Listening to the Word of God
Elisha is still a common name among African Christian families today. It comes from the Hebrew meaning “God is Lord” (El-Yah). In the Bible, Elisha is presented as a prophet who lived in the 8th century B.C., a disciple of the great prophet Elijah. His calling is recounted in the First Book of Kings, chapter 19:
A Mother to all her Children
“We have strayed from that path of peace. We have forgotten the lesson learned from the tragedies of the last century, the sacrifice of the millions who fell in two world wars. We have disregarded the commitments we made as a community of nations. We have betrayed peoples’ dreams of peace and the hopes of the young.
"The heart of Christ, as the symbol of the deepest and most personal source of his love for us, is the very core of the initial preaching of the Gospel. It stands at the origin of our faith, as the wellspring that refreshes and enlivens our Christian beliefs.”
The “Son of Consolation”
Saint Barnabas, though not one of the original twelve Apostles directly chosen by Jesus, was recognized as a true Apostle by the early Church Fathers and by Saint Luke. This recognition was granted not only because of his special vocation inspired by the Holy Spirit but also due to the significant role he played in the spread of Christianity, actively collaborating with the other Apostles.
A Noblewoman in the footsteps of Saint Dominic
Her life is closely connected with the earliest presence of the Dominicans in Bologna. She herself entered the Order and founded the Monastery of Saint Agnes. She was Diana degli Andalò, born in Bologna around the year 1200 into a noble and influential family. Her father, Andrea Lovello (from whom came the nickname Andalò), belonged to the Carbonesi noble clan.
Marriage as a Path to Holiness
A woman, a layperson, a wife, a mother of seven children and a member of the Third Order of the Most Holy Trinity—this is Blessed Anna Maria Taigi, who achieved holiness through marriage. She was born in Siena on May 29, 1769 and baptized the following day. Due to financial difficulties her family—her father Luigi Riannetti and mother Maria Masi—moved to Rome when she was six years old. In the capital she was entrusted to the religious order of Maestre Pie Filippine, where she received a full education in just two years.
The Gift of the Holy Spirit
Pentecost is the feast that commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Mary and the Apostles and marks the end of the Easter season. The name comes from the Greek pentēkostē, meaning "fiftieth" because it is celebrated fifty days after Easter. On this occasion the gift of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the Church are commemorated and remembered. After Jesus’ death, resurrection, and ascension, he sends his disciples a power—the Holy Spirit— a force to enable them to be his personal witnesses in the world.
For the Salvation of Souls
The glory of God and the health of souls. This is the second name on which Saint Anthony Maria Gianelli founded his life, distinguishing himself for his charity towards poor girls, offering them a dignified future.
Announcer of the Gospel by word and example
Saint Norbert of Xanten had an instant conversion. When he was about 35 years old he was thrown from his horse and risked death. At that moment he heard the words of the psalm: “Turn from evil and do good” (Psalm 34:15).
The Apostle to the Germans
Known as the Apostle to the Germans, he is considered one of the most important Anglo-Saxon missionaries and the one who brought Christianity to the Germanic lands of old.
