THE FRANCISCAN FRIARS, TOR

Blessed Jacopone da Todi Saint of the Day for December 22 (c. 1230 – December 25, 1306) Click to hear audio clip ► Blessed Jacopone da Todi’s Story Jacomo, or James, was born a noble member of the Benedetti family in the northern Italian city of Todi. He became a successful lawyer and married a […]

Saint John of Kanty Saint of the Day for December 23 (June 24, 1390 – December 24, 1473) Click to hear audio clip ► Saint John of Kanty’s Story John was a country lad who made good in the big city and the big university of Kraków, Poland. After brilliant studies he was ordained a priest […]

Christmas at Greccio Saint of the Day for December 24 Click to hear audio clip ► The Story of Christmas at Greccio What better way to prepare for the arrival of the Christ Child than to take a brief journey to Greccio, the spot in central Italy where Saint Francis of Assisi created the first Christmas […]

Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord Saint of the Day for December 25 Click to hear audio clip ► The Story of the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord On this day, the Church focuses especially on the newborn Child, God become human, who embodies for us all the hope and peace we […]

Saint Stephen Saint of the Day for December 26 (d. c. 36 ) Click to hear audio clip ► Saint Stephen’s Story As the number of disciples continued to grow, the Greek-speaking Christians complained about the Hebrew-speaking Christians, saying that their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. So the Twelve called together the […]

Saint John the Apostle Saint of the Day for December 27 (6 – 100) Click to hear audio clip ► Saint John the Apostle’s Story It is God who calls; human beings answer. The vocation of John and his brother James is stated very simply in the Gospels, along with that of Peter and his brother […]

Holy Innocents Saint of the Day for December 28 Click to hear audio clip ► The Story of the Holy Innocents Herod “the Great,” king of Judea, was unpopular with his people because of his connections with the Romans and his religious indifference. Hence he was insecure and fearful of any threat to his throne. […]

Saint Thomas Becket Saint of the Day for December 29 (December 21, 1118 – December 29, 1170) Click to hear audio clip ► Saint Thomas Becket’s Story A strong man who wavered for a moment, but then learned one cannot come to terms with evil and so became a strong churchman, a martyr and a saint—that was […]

Saint Egwin Saint of the Day for December 30 (d. c. 720) Click to hear audio clip ► Saint Egwin’s Story You say you’re not familiar with today’s saint? Chances are you aren’t—unless you’re especially informed about Benedictine bishops who established monasteries in medieval England. Born of royal blood in the 7th century, Egwin entered […]

Saint Sylvester I Saint of the Day for December 31 (d. 335) Click to hear audio clip ► Saint Sylvester I’s Story When you think of this pope, you think of the Edict of Milan, the emergence of the Church from the catacombs, the building of the great basilicas, Saint John Lateran, Saint Peter’s and others, […]