Message to young people Be oppressed, but not an oppressor; be crucified, but not a crucifier; be outraged, but not an outrager; be defamed, but not a defamer

Patristic reading We are all like those who intend to travel to the holy city... Let each of us learn his own situation and where he is! We are all like those who intend to travel to the ho...

18 - 25 January 2010 Week of prayer for Christian unity Permit it not, o Lord, that Thy people should cease from being, and try to remove sin by means that are themselves sinful, or to cure evi...

Martin of Tours (317-397) monk and pastor Until the end of his life Martin travelled through the countryside, announcing the Gospel and creating the first rural parishes in Gaul

John the Merciful (6th-7th cent.) pastor After the Council of Chalcedon of 451, whose reception was especially problematic in Egypt, two patriarchates were created in Alexandria. One was Coptic, and ...

John Chrysostom (ca. 347-407) Church father and pastor In the year 407, the Church father and pastor John Chrysostom died in exile. His eloquence had earned him the nickname Chrysostom or "golden mout...

Gregory Palamas (1296-1359) monk and pastor In 1359 Gregory Palamas, one of the best loved monks and pastors in the Byzantine world, died in his episcopal see of Thessalonica.

THE CHURCHES REMEMBER...

Gertrude of Helfta (1256-1301/1302) nun Today the Catholic Church commemorates Gertrude, a nun of the monastery of Helfta in Germany.

Hugh of Lincoln (1140-1200) pastor Hugh, a Cistercian monk and bishop of Lincoln, England, died on November 16, 1200 at the age of sixty.

THE CHURCHES REMEMBER....

Mechthild of Magdeburg (ca.1208-ca.1283) witness In the thirteenth century, the monastery of Helfta was a respected spiritual center and a gathering place for great women mystics who found nourishmen...

Rabbi Akiva (ca. 50-135) Jewish martyr On an unknown day of the year 135 of the common era, Rabbi Akiva died of torture at the hands of his Roman prison guards, happy to give his life in fulfillment ...

THE CHURCHES REMEMBER...

Cecilia (2nd-3rd cent.) martyr Today or on a corresponding date in other calendars, almost all of the Christian churches commemorate Cecilia. This Roman martyr lived from the late second to early thi...

Clement of Rome (1st-2nd cent.) pastor and martyr Clement, traditionally the third bishop of Rome and the author of an Epistle to the Corinthians that is one of the most moving early Christian writin...

THE CHURCHES REMEMBER...

Catherine of Alexandria (4th cent.) martyr Today the Orthodox churches commemorate Catherine of Alexandria, a martyr and witness to God's wisdom.

THE CHURCHES REMEBER...

Siddharta Gotama Buddha (ca. 560 - ca. 480 BCE) righteous among the nations Siddharta Gotama was born around the year 560 BCE. His father was rajah of the Sakya region, which extended from the slopes...

Paisius Velichkovsky Today the Orthodox churches commemorate the starets Paisius Velichkovsky, who was a spiritual father to many generations of monks  

Jacob of Serugh (451-521) pastor Today the West Syrian church commemorates one of its greatest writers and poets, Jacob of Serugh. The story of his life is told in the History written by his contempo...

Andrew apostle Today the Eastern and Western churches commemorate Andrew, the first disciple Jesus called, an apostle of the Lord. Having become a fisher of men by announcing the foolishness of the Cr...

Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916) monk In the common vocation with the little sisters and the little brothers of Jesus, today we commemorate Charles de Foucauld

Jan Ruysbroeck (1293-1381) priest On December 2, 1381 Jan Ruysbroeck, a canon regular of St. Gudula's church in Brussels and a monk of Groenendael, died at the age of eighty-eight.

Francis Xavier (1506-1552) priest Today the Catholic church and the churches of the Anglican Communion commemorate Francis Xavier, a priest and missionary in Asia.

John Damascene (ca. 657-749) Church father and monk Today the Eastern and Western churches commemorate John Damascene, a monk and Church father

Jews martyred during the black death (1348-1349) Between 1348 and 1350 Europe experienced what may have been the most terrifying calamity in its history: the plague epidemic that historians say ...

Nicholas of Myra (ca. 270-343) pastor Today the Eastern and Western churches commemorate Nicholas of Myra, one of the most popular saints in Christian history.

Ambrose (339-397) Church father and pastor On Holy Saturday of the year 397, Ambrose, a Church father and one of the most beloved pastors in Christian antiquity, died in his bishop's residen...