Blessed Margaret of Castello
Citta di Castello in Umbria – Sixteenth-century walls circumscribe and embrace this city of the Upper Tiber Valley, and give it a charming urban character. Located east of Arezzo and north of Perugia, the city is well known for its quaint commercial areas. Though originally a thriving pre-Roman town, its glory now is found in […]
A Legacy of Virtues part 1
The saints understood all the parts in the process of conversion by experiencing all parts themselves. Most calls to a deepening, more real and truthful union with God require change and a stripping away to the bare essentials of the gospel of Christ. Most of the saints in Traveling with the Saints in Italy shared […]
What are Saints?
Saints are not just “holier than thou” people whom the pope has recognized and who have survived the scrutiny process of canonization; they are people who have significantly touched and affected their neighbors or their communities as they met the unique challenges of their time to live in the presence of God and, as Christians, […]
St. Catherine of Bologna
Under the rule of the Byzantines, Lombards, and Franks, Bologna became a free municipality in the eleventh century. Around this same time period, the city became the cultural center of Europe with the establishment of the University of Bologna. The center of Bologna is the Piazza Maggiore where students, locals and tourists all gather, taking […]
St. Margaret of Scotland: In Scotland
King Malcolm met Margaret when her ship docked at what is now called St. Margaret’s Hope near North Queensferry. Malcolm fell in love with the beautiful lady. Margaret eventually agreed to marry him out of duty and because he could speak English. They were married at a church that would later become Dunfermline Abbey. Dunfermline […]
Italy: Cradle for Saints
Even though Italy has a history of integration, the people of Italy also identify themselves with the place of their birth, whether it be region or city. This sense of identity can be understood by looking at earlier civilizations. The Hebrews, for instance, believed that God was tied to their country Israel. Thus, when they […]
St. Thomas Aquinas
Latium (Lazio) – The region of Latium is in central Italy on the western side of the peninsula. The area is best known for the capital city of Rome, but it is very diverse both geographically and culturally. The western border is formed by the Tyrrhenian Sea that gives way to the flat coastal plains. […]
Bernini’s David
The statue of David (photo above) has three interesting points of study. It references the 3 moments: past, present, and future. It is a self-portrait of Bernini himself; and it showcases varying textures and qualities carved out of the one substance: marble. To begin with the three moments, in the past, David had taken off […]
St. Margaret of Scotland: History of Her Early Life
St. Margaret of Scotland was an English Princess born in Hungary. She was the daughter of Edward the Exile. In 1016, King Cnut, who had taken the throne of England, sent Edward to Sweden, where Cnut wanted to have him and his children murdered. The Swedish King Olof, though related to Cnut, had been friends […]
How to Pray Ceaselessly Stage 3: Fighting Distractions
“By the grace of God I am a Christian, by my deeds a great sinner, and by my calling a homeless wanderer of humblest origin, roaming from place to place.” – opening words in Chapter 1 of The Way of a Pilgrim And so the elder found the instruction of the Venerable Nicephorus the Solitary and […]