Martyrs

Two Who Didn’t Run

By George Weigel, First Things, March 6, 2024 His neighbors in 1940s Oklahoma would have found it hard to imagine the boy they knew as Stanley Francis Rother as a future martyr and the first beatified American parish priest. Young Stan did reasonably well at school, enjoyed farm work and... read more

Christians are dying for their faith all around the world. Do U.S. Catholics care?

By Thomas P. Rausch, America, August 23, 2023 Pope Francis greets Janada Marcus, a survivor of Christian persecution in Nigeria, after his general audience on March 8, 2023. She is accompanied by Father Joseph Bature Fidelis, director of a trauma center for victims of terrorism in Nigeria,... read more

Pope Francis adds 21 Coptic Orthodox martyrs to Catholic list of saints

Pope Francis announces with Pope Tawadros II that 21 Coptic Orthodox martyrs will be inserted into the Roman Martyrology of the Catholic Church as a sign of the spiritual communion of the two Christian Churches. By Devin Watkins “May the prayers of the Coptic martyrs, united with those of... read more

Two Saints at the Start of Advent: Bibiana and Francis Xavier

By Peter Kwasniewski, PhD, One Peter Five, November 30, 2022 [Author, speaker, LifeSite News contributor Dr. Peter Kwasniewski Spoke at our June 14, 2019 Forum Luncheon on “Of What Use Is a Changing Catechism?”--Ed.] In the traditional calendar, December 2 is the feast of St. Bibiana,... read more

Sr. Maria Laura Mainetti: Nun Stabbed to Death by Three Teenage Girls is Beatified

Sr. Mainetti prayed throughout the heinous attack, asking God to forgive the girls for their actions. CNA Staff, June 7, 2021 CHIAVENNA, Italy — An Italian nun who was stabbed to death by three teenage girls was beatified on Sunday, after Pope Francis declared her a martyr, killed “in... read more

CHEAP GRACE AND CHEAP MERCY

By Michael Pakaluk, Echoes, April 9, 2021 Bonhoeffer was a Lutheran pastor, yet what he says about "cheap grace" applies to us strongly … ''When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die," writes Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his spiritual masterwork, "The Cost of Discipleship." And Bonhoeffer... read more

Hong Kong Calvary 2021

It is nothing short of scandalous that Jimmy Lai, Martin Lee, and other brave men and women are facing such persecution without any public support from the Vatican. By George Weigel, Catholic World Report, April 2, 2021 The news was expected, but that did not make it any less wrenching:... read more

Nigerian bishop kidnapped, Catholics pray for his safety

kidnapped by unknown gunmen Sunday, December 27. Credit: Public DomainBishop Moses Chikwe, Auxiliary Bishop of Nigeria’s Archdiocese of Owerri kidnapped by unknown gunmen Sunday, December 27. Credit: Public DomainCNA Staff, Dec 29, 2020 / 09:05 am MT (CNA).- The bishops of Nigeria have urged... read more

President Trump’s Proclamation on 850th Anniversary of the Martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket

By Donald J. Trump, the White House, Issued on: December 28, 2020 Today is the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket on December 29, 1170. Thomas Becket was a statesman, a scholar, a chancellor, a priest, an archbishop, and a lion of religious liberty. Before the Magna... read more

The Martyrs of 2020: Disciples continue to witness to Christ

By John Burger, Aletia, December 26, 2020 Persecution of Christians leads to ultimate sacrifice in Nigeria and France.It might not have risen to the level of 2019, when 29 missionaries lost their lives throughout the world, but 2020 certainly had its share of martyrs. Near the beginning of... read more

Pope authorizes 8 decrees regarding candidates to sainthood

With the decrees, Pope Francis has taken 134 persons a step closer to sainthood. By Vatican News staff writer, Vatican, November 24, 2020 Pope Francis has authorized the Vatican Congregation for the Causes of Saints to promulgate 8 decrees, including a decree on the martyrdom of 127... read more