Every Day In Christian History

 The church of Our Mother the New was built on Mount Zion and completed in 543, but was later destroyed during an earthquake in the year 746. Recent archeology confirms that the      Church was very large for the time at over 100 meters long and 52 meters wide. Antoninus of Piacenza, who visited the Basilica in about 570, wrote,      “With its great congregation of monks, and its guest houses for men and women. In catering for travellers, they have a vast number of tables, and more than 3 thousand beds for      the sick.” The Emperor Justinian is justifiably famous for his construction of the magnificent Church of the Holy Wisdom. Archaeologists working in the region near Jerusalem believe      they have found this miraculous quarry.

 Bede was born near St. Peter and St. Paul monastery at Wearmouth-Jarrow, England. He was sent there when he was three and educated by Abbots Benedict Biscop and Ceolfrid.      He became a monk at the monastery, was ordained when thirty, and except for a few brief visits elsewhere, spent all of his life in the monastery, devoting himself to the study      of Scripture and to teaching and writing. He is considered one of the most learned men of his time and a major influence on English literature.      His writings are a veritable summary of the learning of his time and include commentaries on the Pentateuch and various other books of the Bible,      theological and scientific treatises, historical works, and biographies. His best-known work is the history of the English Church and people, which he completed in 731.      Called "the Venerable" to acknowledge his wisdom and learning, the title was formalized at the Council of Aachen in 853. He was a careful scholar and distingu

 The image, painted by an unknown Roman artist around 1500, probably decorated the Church wall that faced Via Capitolina, part of the route of Papal processions between the Basilica of St. John Lateran and the Vatican. The Chapel dated back to the 11th century and for a while it served as a funeral Chapel     for the Astalli family who owned properties. St Ignatius’s heritage sparked his devotion to Our Lady: In 1522, his vigil before the Black Madonna of Montserrat;      In 1534, his first vows at Montmartre, Paris, on the feast of the Assumption; In 1538, his first Mass in St. Mary Major in Rome on Christmas; In 1540,      Fr. Codacio, the first Italian Jesuit, was able to use his influence in the Papal court to obtain What Ignatius really wanted: the title to the tiny Church of S. Maria della Strada.      Early in 1541, the Roman Jesuits moved into rooms rented from the Astalli family right next to the Chapel. The first Church that the Jesuits acquired was a small      Chapel named

 Catherine de’ Pazzi was born into a noble family in Florence in 1566. The normal course would have been for her to have married into wealth and enjoyed comfort,      but Catherine chose to follow her own path. At 9, she learned to meditate from the family confessor. She made her first Communion at the then-early age of 10,      and made a vow of virginity one month later. At 16, Catherine entered the Carmelite convent in Florence because she could receive Communion daily there.      She had taken the name Mary Magdalene and had been a novice for a year when she became critically ill. Death seemed near, so her superiors let her make her profession of vows      in a private ceremony from a cot in the Chapel. Immediately after, Mary Magdalene fell into an ecstasy that lasted about two hours. This was repeated after Communion      on the following 40 mornings. These ecstasies were rich experiences of union with God and contained marvellous insights into divine truths.      She read the th

 This north Italian shrine in Lombardy originated with a painting of the Blessed Virgin on the outside of a house. During an epidemic of plague that devastated Brescia in 1478,      it became the occasion of miracles of healing. The symptoms of the plague began with a severe headache, and then the lymph glands would become swollen.      The victim’s body would literally decay before they would suddenly die. The plague began in March of the year and continued until July the next year.      200 people died per day in the town, while the population of the city dropped from just under 40,000 to somewhat less than 4,000 during that perilous time.      The Church of Our Mother of Miracles in Brescia was built to honor the image of the Blessed Virgin before which so many people were miraculously healed.      Construction began in 1488 in thanksgiving to the Blessed Virgin for those who survived, but work was not completed until 1500.      The image that was once seen on a house near the Churc

