St. Maria Josefa of the Heart of Jesus: 2014 Daily Lenten Reflections

St. Maria Josefa of the Heart of Jesus was born in Spain on September 7, 1842, and died there on this date in 1912. She briefly entered a religious order, but it wasn’t a good fit. Several years later, St. Maria Josefa and three other women left and founded the Institute of the Servants of… Continue reading St. Maria Josefa of the Heart of Jesus: 2014 Daily Lenten Reflections

Blessed Marianna Biernacka: 2014 Daily Lenten Reflections

The feast day of the 108 Martyrs of Poland is June 12, which is kind of neat because that also happened to be the wedding anniversary for my mostly English grandfather and my 100% Polish grandmother. Today happens to be St. Joseph’s Day, and if you’re Italian American or Polish Amercan, that may conjure up memories… Continue reading Blessed Marianna Biernacka: 2014 Daily Lenten Reflections

St. Gertrude of Nivelles: 2014 Daily Lenten Reflections

St. Gertrude of Nivelles was born in what’s now Belgium in 626 and died on March 17, 659.  It’s said when Gertrude was young, she became extremely angry when King Dagobert attempted to arrange a marriage for her with a duke’s son. Gertrude rejected the proposed match, saying that her spouse was Christ the Lord.… Continue reading St. Gertrude of Nivelles: 2014 Daily Lenten Reflections

St. Ita of Limerick: 2014 Daily Lenten Reflections

Saint Ita of Limerick was born in Ireland around 475 and died on January 15, 570. January 15 is her memorial feast in Ireland. I chose her to write about today because I’m a quarter Irish. Next month, I’m headed to Ireland for the first time ever. Ita was a bit of a homebody; after… Continue reading St. Ita of Limerick: 2014 Daily Lenten Reflections