Catholic Fire

August 25 is the feast of St. Louis IX (1215-1270), King of France. Louis IX, son of Louis VIII and Blanche of Castile, was born at Poissy, April 25, 1215. Louis was twelve years old when his father's death made him king.At that time, his mother Queen Blanche of Castile, was declared regent and remained an important influence throughout his life. Louis had tutors who made him a master of Latin, taught him to speak easily in public and write with dignity and grace. But Blanche's primary concern was to implant in him a deep regard and awe for everything related to religion. She used often to say to him as he was growing up, "I love you my dear son, as much as a mother can love her child; but I would rather see you dead at my feet than that you should commit a mortal sin." At nineteen, he married Marguerite of Provence and the couple had eleven children. Louis was a model father and his children received careful instruction from him in the Christian life. ...

On August 16, the Church commemorates the feast day of St. Stephen of Hungary (975 - 1038), the last Grand Prince of the Hungarians (997 -1000) and the first Christian king of Hungary, who led his country to embrace Christianity. Prior to Stephen's birth, his mother, the duchess Sarolt had a vision in which St. Stephen, the martyr appeared to her and told her that her son would convert the people of Hungary to Catholicism. Born a pagan, Stephen was baptized at age 10, along with his parents, and was raised as a Christian. At the age of 20, he married Gisela, the daughter of Duke Henry II of Bavaria. Stephen crushed the pagan counter-reaction to Christianity, and converted the so-called Black Hungarians after their failed rebellion. In recognition of his efforts, Stephen was crowned king of Hungary at the age of 25, receiving the cross and the crown from Pope Sylvester II. His crown and regalia became beloved symbols of the Hungarian nation, and Stephen was venerated as th...