safe house. In this endeavor she aided Jesuit Father John Gerard until her arrest. Anne was hanged at Tyburn.

27th February - Saint Gabriel Possenti - Independent Catholic News : Monk. Patron of young people. St Gabriel was born in 1838, a younger son of the governor of Assisi. He studied at the Jesuit college at Spoleto where he was known for his love of clothes, dancing and the theatre. He also had a great following among the ladies. Unfortunately he suffered from poor health. Twice, when he was taken seriously ill he decided to enter a religious order, but changed his mind when he felt

26th February - Saint Porphyry of Gaza - Independent Catholic News : Bishop. Born in Salonica in 352, St Porphyry became a monk and lived in the Egyptian desert and the Jordan valley. After some years he developed a serious illness and decided to spend the last days of his life in Jerusalem, following in the steps of Jesus. When he first arrived he could barely walk he was so ill, but miraculously one day he experienced a complete recovery.

Supremacy and Survival: The English Reformation: PPS: Love for Quinquagesima Sunday : From Blessed John Henry Newman's sermon on "Love, the One Thing Needful": Love, and love only, is the fulfilling of the Law...

25th February - Saint Ethelbert of Kent - Independent Catholic News : King. Born in 560, Ethelbert was the Anglo Saxon king who welcomed St Augustine and his monks when they arrived in Kent in 597. His wife Bertha, a Frankish princess, was already a Christian and he was soon converted. Although he embraced his faith with enthusiasm, unlike some of his contemporaries, he did not try to force his subjects to become Christians. Instead he gave the missionaries every help to peacefully

St. Walburga - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online St. Walburga, Roman Catholic Virgin Nun and English missionary to the Frankish Empire. Feastday February 25

English Historical Fiction Authors: Cyneburg: A Child of Wodan Who Became a Saint : By Kim Rendfeld When she was growing up, Cyneburg might have believed she was a descendant of the god Wodan and expected to marry to stren...

Supremacy and Survival: The English Reformation: St. Robert Southwell, SJ, Pray for Us! : His story, from the Jesuits in Britain website : One of the forty English martyr saints, Robert Southwell is widely known for his poetr...

21st February - Saint Robert Southwell - Independent Catholic News : Martyr, Jesuit priest, poet. St Robert was born in Horsham St Faith, Norfolk, in 1561 and spent much of his childhood in Sussex. He studied at Douai and Paris and wanted to be a priest from his earliest youth. In 1578, when he was barely 17, he was admitted to the Jesuit novitiate in Rome. After his ordination in 1584 he was appointed prefect of studies at the English College.

Cardinal Nichols consecrates England & Wales to Immaculate Heart of Mary - Independent Catholic News : On Saturday, 18 February, on the occasion of the visit of the National Pilgrim Virgin Statue of Our Lady of Fatima, in the centenary year of the apparitions, to Westminster Cathedral, His Eminence Cardinal Vincent Nichols consecrated England and Wales to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. In the Act of Consecration, a modified version of the one used by Cardinal Griffin in the Abbey grounds in Walsingham on 16 July 1948, he said: 'To your Immaculate Heart, in this centenary year of the apparitions at Fatima, we re-consecrate ourselves in union not only with the Church, the Mystical Body of your Son, but also with

Pope: Christ's law of love overcomes law of retaliation - Independent Catholic News : Sunday's Gospel is one of the Biblical passages that best expresses the Christian 'revolution,' Pope Francis told pilgrims gathered for the Angelus in St Peter's Square today. In the reading from Matthew's Gospel, describing part of the Sermon on the Mount, he said: 'Christ shows the path of true justice, through the law of love that overcomes that of retaliation, that is, 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth'.' Jesus does not ask His disciples simply to bear evils patiently, but to return good for evil: 'Only in this way can the chains of evil be broken, and things can truly change.'

20th February - Blessed Jacinta and Francisco Marto - Independent Catholic News : Child visionaries. Between 13 May and 13 October 1917, three children, Jacinta, Francisco and Lucia, Portuguese shepherds from Aljustrel, saw apparitions of Our Lady at Cova da Iria, near Fatima, a city 110 miles north of Lisbon. At that time, Europe was involved in an extremely bloody war. Portugal itself was in political turmoil, having overthrown its monarchy in 1910; the government disbanded religious organizations soon after.