 Rossi was born in a village near Genoa, Italy. His family loved him. They were proud when a wealthy couple visiting their town offered to educate him.      His parents knew the couple and trusted them. John was happy to be able to go to their house in Genoa because then he could attend school. Everything was going well for John.      He became a student for the priesthood at the Roman College. He realized that studies were easy for him and took on more and more of a load. Even though his health was always poor,      Rossi did so much good for the people of Rome. He knew what it was like not to feel well, so Rossi took a special interest in sick people.      He was a frequent visitor in Rome's hospitals. He especially loved to spend time with the poor people at the Hospice of St. Galla. This was a shelter for the poor and homeless.      But Rossi became aware of poor people who had no one to look after their spiritual needs. The pope gave Father Rossi money to open a shelter for ho

 One of the most famous and most beautiful of all icons of the Mother of God is that of Our Mother of Vladimir. She is depicted cheek to cheek with the Divine Child whose arms      caress her and the image is noble in workmanship. It was painted in Constantinople in the twelfth century but is first heard of in Kiev where it was taken in 1155 to the city      of Vladimir. The horses pulling the cart taking the icon to Kiev stopped in Vladimir and refused to budge from that spot. The Assumption Cathedral was built there in honor      of the Blessed Virgin and to house her image. It became famous for wonders and was reverenced as Russia’s most sacred image so that it was in 1395 enshrined in the cathedral      of the Assumption in the Kremlin at Moscow during the time of Tamerlane’s invasion. Several times the Tartars were beaten back under its inspiration and it was carried to critical      places in time of distress. It was taken to the attlefront during World War I and the Communist Jo

 Emmanuel was born near Tuy-Pontevedra, Spain, and having completed his studies, he received priestly ordination at the age of 25 and began to exercise the priestly ministry      in his Diocese. Beginning in 1904, he was received at his request by the neighbouring Diocese of Braga, Portugal, becoming parish priest of Valdevez, and Monção.      In 1913, when political and religious problems set in, he was given leave to sail for Brazil. After a short stay in Rio de Janeiro,      the Bishop welcomed him to his Diocese of Rio Grande do Sul. He was so assiduous in his pastoral work that in eight years he changed the face of the parish,      and also cared for the Indians. In addition, he was regularly requested to look after the neighbouring Parish as administrator. It was here, in this second parish entrusted to him,      that he was soon to suffer martyrdom. He was beatified by Pope benedict XVI in 2007

 The first daughter-house of Citeaux, was founded by St. Bernard’s Cistercian Order. It was one of the largest Cistercian Abbeys and one of the first four abbeys for women.      These Abbeys had a major role in the future organization of the Cistercian Order. During the years 1165 and 1166 the Abbey was at the very heart of disputes.      The convent buildings were reconstructed during the 13th century, and in 1362 the whole complex was surrounded by a stout wall and moat with a single door served by a drawbridge.      In 1574, Rev. Francis Beugre rebuilt the abbey cloister and other buildings. In the year 1760, Fr. Francois Chemilly added some new construction,      including an addition to the front of the Abbey house. The pediment that can still be seen is decorated with his coat of arms.

 Bernardine was born in a town near Siena, Italy. He was the son of an Italian governor and his parents died when he was seven. His relatives gave him a good education.      He grew up to have a special love for the Blessed Mother. She was the one who kept him pure. When a plague struck the area in 1400,      Bernardine and his friends volunteered their services at the hospital. They helped the sick and dying day and night for six weeks until the plague had ended.      Bernardine joined the Franciscan order when he was 22. He became a priest. Bernardine spread devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus.      He asked people to print Jesus' Name over the gates of their cities, over their doorways--everywhere. Through devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus and devotion to the Blessed Mother,      Bernardine brought thousands of people from all over Italy back to the Church. He died at the age of 64 in Aquila, Italy. He was declared a saint in 1450, by Pope Nicholas V.

