Saint of the day

Saint of the day

19 November: Saint Mechthild of Hackeborn

The Nightingale of God

Among the brightest figures of the monastery of Helfta in the 13th century stands Mechthild of Hackeborn, a woman of extraordinary spirituality and a distinctive voice in medieval mysticism. Her fellow nun, Gertrude the Great, in the sixth book of the Liber specialis gratiae—a work collecting the divine revelations received by Mechthild—acknowledges that what was written represents only a small portion of what the Saint actually experienced. She explains that it would have been unjust to remain silent about such abundant gifts, for they were granted by God not only for Mechthild herself, but as a spiritual treasure offered to the Church of every age.

18 November: Saint Odo of Cluny

In the Footsteps of Saint Martin of Tours

The figure of Saint Odo stands within the vast panorama of medieval monasticism, that era in which the Benedictine ideal spread to such an extent that it gave rise, throughout Europe, to a dense constellation of monasteries. These centers of prayer and culture contributed to shaping the spiritual identity of the continent. Among them, the monastery of Cluny held an absolutely prominent role: a place celebrated for its inner discipline, care for study, and above all for the solemnity of divine worship. Odo was its second abbot and one of its most eminent personalities.

17 November: Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, Franciscan Tertiary

Following in the footsteps of Saint Francis of Assisi

Elizabeth, born in 1207 in Hungary into a royal family and destined for marriage to the ruler of Thuringia, lived in the same years as Francis of Assisi. From a young age, she showed a natural inclination toward those who suffered and were in need—an inclination further strengthened through her contact with the Friars Minor, especially Brother Rüdiger, her first spiritual advisor, and later Brother Conrad. They merely helped direct, in an evangelical sense, a heart already inclined toward the most vulnerable.

November 16: Saint Agnes of Assisi, sister of Saint Clare

A point of reference for religious vocations

Caterina di Favarone, a member of the Offreduccio family and younger sister of Clare of Assisi, was born in the Umbrian city in 1197. Before she had even turned sixteen, she felt the desire to follow her elder sister’s example, choosing a life shaped by evangelical poverty and the Franciscan way.

15 November: Saint Albert the Great, Bishop and Doctor of the Church

The teacher of Saint Thomas Aquinas

Albrecht von Bollstädt, better known as Albert the Great, was a Bishop, a philosopher, a theologian, a naturalist, a chemist and the teacher of Saint Thomas Aquinas. He was highly educated, especially in natural sciences, and wrote a Summa Theologiae that became the model for Aquinas’ own celebrated, Summa Theologiae.

14 November: Saint Laurence O’Toole, Bishop

A Promoter of Unity and Loyalty to the Pope

A model of courage, holiness, and commitment to justice and unity: this is the example offered by Laurence O’Toole (Lorcan Ua Tuathail), born in Castledermot, County Kildare, in 1128 into an Irish noble family.