Fr. Scott A. Haynes On May 13, 1917, the Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, offering a message that would echo across the ages. Among her most comforting promises was this: “My Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way that will lead you to God.” In these few words, Our Lady offers not only consolation but direction—a path forward in times of spiritual confusion, fear, or discouragement. What does it mean to take refuge in her

We learn true devotion to Mary through the theology of the Marian Doctor, St. Bernard.

Fr. Scott Haynes Feast of St. Clare – August 11 Introduction: A City in Peril The year was 1240. Italy trembled under the shadow of Frederick II’s imperial ambitions. In his struggle with the papacy, the excommunicated emperor had hired Saracen mercenaries, fierce Muslim warriors from Sicily, to ravage the Papal States. Their swords burned through villages like lightning, leaving only ash and lamentation behind. The city of Assisi, jewel of Umbria and home to the Franciscan

Celebrate the Feast of St. Lawrence the Martyr through the eyes of Fra Angelico.

St. Cajetan is an example of fidelity to Christ, as he sought to reform the immoral clergy of his day.

Each year on August 5, we recall the snowy miracle heaven sent by Mary's intercession.

Fr. Scott Haynes A Meditation on a Physician Who Chose Christ "Freely have you received, freely give." (Matthew 10:8) In the early fourth century, during the fierce persecution of Christians under the Emperor Diocletian, a gifted young physician lived in the city of Nicomedia. His name was Pantaleon. His father was a pagan, but his mother, Saint Eubula, quietly planted the seeds of the Christian faith in his heart before she died. As he grew older, Pantaleon became one of the

Fr. Scott Haynes A Meditation for the Feast of Saint Anne: July 26 Every child needs someone who quietly shapes the future. Typically, it is a parent. Sometimes it is a teacher. Often it is a grandparent whose influence is hidden from the world but treasured by God. Saint Anne reminds us that ordinary acts of love can become part of God's extraordinary plan. The Holy Scriptures do not tell us about Saint Anne by name, but the ancient Christian tradition, especially the second

St. Anne, barren for years, prayed for a child. When God finally gave her Mary, as her bundle of joy, St. Anne presented Mary in the Temple.

Fr. Scott Haynes St James the Greater and his brother John were the sons of Zebedee. Though they were fishermen, it seems they were a little bit wealthier than the norm, for there is mention that their father had servants. Nicknamed the “Sons of Thunder” for their impulsive temperaments – James was one of the three disciples closest to Jesus Christ. He was with the Lord at the Transfiguration and he was there in Gethsemane’s Garden on the night Jesus was betrayed. He was a wi

Fr. Scott Haynes For the Feast of St. James July 25 For more than a thousand years, Christians have set out on one of the world's greatest pilgrimages: the journey to Santiago de Compostela, where tradition holds that the relics of Saint James the Greater rest. Kings and peasants, saints and sinners, scholars and laborers have walked these ancient paths seeking forgiveness, renewal, and a closer friendship with Jesus Christ. The Camino de Santiago is much more than a long wal

Fr. Scott Haynes Feast of Saint Marina of Antioch July 20 Saint Marina (Saint Margaret of Antioch) lived in an age remarkably similar to our own. The Roman Empire welcomed many religions. Citizens could worship a multitude of gods so long as they also honored the emperor and accepted the religious system of the empire. Christianity alone stood apart because Christians proclaimed that Jesus Christ is not merely one god among many but the eternal Son of God, the only Savior of

The history of Mt. Carmel as a holy place of God's power and love is part of our great religious heritage. Elijah prepares us for Christ.

Learn the connection between Our Lady and the Burning Bush.

Fr. Scott Haynes A Meditation for His Feast Day, July 11 On July 11, the Church remembers Pope Saint Pius I, one of the early successors of Saint Peter, a shepherd of the Roman Church in the second century, and traditionally honored as pope and martyr. His name may not be as familiar as those of Saint Peter, Saint Clement, or Saint Leo the Great, yet he belongs to that heroic age when the Church was still young, still persecuted, and still living close to the memory of the ap

Fr. Scott Haynes In the Franciscan convent of St. Clare in Coimbra, Portugal, behind the high altar, there rests a queen. Her shrine is not merely a monument of stone and metal. It is a sermon in silver and glass. The sarcophagus is placed beneath a graceful arch, raised in quiet dignity, as though the whole sanctuary has gathered itself around a mystery. Small circular windows open into the upper portion of the reliquary. The pilgrim bends close and looks down. At first, the

The young girl, Maria Goretti, was not only pure and virtuous, but full of courage and love.

Study 1 Peter 3:8–15 and learn how Christians are to live in harmony. Unity in Christ calls for a communion of hearts grounded in divine charity. This is evidenced in the life of St. Thomas More.

Imagine being born into royalty, raised in castles, surrounded by luxury—and yet choosing prayer over power, humility over pride, and service over self. That was the life of St. Henry, a man who held the highest earthly crown of his time yet never let go of the heavenly one.

Today, Holy Mother Church celebrates with solemn joy the joint feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the twin pillars upon which Christ built His Church in the world.