18th February - Saint Colman of Lindisfarne - Independent Catholic News : Bishop. Born in Ireland, Colman became a monk at Iona and succeeded St Fintan as bishop of Lindisfarne. Bede gives a glowing account of Lindisfarne under Colman's rule, which took place from 661- 664. He emphasised the example of frugality and simplicity of living set by the bishop, and the complete devotion of the clergy to the work of preaching the Gospel and ministering to their people.

17th February - The Seven Servite Founders - Independent Catholic News : In the year 1233, these seven men from some of the most prosperous families in Florence, set themselves up as hermits on Monte Senario, not far from the city. They had a great devotion to Our Lady. Their names were: Bonfilius Monaldi, John Bonaiuncta, Manettus dell Antella, Amadeus degli Amidei, Hugh Uguccione, Sosthenes Sostegno and Alexis Falconieri.

15th February - Saint Claude de la Colombière - Independent Catholic News : Jesuit priest, missionary and ascetical writer. Claude was born in 1641 in Saint-Symphorien-d'Ozon, in the ancient Province of Dauphiné, the third child of the notary Bertrand de la Colombière and of Margaret Coindat. The family soon moved to the nearby city of Vienne, where he began his education, before attending the Jesuit school in Lyon for his secondary studies.In 1658, at the age of seventeen,

St Valentine's Day - sites for Catholic singles - Independent Catholic News : Today is the feast of St Valentine, traditionally the patron saint of courtship, engaged couples and happy marriages If you are a single Catholic of any age, and would like to make new friends or maybe meet someone special - you might just find them on one of these sites.

14th February - St Valentine; Saints Cyril and Methodius

 - Independent Catholic News : ��Two early Christian martyrs called Valentine are listed on this day in the Roman Martyrology. One was a Roman priest, who died for his faith on the Flaminian Way under Claudius. The other was a bishop of Terni who was killed in Rome. Some historians believe they are the same person.��There is no evidence to link the tradition of sending Valentine cards with the saint. But according to legend, St Valentine sent a farewell message to

Bl. James Feun - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. James Feun, Roman Catholic Priest and English Martyr. He refused to take the Oath of Supremacy and named a conspirator of a bogus assassination plot. was hanged, drawn, and quartered at Tyburn. Feastday Feb.12

11th February - Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes - Independent Catholic News : On this day, more than one hundred and fifty years ago, a 14 year-old girl, Bernadette Soubirous, saw Our Lady in a cave on the banks of the River Gave, near Lourdes in southern France. Between 11 February and 16 July 1858, Bernadette was to experience a total of 18 apparitions. The 'young and beautiful lady' made various requests. One day she revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception.

10th February - Saint Scholastica - Independent Catholic News : First Benedictine nun. All that is known about St Scholastica comes from the Dialogues of Gregory the Great. She was the twin sister of St Benedict and they were devoted to each other. Her convent was Plombariola, about five miles from his monastery at Monte Cassino. They used to meet just once a year. On his last visit in 543, she asked him to stay longer to discuss the joys of heaven.

Pope: Without women there is no harmony in the world - Independent Catholic News : 'Without women, there is no harmony in the world.' That was the message of Pope Francis in his homily during morning Mass at the Casa Santa Marta on Thursday. At the center of his reflection was the creation of woman, as told in Genesis. Men and women are not equal - one is not superior to the other. But it is the woman, and not the man, who brings that harmony which makes the world a beautiful place. Pope Francis was continuing his reflections on creation, the subject of the Readings for the past few days, taken from the Book of Genesis.

Japan: 'Samurai of Christ' beatified - Independent Catholic News : Cardinal Angelo Amato, Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, celebrated Mass for the beatification of Justo Takayama Ukon at the hall of Osaka Castle on Tuesday, 7 February. The castle was once the headquarters of Ukon's persecutors. At the beginning of the Mass, Archbishop Takeo Okada of Tokyo petitioned that the Venerable Servant of God Justo Takayama Ukon be inscribed among the blessed. Cardinal Amato read an apostolic letter from Pope Francis during the ceremony.

9th February - Saint Teilo - Independent Catholic News : Monk and bishop. St Teilo was an important church figure in 8th century Wales although little is known about his life. Many ancient churches were dedicated to him in Carmarthenshire, Glamorgan and Pembrokeshire, where he was born, probably at Pennaly. He was a pupil of Dyfrig and Paul Aurelian and founded a monastery which was called the Familia Teliavi. During a great plague he went to Brittany for seven years, returning with Samson.

Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerick - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. Anne Catherine Emmerick, Roman Catholic Augustinian Canoness Regular of Windesheim. Her convent was suppressed by Napoleon, who controlled the region. Soon afterward, she fell ill, and spent her remaining years bedridden. In this state of suffering, she received numerous visions, private revelations, and the mystical gift of the stigmata. feastday Feb 9

8th February - Saint Josephine Bakhita - Independent Catholic News : Nun. Also known as Madre Moretta. Born in the Sudan in 1869 to a wealthy family, Josephine was kidnapped at the age of nine and sold into slavery. Sold and re-sold, she was bought by the Callisto Legnani, the Italian consul in Khartoum. and taken to Italy to become the nanny of a friend's daughter. They were both looked after by the Canossian Daughters of Charity in Venice.

Supremacy and Survival: The English Reformation: The Execution of Mary, Queen of Scots : From the Eyewitness to History website , this report of the beheading of Mary Stuart, the deposed Queen of Scotland on February 8, 1587, 4...

Bl. Pius IX - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. Pius IX, Roman Catholic Priest and Pope. The Pope defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, meaning that Mary was conceived without original sin. The last Pope to rule as the Sovereign of the Papal States, which fell completely to Italian nationalist armies by 1870 and were incorporated into the Kingdom of Italy. Feastday February 7

7th February - Saint Colette; St Ronan - Independent Catholic News : Nun. Born in Corbie, France in 1381, Colette began to follow the Third Order Rule when she was 21. She became an anchoress, living in a small room whose only opening was a window into a church. After four years of prayer and penance she left her cell. With the approval and encouragement of the Pope, she joined the Poor Clares and reintroduced the primitive Rule of St Clare in the 17 monasteries she established.

6th February - Paul Miki and Companions; Saint Dorothy - Independent Catholic News : Paul Miki and Companions - Martyrs of Japan. St Francis Xavier brought Christianity to Japan in 1549. By the time he left a few years later, there were about 2,000 Christians there. The Christian community continued to grow. in the ensuing years. This angered the Emperor Hideyoshi who embarked on a brutal persecution of Christians and their families.

Pope Francis: 'Promote a culture of life' - Independent Catholic News : Pope Francis has urged all believers to uphold and promoting a 'culture of life'. Speaking to the crowds gathered in St Peter's Square for the Angelus, the Holy Father marked Sunday's celebration in Italy of the 'Day for Life' with a call to join the Italian Bishops in promoting a culture of life in which 'no one is left alone.' 'Each life is sacred' Pope Francis said, let's pray together for those children who risk a pregnancy termination and for those who are nearing the end of life.... May no one be left alone and may love defend the sense of life.'

Supremacy and Survival: The English Reformation: Candlemas and St. Anne Line : Please see my blog post for The National Catholic Register in which I first discuss the greatness of the Feast of the Presentation of ...

Pope celebrates Mass on Candlemas, World Day for Consecrated Life - Independent Catholic News : Pope Francis on Thursday celebrated Mass for the feast of the Presentation of the Lord in St Peter's Basilica in Rome. The Mass also commemorated the World Day for Consecrated Life. On this day, the Church celebrates and prays for those who have consecrated their lives to God by the vows of chastity, poverty and obedience. Members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and of Societies of Apostolic Life participated in the Liturgy. The liturgical feast chosen for the commemoration celebrates the presentation of the newborn Jesus in the Temple by Joseph and Mary forty days after His birth,

Bl. John Nelson - Saints & Angels - Catholic Online Bl. John Nelson, Roman Catholic Jesuit Priest and English Martyr. He was arrested in London and martyred at Tyburn by being hanged, drawn, and quartered. Feastday February 3

Cardinal Muller makes it clear, nobody, not even a pope, can change marriage - Living Faith - Home & Family - News - Catholic Online

Pope prays for martyrs who don't make the news - Independent Catholic News : Pope Francis offered Mass on Monday morning in Casa Santa Marta, for 'today's martyrs', persecuted and imprisoned Christians, and for Churches which are not free to express the faith. With the understanding that 'a Church without martyrs is a Church without Jesus', the Pontiff stressed that these martyrs sustain the Church and carry her forward. Even when 'the media doesn't speak about them, because it is not news', today 'many Christians in the world today are blessed because they are persecuted, insulted, imprisoned just for carrying a cross or for confessing to Jesus