Catholic Fire

The saint of the day for March 15 is St. Louise de Marillac. Louise was born near Meaux, Auvergne, France, on August 12, 1591. Born out of wedlock, Louise never knew her mother, but was raised by her father, a member of the aristocracy. When her father married, Louise had a difficult time adjusting and was sent to be a resident student at a Dominican convent where her aunt was a religious. When Louise was about sixteen years old, she believed she had a call to the religious life, but, after consulting her spiritual director, she decided not to pursue it. Instead, she married Antoine Le Gras. The couple had a son and Louise devoted most of her time in her motherly duties. While at prayer, Louise had a vision in which she saw herself serving the poor and living the vows of religion in community. She wrote this experinence down on parchment and carried it on her person as a reminder that despite her difficulties, God was guiding her life. In that vision a priest appeared to her...

The saint of the day for March 15 is St. Louise de Marillac. Louise was born near Meaux, Auvergne, France, on August 12, 1591. Born out of wedlock, Louise never knew her mother, but was raised by her father, a member of the aristocracy. When her father married, Louise had a difficult time adjusting and was sent to be a resident student at a Dominican convent where her aunt was a religious. When Louise was about sixteen years old, she believed she had a call to the religious life, but, after consulting her spiritual director, she decided not to pursue it. Instead, she married Antoine Le Gras. The couple had a son and Louise devoted most of her time in her motherly duties. While at prayer, Louise had a vision in which she saw herself serving the poor and living the vows of religion in community. She wrote this experinence down on parchment and carried it on her person as a reminder that despite her difficulties, God was guiding her life. In that vision a priest appeared to her, w...

St. John-Francis Regis was born at Font-Couverte in the diocese of Narbonne, in Languedoc. The son of a wealthy merchant, he was educated at the Jesuit College at Beziers, and at Cahors, Le Puy, Auch, and Tournon. At the age of eighteen he entered the Society of Jesus at Beziers, was ordained in 1631 at the age of 34. He worked with plague victims in Toulouse, France and taught at Pamiers. He was a skilled preacher and catechist who so good that the children he taught helped bring their parents back to the Church. He established hostels for prostitutes , whom he called “Daughters of Refuge” , who wished to leave the business and was often assaulted for his trouble. He helped a group of country girls stay away from the cities by establishing them in the lacemaking and embroidery trade. St. John also established confraternities of the Blessed Sacrament, and through his powerful preaching, made numerous conversions among the Huguenots. He died while preaching a mission and was canonize...