THE FRANCISCAN FRIARS, TOR

Saint Hugh of Grenoble Saint of the Day for April 1 (1053 – April 1, 1132) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr01.mp3 Saint Hugh of Grenoble’s Story Today’s saint could be a patron for those of us who feel so overwhelmed by all the problems in the world that we don’t know where to begin. Hugh, who served as a bishop in […]

Saint Francis of Paola Saint of the Day for April 2 (March 27, 1416 – April 2, 1507) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr02.mp3 Saint Francis of Paola’s Story Francis of Paola was a man who deeply loved contemplative solitude and wished only to be the “least in the household of God.” Yet, when the Church called him to active […]

Saint Benedict the African Saint of the Day for April 3 (1526 – 1589) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr03.mp3 Saint Benedict the African’s Story Benedict held important posts in the Franciscan Order and gracefully adjusted to other work when his terms of office were up. His parents were slaves brought from Africa to Messina, Sicily. Freed at 18, Benedict […]

Saint Isidore of Seville Saint of the Day for April 4 (c. 560 – April 4, 636) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr04.mp3 Saint Isidore of Seville’s Story The 76 years of Isidore’s life were a time of conflict and growth for the Church in Spain. The Visigoths had invaded the land a century and a half earlier, and shortly […]

Saint Vincent Ferrer Saint of the Day for April 5 (January 23, 1350 – April 5,1419) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr05.mp3 Saint Vincent Ferrer’s Story The polarization in the Church today is a mild breeze compared with the tornado that ripped the Church apart during the lifetime of this saint. If any saint is a patron of reconciliation, Vincent […]

Saint Crescentia Hoess Saint of the Day for April 6 (October 20, 1682 – April 5, 1744) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr06.mp3 Saint Crescentia Hoess’ Story Crescentia was born in 1682, the daughter of a poor weaver, in a little town near Augsburg. She spent play time praying in the parish church, assisted those even poorer than herself and […]

Saint John Baptist de la Salle Saint of the Day for April 7 (April 30, 1651 – April 7, 1719) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr07.mp3 Saint John Baptist de la Salle’s Story Complete dedication to what he saw as God’s will for him dominated the life of John Baptist de la Salle. In 1950, Pope Pius XII named him […]

Saint Julie Billiart Saint of the Day for April 8 (July 12, 1751 – April 8, 1816) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr08.mp3 Saint Julie Billiart’s Story Born in Cuvilly, France, into a family of well-to-do farmers, young Marie Rose Julie Billiart showed an early interest in religion and in helping the sick and poor. Though the first years of […]

Saint Casilda Saint of the Day for April 9 (d. c. 1050) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr09.mp3 Saint Casilda’s Story Some saints’ names are far more familiar to us than others, but even the lives of obscure holy persons teach us something. And so it is with Saint Casilda. Her father was a Muslim leader in Toledo, Spain, in the 10th century. Casilda was […]

Saint Magdalen of Canossa Saint of the Day for April 10 (March 1, 1774 – April 10, 1835) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr10.mp3 Saint Magdalen of Canossa’s Story Wealth and privilege did nothing to prevent today’s saint from following her calling to serve Christ in the poor. Nor did the protests of her relatives, concerned that such work was beneath her. […]

Saint Stanislaus Saint of the Day for April 11 (July 26, 1030 – April 11, 1079) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr11.mp3 Saint Stanislaus’ Story Anyone who reads the history of Eastern Europe cannot help but chance on the name of Stanislaus, the saintly but tragic bishop of Kraków, patron of Poland. He is remembered with Saints Thomas More and Thomas Becket […]

Saint Teresa of Los Andes Saint of the Day for April 12 (July 13, 1900 – April 12, 1920) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr12.mp3 Saint Teresa of Los Andes’ Story One needn’t live a long life to leave a deep imprint. Teresa of Los Andes is proof of that. As a young girl growing up in the early 1900’s in Santiago, Chile, Juana […]

Saint Martin I Saint of the Day for April 13 (d. September 16, 655) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr13.mp3 Saint Martin I’s Story When Martin I became pope in 649, Constantinople was the capital of the Byzantine empire and the patriarch of Constantinople was the most influential Church leader in the eastern Christian world. The struggles that existed within […]

Blessed Peter Gonzalez Saint of the Day for April 14 (1190 – April 15, 1246) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr14.mp3 Blessed Peter Gonzalez’s Story Saint Paul had a conversion experience on the road to Damascus. Many years later, the same proved true for Peter Gonzalez, who triumphantly rode his horse into the Spanish city of Astorga in the 13th century to […]

Blessed Caesar de Bus Saint of the Day for April 15 (February 3, 1544 – April 15, 1607) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr15.mp3   Blessed Caesar de Bus’ Story Like so many of us, Caesar de Bus struggled with the decision about what to do with his life. After completing his Jesuit education he had difficulty settling between a […]

Saint Bernadette Soubirous Saint of the Day for April 16 (January 7, 1844 – April 16, 1879) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr16.mp3 Saint Bernadette Soubirous’s Story Bernadette Soubirous was born in 1844, the first child of an extremely poor miller in the town of Lourdes in southern France. The family was living in the basement of a dilapidated building […]

Saint Benedict Joseph Labre Saint of the Day for April 17 (March 25, 1748 – April 17, 1783) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr17.mp3 Saint Benedict Joseph Labre’s Story Benedict Joseph Labre was truly eccentric, one of God’s special little ones. Born in France and the eldest of 18 children, he studied under his uncle, a parish priest. Because of […]

