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In the midst of unspeakable chaos, we must remember that God sends men and women—saints—who are most needed at the time.St. Faustina Kowalska (1905-1938), who would make known to the world the message of Divine Mercy, confirms that principle. In his divine Providence, God sent her into a world on the eve of unspeakable mercilessness. What is even more fitting is that she was born in Poland, where World War II began with Hitler’s invasion. The Catholic biographer J.K. Huys …

Among all the dozens of stigmatists who have been declared saint or blessed, the stigmata of scourging appears to be the rarest of the stigmatic injuries.  St. Colette of Corbie (1381-1447) is principally remembered as one of the most important influences of the Poor Clares, as she established many new convents and reformed existing ones. But she also had a tremendous devotion to the passion of Christ, and would commonly go into ecstasies focused on it. During one such ecstasy, Colette&rsq …

In the Italian region of Tuscany stands a mountain called La Verna (or Alverna). It was once owned by an Italian Count named Orlando Cattani, but in 1213, the Count donated the mountain to Francis and his monks as a place to go for silent prayer and contemplation. The Count’s note to Francis read, “I have in Tuscany a faithful mount that is named Mount of La Vernia, which is really isolated and wild and perfect for those who want to do penance in a remote place or to those who …

There have been various kinds of miracles that make up the patrimony of the Catholic Church. One category of such miracles is eucharistic miracles. Catholics believe every time a priest prays the words of consecration over the bread and wine—“this is my body…this is my blood”—the substance of bread and wine (what it is) changes into Jesus’ body, blood, soul, and divinity while the accidents of bread and wine (how it appears) remain. The remaining presence of the bread and wine’s accidenta …