Father Molinari, longtime promoter of saints’ causes, dies at 90 in Rome. Below is the story by Cindy Wooden of Catholic News Service ROME (CNS) — Italian Jesuit Father Paolo Molinari, official promoter of sainthood causes great and small, died at the age of 90 at the Jesuit headquarters in Rome May 2. From 1957 to 2010, ...read more

Sister Marianne Cope (formerly Barbara Koob) was born January 23, 1838 and baptized the following day in what is now Hessen, West Germany. The young Sister Marianne worked as a teacher and hospital administrator in New York. In 1870, she was elected superior of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse. Seven years later she became second ...read more

Below is the full text of Pope Francis’ homily during Canonization Mass for three new saints, Sunday May 12 at St. Peter’s Square. Transcription and translation courtesy of Vatican Radio. Dear brothers and sisters! In this seventh Sunday of Easter we are gathered to celebrate with joy a feast of holiness. Thanks be to God ...read more

February 11 will long be remembered as the day Pope Benedict announced his resignation – the first pontiff in 600 years to do so. But do you recall the event during which he made his stunning declaration? The Holy Father had convoked a meeting of cardinals to vote on three causes for canonization. As expected, ...read more

The morning after his election, the first item on Pope Francis’ agenda was visiting the Basilica of St. Mary Major, where he left a bouquet of flowers for Our Lady. He returns to the basilica on Saturday, once again with a Marian intention. The pontiff will pray the rosary, which will be broadcast live on ...read more

For 48 years, Dr. Seymour I. Schwartz served on the surgical faculty of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. During his long career, this NYC-born surgeon became fascinated by the popular devotion to saints, particularly among those who are ill. In 2012, Dr. Schwartz and co-author Christopher Hoolihan wrote “Holystic Medicine”, a ...read more

The full text of Pope Beendict XVI’s homily at the Mass concluding the XIII Ordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops for the New Evangelization. Dear Brother Bishops, Distinguished Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Brothers and Sisters, The miracle of the healing of blind Bartimaeus comes at a significant point in the structure of Saint Mark’s ...read more

Among the seven new saints canonized by Benedict XVI this past weekend, maybe one of the lesser known new saints is Anna Schäffer, an example of how to accept pain and suffering. Anna was born in Mindelstetten, German on February 18, 1882. Her family was not a rich family and the death of her father ...read more

Beatified by Blessed John Paul II in 1980, Kateri Tekakwitha was proclaimed the first Native woman saint by Pope Benedict XVI on October 21, 2012. Saint on October 21, 2012 ...read more

Sister Marianne Cope (formerly Barbara Koob) was born January 23, 1838 and baptized the following day in what is now Hessen, West Germany. The young Sister Marianne worked as a teacher and hospital administrator in New York. In 1870, she was elected superior of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse. Seven years later she became second ...read more