Winchester, VA - Born in 1568, Saint Aloysius was a spiritually precocious child. As the firstborn son, he stood to inherit his father's high status and title, but due to his experience in the Spanish royal court, he rejected that life and studied lives of the saints to console himself. At eleven he catechized children, fasted, and lived an ascetic life. For four years his father unsuccessfully fought his vocation. He […]
Winchester, VA - Blessed Michelina was born in the early fourteenth century to a noble family and was married to a nobleman at the tender age of twelve. They led a shallow, indulgent existence, assuring that there was only one child, a son, born of their union. Michelina's spouse died in the eighth year of their marriage, and she grew close to a holy woman from Syria. Upon the sudden […]
Winchester, VA - Saint Julitta, and her son Quriaqos were martyred around 304 A.D. Having fled to Tarsus, Julitta and three year old Quriaqos were recognized as Christians and were taken to the authorities for punishment. Two versions of their story exist. In the first Quriaqos was thrown down stairs and killed for scratching the governor's face, to which Julitta responded with joy for her son having received the crown of […]
Winchester, VA - Born Fernando Martins in Lisbon, Portugal, Saint Anthony entered religious formation at 15. Ordained with the Augustinians, when the bodies of the first Franciscan martyrs passed through Lisbon, he was consumed with desire to join the Franciscans and evangelize the Muslims in Morocco. Upon making it to Morocco, his health declined and he was forced to abandon this mission, but this detour paved the way for his preaching […]
Winchester, VA - Wife, mystic, and mother of seven, Blessed Anna Maria Taigi was gifted with many supernatural experiences, but understood that her sanctity would be achieved by the acceptance of the duties and sufferings of her state in life. Born in Siena, Italy, in 1769, she married the pious but hot tempered Dominic Taigi, and soon thereafter, abandoning all worldliness, embraced a life of penance, humility, service, and submission to […]
WINCHESTER, VA - Jacques Berthieu was born in 1838 to a humble French family, the second of seven children. He was a diocesan priest for 9 years before entering the Society of Jesus to become a missionary. Father Berthieu served around and in Madagascar and accepted his trials with saintly resignation. There was much seed to sow and little harvest to reap. When relations between Madagascar and France turned bitter, the […]
Winchester, VA - Born in Spain in 1549, Ann was orphaned at ten by a brutal Spanish plague. She was graced from youth with an extraordinary spiritual life complete with visions and revelations. Her vocation as a religious was given to her in a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and at 21 she entered the first of Saint Teresa of Avila's Discalced Carmelite monasteries, St. Joseph's. A hard-working lay-sister, she […]
Winchester, VA - A native of the Rhineland, young Saint Norbert was anything BUT saintly, even entering the religious life for worldly reasons, but Jesus had other plans. On a late night ride in a terrible thunderstorm, Norbert's horse bucked and threw Norbert to the ground. Regaining consciousness, he asked, “Lord what do you want me to do?” and Jesus replied, “Turn from evil and do good. Seek peace and pursue […]
Winchester, VA - Saint Boniface was born around 675 in Wessex, England. From an early age he received his education at the local monastery. When he had exhausted the education there, he moved on to another monastery for more studies, and ended up being a very successful teacher. He felt the call to the missionary life, and abandoned his position at the monastery to evangelize the people of Friesland, modern day […]
Sermons culled from traditional Catholic priests according to the season.
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