Blog

    Stories of saints, biblical events, angels, and sacred places.

    A 1901 photograph of the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela from a travellers' handbook
    The Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela
    A shepherd following a field of stars, a hermit king, and a thousand-year pilgrimage route that all end at the same silver urn beneath one Spanish cathedral.
    A 16th-century engraving of the Laocoön group, one of the most famous ancient sculptures held in the Vatican Museums
    The Vatican Museums
    A pope's private sculpture collection grew into a 54-gallery labyrinth housing some of the greatest art on earth — and the Sistine Chapel is only one room of it.
    The Byzantine-style bell tower of Westminster Cathedral in London
    Westminster Cathedral
    London's Catholic cathedral is not the abbey next to Parliament — it's a Byzantine-striped landmark half a mile away, built from 12.5 million bricks.
    The Annunciation by Fra Angelico, depicting the angel Gabriel announcing Christ's coming to Mary
    Advent Explained: The Season of Waiting Before Christmas
    What is Advent? Learn the meaning of the season, the Advent wreath tradition, its length, and why the Church wears violet and rose during these weeks.
    The prophet Elijah taken up to heaven in a fiery chariot
    Elijah: Fire on Carmel and a Whisper at Horeb
    The prophet Elijah called down fire on Mount Carmel, then fled into the desert to hear God not in the storm, but in a still small voice.
    The prophet Elisha visiting the Shunammite woman
    Elisha: The Double Portion of Elijah's Spirit
    Elisha inherited Elijah's mantle and spent it healing a foreign general, refilling a widow's empty jars, and raising a child from death.
    Job seated with his three friends who came to comfort him in his suffering
    Job: The Man Who Argued with the Whirlwind
    Job lost everything without explanation, rejected his friends' easy answers, and demanded a hearing with God — who answered him from a storm.
    Jonah cast up from the belly of the great fish onto dry land
    Jonah: The Prophet Who Ran From Mercy
    Jonah fled his mission to Nineveh, survived three days inside a great fish, and then got angry when God forgave the city he'd been sent to warn.
    Christ in the Wilderness by Ivan Kramskoi, depicting Jesus during his forty days of fasting in the desert
    Lent Explained: Forty Days of Fasting, Prayer, and Preparation
    What is Lent and why does it last 40 days? Learn the biblical roots of Lent, Ash Wednesday, fasting and abstinence rules, and the season's purpose.
    Statue of Our Lady of Knock at the apparition site in County Mayo, Ireland
    Our Lady of Knock: The Silent Apparition in the Rain
    In 1879, fifteen witnesses in Knock, Ireland, watched a silent apparition of Mary, Joseph, John the Evangelist, and a lamb on an altar for two hours in pouring rain.
    Anonymous 19th-century engraving of the apparition of the Virgin Mary to two children on the mountain of La Salette, France
    Our Lady of La Salette: Tears on a Mountainside
    In 1846 two shepherd children met a weeping lady on a French mountain; the Church approved the apparition in 1851, though later 'secrets' remain disputed.
    Saint Elizabeth of Portugal in royal dress holding roses, painting by Francisco de Zurbaran
    Saint Elizabeth of Portugal: The Queen Who Made Peace Her Life's Work
    The story of Saint Elizabeth of Portugal (1271-1336), the peacemaking queen, her charity to the poor, and the legend of the Miracle of the Roses.
    Saint Margaret, Queen of Scotland, portrait by Nicolas de Largilliere, in royal attire
    Saint Margaret of Scotland: The Exiled Princess Who Reformed a Kingdom
    The story of Saint Margaret of Scotland (c. 1045-1093), the English-born queen known for piety, charity, and reforming the Scottish Church.
    Saint Olaf, King of Norway, holding an axe and orb, illustration from the Allen and Ginter World's Decorations trading card series, 1890
    Saint Olaf of Norway: The Viking King Who Became a Saint
    The story of Saint Olaf II of Norway (995-1030), the Eternal King, his role Christianizing Norway, and his death at the Battle of Stiklestad.
    A black-and-white photograph of a young, bearded Padre Pio in his Capuchin habit, arms crossed, taken in 1919.
    Saint Padre Pio
    How a 20th-century Capuchin friar came to bear the stigmata for fifty years, and how San Giovanni Rotondo became a major pilgrimage site.
    Saint Stephen, King of Hungary, portrait by Lucas Cranach the Elder, holding a lance and orb, wearing royal robes and crown
    Saint Stephen of Hungary: The Pagan Prince Who Built a Christian Kingdom
    The story of Saint Stephen I of Hungary (c. 975-1038), first King of Hungary, his role Christianizing the Magyars, and the Holy Crown of Hungary.
    The boy Samuel kneeling in prayer as he is called by God in the night
    Samuel: The Boy Who Answered in the Dark
    Born to a woman who prayed for a child, Samuel heard God call his name as a boy and grew up to anoint both Israel's first king and its greatest.
    The Judgment of Solomon, showing the king ordering the disputed infant divided in two
    King Solomon: The Wisdom, the Wealth, and the Fall
    King Solomon's wisdom judged a stolen child, built the First Temple, and drew the world to Jerusalem — until his own heart turned away.
    El Greco's painting of Christ carrying the cross on the way to Calvary
    The 14 Stations of the Cross, Explained
    A guide to the traditional 14 Stations of the Cross, which scenes come from Scripture and which from pious tradition, plus John Paul II's Scriptural Way.
    Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper, depicting Christ with the Twelve Apostles, traditionally each credited with an article of the Creed
    The Apostles' Creed — Origins, Meaning, and Its Place in Catholic Prayer
    The story behind the Apostles' Creed, its legendary link to the Twelve Apostles, and its role in baptism and the Rosary.