If you’re expecting twins, then you’ll have an even trickier task in terms of getting the perfect names. We’ve therefore created a list of saintly pairs along with reasons why they’re ideal choices for your little bundles. (Although the options are endless with the thousands of holy men in the Catholic Church.) While some have Read More…

History is filled with tales of revered, famous saints. Names like Teresa and John are etched in the hearts and minds of the faithful. Yet countless other saints remain in silent obscurity. Some of their stories, however, are whispered between worn stones and weathered frescoes. Nanni Di Banco’s “Four Crowned Saints,” which adorns Florence’s Orsanmichele Read More…

The stigmata are a “sign of the Paschal victory” as it is through “the wounds that the mercy” of Jesus “flows towards us,” said Pope Francis on April 5, 2024, at the Vatican, in a meeting with communities of Franciscan Friars from La Verna, a sanctuary located in Tuscany where St. Francis of Assisi received Read More…

Ostrog Monastery is the most popular pilgrimage place in Montenegro. It stands as a beacon of Serbian Orthodox faith, its existence being inextricably linked with the legacy of St. Basil of Ostrog, who is buried there. This 17th-century sanctuary, seemingly carved out of a sheer cliffside, reflects the spiritual influence of this revered figure.   Read More…

Among the rich and varied expressions of Marian devotion, the Greek title Panagia Gorgoepikoos, “She Who Is Quick to Hear,” resonates with a profound invitation: the invitation to listen. It’s a reminder that the fundamental religious attitude lies not in speech or outward action, but in deep and receptive listening. In a vision-driven world where Read More…

We can be tempted to think that prayer does not affect our actions, and that if we are praying, we are not responding to Jesus’ command to feed the poor or comfort the sick. However, prayer, especially contemplative prayer, can be a powerful catalyst in our charitable works. The Catechism of the Catholic Church explains Read More…

Many are familiar with the last words of St. John Paul II, which he mumbled in Polish, “Let me go to the house of the Father.“ However, he also penned a final prayer that would have been recited at the Regina Caeli address on Sunday, April 3, 2005. His address was directed to Divine Mercy Read More…

On March 14, 2024, Pope Francis recognized a miracle that occurred after the intercession of Estephan El Douaihy (or Istifan al-Duwayhi), a Lebanese former Patriarch of the Maronite Church who lived from 1630 to 1704. The Pope’s recognition opened the way for him to be recognized as blessed.  Aleteia spoke to Maronite Father Paul Azzi, Read More…

St. Thomas Aquinas deserves the term “angelic” doctor for more than one reason. This Italian friar and preacher, proclaimed a Doctor of the Church in 1567 by Pope Pius V, was renowned for his purity–Leo XIII emphasizes his “perfect integrity of morals”–and his luminous intelligence. In his motu proprio Doctoris Angelici, Pope Pius X refers Read More…

While the last few months of St. John Paul II’s life were full of medical issues that eventually led to his death, he was still preparing speeches and homilies. Some of these speeches he was able to give, but most he was not able to physically proclaim and the last Regina Caeli address he prepared Read More…

From “dumb ox” to “Angelic Doctor.” Quite an evolution! Thomas Aquinas was born in Aquino, near Naples, in 1225, into a large Italian family. He was educated by the Dominicans and, at the age of 19, entered the novitiate of the Order of Preachers against the advice of his parents. He continued his training in Read More…

Known for the harmonious geometry of his paintings, his use of perspective, and his humanism, Piero della Francesca is considered one of the leading figures of the Italian Renaissance. In 1454 he was commissioned to create an altarpiece for the high altar of the church of the Augustinians in the medieval hamlet of Borgo San Read More…