 Margaret of Constantinople, was a relative of the Count Guy de Dampier. St. Bernard had established an order of nuns in the year 1234. Margaret presented St. Bernard with the      Abbey near Douay. Archbishop Peter of Rheims had dedicated the shrine to Our Mother of Flines. This shrine became a place of pilgrimage as a result of the miraculous cures.      The little one had been seriously injured while playing about the stable-yard. The doctors pronounced her hopelessly lame for life. Margaret, however,      was confident in Our Mother’s intercession, and took the child to the neighbouring shrine every Saturday and begged the Mother of God to be merciful to the child      as well as to the grieving parents. After the fifteenth visit, the little girl, with a happy cry, jumped from the arms of her mother. Our Mother indeed cured her in that instant.      The renown of the shrine continued to spread over time, and many pilgrimages to Our Mother of Flines was the result.      In the words

 When the father of this Italian saint died, his good mother brought up her twelve children well, even though they were very poor. She wanted one of her sons to be a saint.      When he was twenty, Peter became a hermit and spent his days praying and reading the Holy Bible. If he was not praying or reading, he would copy books or do some hard work.      Because other hermits kept coming to him and begging him to guide them, he started a new Order. Peter was an old monk, eighty-four years of age when he was made Pope.      Poor Peter wept when he heard the news, but he sorrowfully accepted and took the name Celestine V. He was Pope only about five months. Because he was so humble and simple,      everyone took advantage of him. He could not say "no" to anyone, and soon matters were in great confusion. At last, the Saint decided that he had better give up his position as Pope.      He did so and then throw himself at the feet of the Cardinals for not having been capable of gove

 The Abbey of Our Mother of Bonport was founded on March 11th, 1190, by King Richard the Lion Heart, King of England and Duke of Normandy.      The king was in peril of his life on the river Seine when he made a vow that he would found a monastery on that side if he arrived safely on the opposite bank of the river.      The abbey was built shortly afterwards in that place in the north of France in the Haute-Normandy region with the help of many of the local lords.      Our Mother of Bonport is one of the few remaining Cistercian abbeys in Normandy with monastic buildings

 John was a priest of Rome. He became pope after the death of Pope St. Hormisdas in 523. At that time, Italy's ruler, Theodoric the Goth, was an Arian.      Theodoric let Catholics alone at the beginning of his reign. Later, he changed and became arrogant and suspicious of everyone.      He imagined there was a conspiracy against him. After a while, he believed the whole world was out to get his throne and his power. The one person who most certainly did not      want either was the Pope. Theodoric was trying to get Pope John involved in his political problems. The emperor was having trouble with Emperor Justin I of Constantinople.      It had been reported that Justin was being too hard on the Arians in the east. Theodoric sent a delegation to negotiate with Justin.      The delegation was headed by Pope John I. Emperor Justin received the Pope and his companions with rejoicing. Justin was very willing to change his harsh policy.      Pope John's mission went very well. But Em

 A devout man named Diotallevi d’Antonio Santilli was the owner of a modest house near the town of Spoleto, Italy. It was a time when the faithful would often have religious      artwork painted on the outside of their homes, and there were students of master painter Pietro Vannucci who would often do the work. On 4th October 1483,      Mr. Santilli had an image of the Blessed Virgin with the Divine Child in her arms painted on the wall of his residence. Interestingly,      the original painting also depicted St. Francis at the left of the Blessed Virgin. The painting was completed on the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi.      It was nearly two years later, on Friday, August 5, 1485, when there were those who saw tears of blood fall from the eyes of the Madonna.      News of the miracle caused considerable excitement, for here the image of Our Mother wept. People came from all over the region to see the bloody tears fall from the eyes     of the Madonna, and not all of them were Cath

 Catherine of Alexandria, also known as Catherine of the Wheel, is a Catholic saint, virgin and martyr. She was the beautiful daughter of King of Alexandria,      who at a young age decided to remain a virgin. She decided upon Christ, who reigns over us all. While yet a teenager, Catherine received a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary      and Her Divine Son Jesus Christ. In this vision, the Mother of God gave Catherine to her Son in a mystical marriage. Mystical marriage is in some senses very similar to a      marriage ceremony, as Christ presents the chosen soul with a ring that is often visible to others, and often there are saints and angels present. Catherine was martyred by      the Roman Emperor when she refused his proposal of marriage. Her body was taken by Angels to Mount Sinai where a Church and monastery were built in her honour.

