Saint of the day

Saint of the day

April 2: Saint Francis of Paola

A hermit - defender of the poor and oppressed

He is known as a great miracle worker. In fact, his life is studded with miracles which he performed, above all, in favor of the poor and oppressed, becoming widely known as their defender. He is Saint Francis of Paola, from the name of the Calabrian town where he was born on March 27, 1416, to a devout Catholic family of landowners. Advanced in age, his parents resorted to the intercession of Saint Francis of Assisi to have children. When their firstborn arrived, in gratitude to the Saint, they named him Francis and from an early age, the presence of God burst into his life.

April 1: Blessed Charles of Austria, Emperor

Service, not power

He ascended to the imperial throne of Austria on November 21, 1916, and on December 30 of the same year he was crowned Apostolic King of Hungary, in the midst of the First World War. In his inaugural address, he declared that his goal was peace and brotherhood among peoples. He drew inspiration from the Social Doctrine of the Church to promote more just legislation, respectful of the more vulnerable social classes.

31 March: Saint Balbina, martyr

Healed by the chains of Saint Peter

Not much is known about Saint Balbina, whose mortal remains rest in the Roman Basilica named after her and built in her honour in the fourth century, in the piccolo Aventino, in the neighbourhood of San Saba. According to the Passio Alexandri (fourth century) and the Passio Balbiniae et Hermetis, Balbina was the daughter of the tribune, Quirinus.

March 30: Saint Leonard Murialdo

Living for the Young

A life dedicated to serving poor and abandoned youth, in order to transmit the faith and allow them to experience Christian charity: this was the life of Saint Leonard Murialdo. Born in Turin, Italy on October 26, 1828, into a simple family, at the age of eight he was sent to a boarding school in Savona run by the Piarist Fathers, where he remained from 1836 to 1843.

March 29: Blessed Berthold

At the Origins of the Carmelite Order

Not much is known about the origins of Blessed Berthold of Mount Carmel. He may have been born in Solignac in the 12th century, while other sources indicate that he was born in Lombardy. According to tradition, Berthold was related to Aymeric de Malifaye, Patriarch of Antioch (1141–1193).

28 March: Saint Stephen Harding, Abbot

One of the three Founders of the Cistercian Order

“Alberic was succeeded by Stephen, English by birth, a most ardent lover and a most faithful example of piety, poverty, and regular discipline. His life confirmed how true it is what is written: The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are attentive to their cry for help” (Exordium Cistercii, II).