(Feast Day ~ March 4) In the lives of the saints, we frequently encounter the phenomenon of affinity with wild animals: we read of St. Kevin of Glendalough, holding a bird in her nest on his outstretched arm while in prayer; and of St. Kenneth, who stilled the chattering of the birds during the Liturgy […]

(Feast Day ~ March 2) During the presidential election of 2004 we heard much about “chads”. After the reporters had exhausted their supply of words about such things as “dimpled chads” and “hanging chads”, they moved on to enlighten us about the country Chad and then to teach Americans – many for the first time […]

(Feast Day ~ March 1) Nationalism and the fervor of a people for their heritage can be stirred by many things: the desire for independence from a ruling power; a common enemy or threat; the danger of losing customs and language. But how wonderful it is when the national pride of a people can be […]

(Feast day ~ February 28) Oswald was the son of Danish parents, but his extended family had long been established in Anglo-Saxon society. The boy was given to his uncle Odo, the Archbishop of Canterbury, to raise, and was educated in Canterbury by the Frankish scholar, Fridegode. Anglo-Saxon customs were based on the ties of […]

(Feast Day ~ February 27) In these troubling times, amidst the constant reports of violence, hatred, corruption, and neglect, we tend to concentrate on human sinfulness and doubt that there are any holy people left. We are tempted to believe that there are no more saints in this world. But the church reminds us that […]

(Feast Day ~ February 26) The responsibilities of political leadership are great. Whether a public official is elected or receives his position through inheritance, his (or her) duty to protect, defend, and guide the people in his charge must be taken very seriously. The world has known many leaders who yielded to the temptation for […]

(Feast Day ~ February 25) The saints of God show us, time and time again, that holiness “runs in families.” There are numerous stories of how a saintly parent’s prayers brought a son or daughter to righteous living [such as St. Monica and St. Augustine], or how a devoted brother or sister influenced a sibling […]

(Feast Day ~ February 24) How often have we come to the end of a good novel and wished that there was more to the story? The characters presented in the book remain alive in our minds and we want to know what would have happened next. Greater than any novels we could ever read […]

(Feast Day – February 22) All four Gospels relate the story of Joseph of Arimathea, who provided a tomb for the body of Christ following the Crucifixion. Joseph is variously described as a rich man, a counsellor, and as a follower of Christ. The picture we get is of one who was highly regarded in […]