 In LePuy, France, there is a massive rock, probably of volcanic origin. It towers almost 2,500 feet above sea level. On the very top of this huge pedestal,      there is an enormous metal statue of the Blessed Virgin and Child, erected in 1860. It is the second largest statue in the world. The figure of the virgin,      approximately fifty-five feet high, stands upon a globe; above her head is a starry crown, her feet crush a serpent. The Infant sits on her right arm,      His right hand raised in blessing of the entire countryside. The project to build the statue was actually initiated in 1847 with the desire to construct a religious monument      to recognize the area of Puy-en-Velay. In order to find a worthy model of the Blessed Virgin and her Divine Son, a competition was held having very specific requirements,      such as “the Child Jesus is to be depicted blessing the city of Puy without hiding the face of His Mother.” Three years later,      the 105 main parts of the statue a

 Our Mother of Altotting lies amid the mountains about three miles in upper Bavaria. The miraculous healings that have occurred there are so numerous that the shrine is      known as the “Lourdes of Germany.” It is perhaps the most famous miracle occurred in the year 1489. A young boy had drowned, and his mother brought his body to lay at the      feet of the image of the Mother of God, seeking a miracle. She was not disappointed, as her son was restored to life before many witnesses.      From that time on, the Chapel became a popular place of pilgrimage. A Benedictine monastery was founded there in 1330 by the Emperor Ludwig IV,      who established a community of twelve knights with their families to guard the place. However, it is the Capuchin Friars who have served the shrine now for centuries.      The emperor Ludwig gave a small statue of the Mother of God, carved in Italy; and the place was soon famous both for its shrine of Mary and the learning of the monks.      The Chapel h

 Between May 13 and October 13, 1917, three Portuguese children–Francisco and Jacinta Marto and Lucia dos Santos–received apparitions of Our Mother at Cova da Iria near Fatima,      Lisbon. Mary asked the children to pray the rosary for world peace, for the end of World War I, for sinners, and for the conversion of Russia.      Mother Mary gave the children three secrets. Following the deaths of Francisco and Jacinta in 1919 and 1920 respectively, Lucia revealed the first secret in 1927.      It concerned devotion to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. The second secret was a vision of hell. When Lucia grew up she became a Carmelite nun and died in 2005 at the age of 97.      The third secret was linked to the assassination attempt against Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square on May 13, 1981. Our Mother of Fatima continues to work miracles today      through Fatima water which is sent from Fatima, Portugal around the world. This Fatima water sprang up in Fatima at the spot the Bishop told

 In the 14th century, the Church in Aubervilliers is the very location that experienced so many miracles during the Middle Ages. The Church was originally dedicated to      St. Christopher, yet the name soon changed to honor the Mother of God in recognition of the graces and miracles obtained there due to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.      The first miracle occurred on May 14th, 1336, known locally at the Miracle of Rain. It was during a time of terrible drought when a small girl entered the Church of      St. Christopher with flowers to adorn the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary. While praying that Our Mother would send rain to save the crops,      the girl suddenly noticed that the statue became covered with what appeared to be drops of sweat and the sky turned dark as the weather turned to rain.      The inhabitants of the parish flocked to the Church, alerted by the sound of the Church bell, to see the wonder and give thanks to God for this miracle.      This was bu

 In October of 1717, Dom Pedro de Almedida, travelled from Sao Paulo to Minas Gerais. During his journey, he passed through a small city in the Paraiba river valley.      During his time there, the local people had decided to put together a great party that would require an incredible number of fish.      Gathered together were three fishermen who had a special devotion to Our Mother of the Immaculate Conception. Prior to fishing,      all three men plead to God that they would be blessed with more than enough fish. At that time, one of the men got on his knees swiftly and prayed saying,      “Mother of God and our Mother; we need to find fish!” To their amazement, they hauled in the body of a statue, as well as the statue’s head. After cleaning the statue,      they discovered that it was Our Mother of the Immaculate Conception. They named the statue Our Mother of Aparecida.      They wrapped a statue they had found in cloth and continued to fish. All of a sudden, through the grace of

