Winchester, VA - St. Dorothy was born somewhere between 279 and 290, and although she is considered a martyr of the Diocletianic Persection, her death took place after his resignation. Dorothy was a virgin who was brought before the prefect Sapricius, who tried her, and ordered her to be tortured and put to death. On her way to her execution in 311, her pagan lawyer Theophilus mocked her, saying, “Bride of […]
Winchester, VA - Born either in Catania or Palermo, Sicily around 231, Agatha hailed from a rich and noble family. She dedicated her virginity to God at a very young age, and at fifteen rejected the proposition of the Roman prefect Quintianus. In retaliation, Quintianus sent Agatha to a brothel, but Agatha was unmoved in her resolve to maintain her purity. She was then thrown into prison, at which time she […]
Winchester, VA - Saint Bathildis was born around the year 626, an Anglo-Saxon who was born of an elite heritage. She was sold into slavery as a young girl and served in the household of the mayor of the palace to King Clovis, the King of the Franks. The mayor of the palace wanted to marry Bathildis, as he had been widowed, but she was not amenable to that idea. She […]
Winchester, VA - Saint Paul, born Saul, was the prized student of Rabbi Gamaliel. He eagerly assisted in the persecutions of the early Christians. The Acts of the Apostles tells us that he would enter house after house, dragging out men and women and handing them over to be imprisoned. While on the way to Damascus, he was knocked off his horse and struck blind, he encountered Jesus, who told Saul […]
Winchester, VA - Saint Vincent was born in the third century at Huesca, near Saragossa, Spain. He was educated and ordained to the diaconate by Bishop Valerius of Saragossa, and was given orders to preach throughout the diocese, for the bishop himself had a speech impediment. As with so many of our saints, Saint Vincent ended up caught up in the Diocletian persecution. Vincent and Bishop Valerius were imprisoned in Valencia. […]
Winchester, VA - You might be asking yourself, so is the Chair of Peter an actual piece of furniture, or is the Feast of the Chair of Peter about the significance of St. Peter's position as appointed by Christ. Well, the answer is, both. The chair itself is an ancient wooden chair, located at St. Peter's Basilica, which was said to have been used by Saint Peter himself. It was covered […]
Winchester, VA - Considered the Father of Monasticism, St. Anthony of the Desert, or Anthony the Great as he is often referred, was born in 251, in Herakleopolis Magna in Egypt, to wealthy landowners. He, like his acquaintance Saint Paul the Hermit, was orphaned as a youth, at the age of 18. He was given charge of his younger sister, but inspired by Jesus' counsel in the Gospel of Matthew to […]
Winchester, VA - Born into the noble family of Leopardi in Umbria, Saint Berard lived in the early 13th century and was one of the earliest Franciscian friars, being received into the order by St. Francis himself in 1213. He was fluent in Arabic and had the holy gift of preaching. With four other Franciscans, he was chosen to go to Morocco to evangelize the Muslims. The only one of the […]
Winchester, VA - Today's Lives of the Saints and martyrs is special because we honor a married couple. The story goes that Julian was forced into marriage by his family, but he and Basilissa agreed to preserve their virginity and lived in a Josephite marriage. Their fruitfulness would come through their spiritual children. Julian encouraged Basilissa to found a convent, which she did and she became the superior of the convent. […]
Sermons culled from traditional Catholic priests according to the season.
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