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

    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.
    Our Lady of Mount Carmel presenting the brown scapular to Saint Simon Stock, painting in the manner of Arcangelo Salimbeni
    The Brown Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel: History and Meaning
    The origin and meaning of the Brown Scapular, its traditional roots in a 1251 vision to Saint Simon Stock, and how Catholics wear and understand it today.
    Caravaggio's The Seven Works of Mercy, depicting the corporal works of mercy in a single dramatic scene
    The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy, Rooted in Matthew 25
    A guide to the seven Corporal Works of Mercy — feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, visiting the imprisoned, and more — and their basis in Matthew 25:31-46.
    Titian's painting of the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, symbol of the fruits of the Holy Spirit
    The Twelve Fruits of the Holy Spirit, and How They Differ From the Seven Gifts
    A guide to the twelve traditional fruits of the Holy Spirit in Catholic teaching, rooted in Galatians 5:22-23, and how they differ from the seven gifts.
    19th-century reverse-glass painting of the Virgin Mary's apparition to Saint Catherine Laboure in Paris, 1830
    The Miraculous Medal: Origin and Meaning of a Marian Devotion
    The story of the Miraculous Medal, born from Saint Catherine Labouré's 1830 apparition at Rue du Bac in Paris, and what its symbols mean.
    18th-century icon depicting the bishops assembled at the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD
    The Nicene Creed — Origins and Meaning of the Church's Central Profession of Faith
    The story of the Nicene Creed, written at the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople, and why it remains the Catholic Church's central statement of belief.
    Caravaggio's Madonna of the Rosary, showing the Virgin Mary presenting the rosary to the faithful
    The Mysteries of the Rosary — Joyful, Sorrowful, Glorious, and Luminous
    A guide to the four sets of Rosary mysteries, including the Luminous Mysteries added by Pope John Paul II in 2002, and what each meditates on.
    Hieronymus Bosch's The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things, a tabletop painting of the vices and final judgment
    The Seven Deadly Sins and Their Opposing Virtues
    A guide to the seven deadly (capital) sins — pride, greed, wrath, envy, lust, gluttony, and sloth — their history, and the virtues traditionally opposed to them.
    The Seven Sacraments Altarpiece by Rogier van der Weyden, depicting the seven sacraments of the Church
    The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church, Explained
    A clear guide to the seven Catholic sacraments — Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Reconciliation, Anointing, Holy Orders, Matrimony — and how they're grouped.
    Russian icon depicting the Council of the Seven Holy Archangels together
    The Seven Archangels in Catholic Tradition
    Why the Church officially names only three archangels — Michael, Gabriel, Raphael — while a wider tradition of seven comes from non-canonical sources.
    King David dancing before the Ark of the Covenant, pen-and-ink drawing by Simeon Solomon
    David Dancing Before the Ark of the Covenant
    Why King David danced through the streets of Jerusalem before the Ark of the Covenant, what his wife Michal thought of it, and what the scene means in 2 Samuel 6.