 The incomparable faith and piety of St. Helena greatly influenced her son Constantine, the first Christian Emperor, and served to kindle a holy zeal in the hearts of the people      of the Roman Empire. In her 18th year she made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, with the ardent desire of discovering the Cross on which Our Blessed Redeemer suffered. After many labors,      three crosses were found on Mount Calvary, together with the nails and the inscription recorded by the Evangelists. It still remained to identify the true Cross of Our Lord.      By the advice of the Bishop, Macarius, the three were applied successively to a woman afflicted with an incurable disease, and no sooner had the third touched her than she arose,      perfectly healed. The pious Empress, transported with joy, built a most glorious Church on Mount Calvary to receive the precious relic, sending portions of it to Rome,      Trier and Constantinople, where they were solemnly exposed to the adoration of the faithful. In

 This town attracts several million visitors each year because of the story that the house of Mary - the Santa Casa – was flown here from the Holy Land by a group of Angels in 1293.      In December 1294, the stones of the "House of Nazareth” were transported here by Angels in flight. In reality, studies have shown that transport by sea in some ships operated by      the Crusaders is a more likely possibility. After the Christians were expelled from the Holy Land by the enemies, the “Holy House” was first transported to Trsat in Croatia (1291),      then to Ancona in 1293 and finally to Loreto in December 1294. Studies on the stones of the "Holy House" confirm their Palestinian origin, because they use techniques that seem      typical of the work of the Nabataeans. There are numerous graffiti on the rocks, similar to Judeo-Christian-II of the fifth century and found in the Holy Land, particularly      in Nazareth. Inside the "Holy House" the image of Our Lady,

 In the autumn of 1872, Bartolo Longo arrived at the plain of Pompeii to take care of the affairs of Countess Marianna Farnararo De Fusco.      In that fertile agricultural region infested with robbers he also began to spread the Rosary among the sharecroppers of De Fusco and the farmers of the place.      With his wife's help, he inaugurated a confraternity of the Rosary and he had need of a picture of the Blessed Virgin before which the Rosary could be recited every day.      He obtained one as a gift from a religious of the Monastery of the Rosary at Porta Medina. It portrayed Our Mother of the Rosary, with St. Dominic and St. Catherine of Siena.      Arriving at Naples on November 13, 1875, the picture was provisionally exposed in a small declining Chapel. But in that same month, Bartolo Longo received permission from the      Bishop of Nola to build a new Church. Miracles were reported and pilgrimages began to frequent the place. In 1979, John Paul II went on pilgrimage to Pom

In the year 1428, Our Mother of Haut, in Hainault, France, restored a child to life after it had been dead several days. He lived five hours after receiving the sacrament      and then melted away by degrees, like snow, in the presence of seventy-five persons. The Benedictines have perpetuated Haut by erecting a monastery where daily and hourly      the praises of Mary are sung in the canonical hours. Miracles still occur at the shrine of Our Mother of Haut; miracles of every nature and for every ardent plea sent for help      to Heaven’s Queen. Man is like ivy and he must cling to something to support him, that he may have courage to live. Man is, by nature, so imperfect and so inclined to evil,      that he has always some expiation to make, before he approaches the source of all sanctity; when this expiation appears to him proportioned to his fault,      he feels a surer confidence in the succor of Heaven; thence came the generous elation of the martyrs, who hoped in proportion to t

 In the year 1483, a man who had lost his money by gaming, after blaspheming at this picture, gave it four stabs with a dagger, and that it bled so copiously that      the miracle was at once divulged all over the city. This picture is still preserved in the Church of Our Mother of Peace, where it is to be seen at the high Altar.      The present Church of Our Mother of Peace in Rome is still standing. It was built by Pope Sixtus IV after the city of Rome had been under siege by the Duke of Calabria.      The Pope had made a vow that he would build a new Church in Rome in honor of Our Mother if peace could somehow be re-established between his Papal States and the cities of Florence,      Milan and Naples. Construction actually started in 1482 as an act of thanksgiving to the Blessed Virgin, but the work was not completed until the time of Pope Innocent VIII.      The venerated painting of Our Mother of Miracles depicts the Blessed Virgin holding the Divine Child. It currently hangs ov