Blessed James Oldo Saint of the Day for April 18 (1364 – April 18, 1404) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr18.mp3 Blessed James Oldo’s Story You’ve heard rags-to-riches stories. Today, we celebrate the reverse. James of Oldo was born into a well-to-do family near Milan in 1364. He married a woman who like him, appreciated the comforts that came with […]

Saint Gianna Beretta Molla Saint of the Day for April 19 (October 4, 1922 – April 28, 1962) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr19.mp3 Saint Gianna Beretta Molla’s Story In less than 40 years, Gianna Beretta Molla became a pediatric physician, a wife, a mother and a saint! She was born in Magenta near Milano, the 10th of Alberto and Maria […]

Saint Conrad of Parzham Saint of the Day for April 20 (December 22, 1818 – April 21, 1894) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr20.mp3 Saint Conrad of Parzham’s Story Conrad spent most of his life as porter in Altoetting, Bavaria, letting people into the friary and indirectly encouraging them to let God into their lives. His parents, Bartholomew and Gertrude […]

Saint Anselm Saint of the Day for April 21 (1033 – April 21, 1109) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr21.mp3 Saint Anselm’s Story Indifferent toward religion as a young man, Anselm became one of the Church’s greatest theologians and leaders. He received the title “Father of Scholasticism” for his attempt to analyze and illumine the truths of faith through the […]

Saint Adalbert of Prague Saint of the Day for April 22 (956 – April 23, 997) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr22.mp3 Saint Adalbert of Prague’s Story Opposition to the Good News of Jesus did not discourage Adalbert, who is now remembered with great honor in the Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, and Germany. Born to a noble family in Bohemia, he […]

Saint George Saint of the Day for April 23 (c. 280 –  April 23, 303) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr23.mp3 Saint George’s Story Saint George is the object of a vast amount of imagination. There is every reason to believe that he was a real martyr who suffered at Lydda in Palestine, probably before the time of Constantine. The […]

Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen Saint of the Day for April 24 (1577 – April 24, 1622) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr24.mp3 Saint Fidelis of Sigmaringen’s Story If a poor man needed some clothing, Fidelis would often give the man the clothes right off his back. Complete generosity to others characterized this saint’s life. Born in 1577, Mark Rey became […]

Saint Mark Saint of the Day for April 25 (? – c. April 25, 68) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr25.mp3 Saint Mark’s Story Most of what we know about Mark comes directly from the New Testament. He is usually identified with the Mark of Acts 12:12. When St. Peter escaped from prison, he went to the home of Mark’s mother. Paul […]

Saint Pedro de San José Betancur Saint of the Day for April 26 (March 19, 1626 – April 25, 1667) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr26.mp3 Saint Pedro de San José Betancur’s Story Central America claimed its first saint with the canonization of Pedro de San José Betancur. Known as the “St. Francis of the Americas,” Pedro de Betancur is […]

Saint Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort Saint of the Day for April 27 (January 31, 1673 – April 28, 1716) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr27.mp3 Saint Louis Mary Grignion de Montfort’s Story Louis’s life is inseparable from his efforts to promote genuine devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus and mother of the Church. Totus tuus (“completely yours”) was Louis’s personal […]

Saint Peter Chanel Saint of the Day for April 28 (1803 – April 28, 1841) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr28.mp3 Saint Peter Chanel’s Story Anyone who has worked in loneliness, with great adaptation required and with little apparent success, will find a kindred spirit in Peter Chanel. Born in France, Peter’s interest in the missions began in school, when […]

Saint Catherine of Siena Saint of the Day for April 29 (March 25, 1347 – April 29, 1380) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr29.mp3 Saint Catherine of Siena’s Story The value Catherine makes central in her short life and which sounds clearly and consistently through her experience is complete surrender to Christ. What is most impressive about her is that […]

Saint Pius V Saint of the Day for April 30 (January 17, 1504 – May 1, 1572) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODApr30.mp3 Saint Pius V’s Story This is the pope whose job it was to implement the historic Council of Trent. If we think popes had difficulties in implementing Vatican Council II, Pius V had even greater problems after […]

Saint Joseph the Worker Saint of the Day for May 1 https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMay01.mp3 The Story of Saint Joseph the Worker To foster deep devotion to Saint Joseph among Catholics, and in response to the “May Day” celebrations for workers sponsored by Communists, Pope Pius XII instituted the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker in 1955. This feast […]

Saint Athanasius Saint of the Day for May 2 (c. 296 – May 2, 373) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMay02.mp3 Saint Athanasius’ Story Athanasius led a tumultuous but dedicated life of service to the Church. He was the great champion of the faith against the widespread heresy of Arianism, the teaching by Arius that Jesus was not truly divine. […]

Saints Philip and James Saint of the Day for May 3 https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMay03.mp3   Saints Philip and James’ Story James, Son of Alphaeus: We know nothing of this man except his name, and, of course, the fact that Jesus chose him to be one of the 12 pillars of the New Israel, his Church. He is not […]

Blessed Michael Giedroyc Saint of the Day for May 4 (c. 1425 – May 4, 1485) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMay04.mp3 Blessed Michael Giedroyc’s Story A life of physical pain and mental torment didn’t prevent Michael Giedroyc from achieving holiness. Born near Vilnius, Lithuania, Michael suffered from physical and permanent handicaps from birth. He was a dwarf who had […]

Saint Hilary of Arles Saint of the Day for May 5 (c. 401 – May 5, 449) https://www.franciscanmedia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/SODMay05.mp3 Saint Hilary of Arles’ Story It’s been said that youth is wasted on the young. In some ways, that was true for today’s saint. Born in France in the early fifth century, Hilary came from an aristocratic family. […]