Catholic Fire

Today is the feast of St. Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), virgin and Doctor of the Church. She helped reform the Carmelite order and founded 17 monasteries. Teresa de Ahumada y Cepeda was born in Avila, Castile, Spain, on March 28, 1515.  Her family was prominent, as her father was a wealthy merchant.  Teresa was the "most beloved" among her nine brothers and sisters.  From her youth, she showed great zeal and piety, as well as courage.  However, the one trait of Teresa that stood out the most was her strong will.  When she was seven years old, St. Teresa ran away with her brother to the land occupied by the Moors in hopes of attaining the crown of martyrdom.  However, they only made it a few miles down the road. Teresa was considered by all those around her to be exceptionally beautiful. She also had an irresistible charm, a sharp wit, a kind nature, and was lively and animated. She was extroverted and sociable. Everyone loved to be around her.  S...

The Legend of St. Ursula: Apotheosis of St. Ursula. Vittore Carpaccio 1491. Galleria dell'Accademia, Venice, Italy. St Ursula, virgin and martyr, is a saint of the 3rd or 4th century. She was accompanied by some virgin companions who were also martyred. The number of the martyrs varies from five to eleven. She has been venerated by the whole of Christendom for many centuries. Some of the elements of Ursula's story may be legend, but her existence and sanctity are proven. Her colorful story provided the basis for some of the most beautiful works of art in medieval and renaissance Europe. Tradition tells us that Ursula was a beautiful and virtuous princess, the daughter of Dionotus, the King of Cornwall. By order of the Emperor Maximilian, she and many young women were betrothed to some of his subjects in Armorica. Ursula had already consecrated her life to Christ and desired to remain a virgin, so she insisted on many difficult conditions being fulfilled before marriage. She de...

St. Teresa of Avila: Favorite Quotes and Prayers Prayer for a Busy Life by St. Teresa of Avila Brief Biography of St. Teresa of Avila Detailed Biography of St. Teresa of Avila Excerpts from Interior Castle : "This body has one fault, that the more people pamper it, the more its wants are made known. It is strange how much it likes to be indulged. How well it finds some good pretext to deceive the poor soul! . . . Oh, you who are free from the great troubles of the world, learn to suffer a little for the love of God without everyone's knowing it! . . . " "Sometimes the Devil proposes to us great desires, so that we shall not put our hand to what we have to do, and serve our Lord in possible things, but stay content with having desired impossible ones. Granting that you can help much by prayer, don't try to benefit all the world, but those who are in your company, and so the work will be better for you are much bounden to them...." A LOVE SONG by Saint Teres...

Jane Frances Fremiot was born on January 23, 1572, into a prominent and prosperous family of Dijon, in France. Her father was the president of the parliament and a wealthy landowner; her mother, who died in childbirth when Jane was about eighteen months old, was a descendant of St. Bernard of Clairvaux. By the time she was twenty, Jane was a beautiful, lively, charming young woman, not only rich and clever, but also possessing high ethical standards of service and a capacity for hard work. In 1592, she was wed to Baron Christophe Rabutin-Chantal, a member of the aristocracy and a soldier in the king’s service, who did not hesitate to leave the care of his neglected estate to Jane. As result of her diligent efforts, the family lived comfortably. In spite of the fact that her first two children died in infancy, Jane was supremely happy in her role as wife and mother and administrator of a large property which gave her a chance to practice great charity toward the poor. She set up soup ki...

St. John Mary Vianney (Saint Jean Baptiste Vianney in French) is such a special saint and a dear friend to me that one post hardly seems enough to write about how holy and precious he is. I would like to share a brief biography as well as some of my favorite quotes, and a prayer to St. John Vianney. May 8, 1786 in the village of Dardilly in France. The son of a poor farmer, he worked as a shepherd on the farm in his youth and taught other children their prayers and catechism. He did not receive any formal education until he was 20 years old. While a student he was called for military service, and became a delinquent military recruit more or less because of illness, and hid to escape Napoleon's police. He had difficulty learning Latin, and twice failed the examinations required before ordination. He was finally ordained at the age of 30, but was thought to be so incompetent he was placed under the direction of Fr. Balley, a holy priest in a neighboring village, for further training...

St. Leopold Bogdan Mandic (1866-1942) was a Croatian-born Franciscan priest and noted confessor who spent most of his priestly life in Padua, Italy and was canonized in 1983. On May 12, 1866, in Croatia, a twelfth child was born to Peter and Caroline Mandic. He was named and baptised Bogdan, 'the God-given-one'. Although physically frail, from his youth he showed signs of great spiritual strength and integrity. At the age of 16 years, Bogdan left home for Italy to attend the Seraphic School where he was taught by the Capuchins at Udine and was also an aspirant to the order. Life was not easy for him there, since he was physically malformed and still delicate in health. At the age of 18, Bogdan entered the Capuchin Order as a novice at Bassano del Grappa and took the religious name of Brother Leopold. After his Profession of Vows at 23, he embarked on a course of clerical studies first at Padua and then at Venice. Finally, he was ordained in Venice at the age of 28. In the mid-...