 The image of Our Mother of Europe and Patroness of Gibraltar, is a wood carving approximately two feet high and beautifully polychromed which dates back to the end of the fifth      century. The capture of Gibraltar by the Spaniards from the Moors dates from 1462. Then subsequent to his conquest the Christians won the battle against the enemies last      stronghold in Europe. In thanksgiving, the people of Gibraltar converted the place at Europa Point into a Christian shrine in honour of the Mother of Christ,      venerating her as Our Mother of Europe and placing the whole of Europe under her protection. A statue of Our Mother sitting on a simple chair and holding the Child was carved      and placed in the Shrine.To the Kings of Spain, the Duke of Gibraltar and the people, the Rock was very much the Key to the kingdoms of East and West.      The devotion to Our Mother of Europe spread far and wide. Statues similar to the original image were carved and Bishops all over the Iberian Pe

 Caen is a city in the province of Normandy in north western France. It is probably most famous for the attractive historical buildings that have survived dating from the      time of the reign of William the Conqueror, who was buried here. The motto of the city was, “One God, one King, one Faith, and one Law.” It happened, that by means of faith,      hope and charity, and by the worthy reception of the Sacraments, many divine effects, wrought by His condescension are communicated to the souls.      Some are communicated according to the ordinary course of grace and others according to a more supernatural and wonderful order; and each one will be more or less conformable      to the disposition of the soul and to the ends intended by the Lord. For after He is found He allows Himself to be taken possession of and enjoyed by that by that hidden embrace,      which the Spouse felt, when She said, “I will hold Him and not dismiss Him.” Of this possession and of His presence the Lord himse

 The Black Madonna is a painting of the Madonna and Christ Child which legend states was painted by St. Luke the Evangelist. St. Luke is believed to have used a tabletop      from a table built by the carpenter Jesus. It was while Luke was painting Mary that she told him about the events in the life of Jesus that he eventually used in his Gospel.      This same legend states that that when St. Helen went to Jerusalem to search for the true cross in 326 AD, she happened upon this portrait of Our Mother.      She gave it to her son, Constantine, who had a shrine built to house it. In a critical battle with the Saracens, the portrait was displayed from the walls of Constantinople      and the Saracens were subsequently routed. The portrait was credited with saving the city. The painting was eventually owned by Charlemagne who subsequently presented the      painting to Prince Leo of Ruthenia (northwest Hungary). In 1382, invading Tartars attacked the Prince's fortress at Belz. In this

 The Cathedral of Oviedo was founded in 781 AD and enlarged by Alfonso the Chaste, who made Oviedo the capital of Kingdom of Asturias. In the city of Oviedo,      a Holy Chest that contains varied relics. This Holy Chest is made of oak and was skillfully constructed without the use of any nails.      It has been venerated by faithful Catholics since apostolic times. The chest originated in the Holy City of Jerusalem. When the Persain’s attacked and conquered Jerusalem in 614,      many priceless relics from the region were gathered and placed in it for protection, as the Persians sought relics to destroy them.      The chest was taken for safekeeping to a small community of Catholics in Alexandria, Egypt. A short time later the chest was taken across the Mediterranean Sea to Spain,      where St. Isidore kept it in Seville. Upon St. Isidore’s death, the chest was transferred to the city of Toledo, which was then becoming an important center in Spain.      After Mass, on Friday, March 1

 The month of May is flower-bedecked and to add to its loveliness, it is dedicated to the most beautiful flower of all, Mary, the Mother of God;      Our Queen of May. May devotions have a splendor all their own; when “On This Day O Beautiful Mother” peals forth it brings a deep feeling of closeness to Mary.      Reading down through the Litany of Our Mother, we have a list of the most meaningful titles the Church could bestow on any creature.      As all good earthly queens look to the welfare of their subjects, so does Mary on a much grander scale care for us. Hers is a heart adorned as no other heart,      with tenderness for the sinner Her Divine Son died to save; with meekness, to confound the proud, with kindness toward human frailty; with love for all,      because God has loved us first. During this month dedicated to her, let us admire the sinlessness of God’s Mother, of our own Heavenly Mother.