St. Martin, while still a young Roman soldier in France, is remembered for a deeply moving act of charity. One freezing winter evening, he encountered a poor beggar trembling from the cold. Having nothing else to offer, Martin took his military cloak, cut it in half with his sword, and gave one part to the…
For centuries, on Holy Saturday in the Basilica of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem, thousands of faithful gather to witness the ancient miracle of the Holy Fire. The Orthodox Patriarch enters the tomb of Christ in the sepulchre, carrying no matches or fire. After fervent prayer, a mysterious blue flame is said to appear spontaneously…
In the 13th century, St. Anthony of Padua, great preacher and Franciscan saint, wanted to prove the truth of the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist to a stubborn nobleman who mocked the Catholic faith. Anthony challenged the man to bring his mule — but to starve it for three days. On the appointed…
In the year 358 AD, during the pontificate of Pope Liberius, a wealthy Roman couple prayed to the Virgin Mary, asking for guidance on how to dedicate their fortune in her honor. That night, both the couple and the Pope had a vision of Mary, who told them to build a church on the spot…
In 1240, the army of Emperor Frederick II attacked the town of Assisi. The soldiers reached the convent of San Damiano, where St. Clare of Assisi and her sisters lived in prayer. As the invaders prepared to break in, Clare, who was sick and weak at the time, asked to be carried to the chapel….
St. Joseph of Cupertino, an Italian Franciscan friar (1603–1663), is known as the “flying saint”. He was a simple and humble man, mocked in his youth for being slow to learn. However, he had an extraordinary mystical gift: during prayer and Mass, he would often levitate into the air, overcome by ecstasy in the presence…
The Miracle of Our Lady of Guadalupe (1531) In December 1531, on Tepeyac Hill near present-day Mexico City, the Virgin Mary is said to have appeared to a humble indigenous man named Juan Diego. She asked him to tell the local bishop to build a church in her honor. At first, the bishop did not…