Stewardship Saint for January: Saint Ita
Ita of Killeedy, Ireland Ita of Killeedy, Ireland, also known as Ida, is one of the two most famous women saints in Ireland, along with Brigid of Kildare. Born near present-day County Waterford, allegedly of a royal family, she was baptized as Deidre. She is said to have rejected a prestigious marriage for a life …
Stewardship Saint for December: Saint Peter Canisius, Doctor of the Church
Saint Peter Canisius was a Jesuit priest at the height of the many Protestant reformations in 16th century Europe. He is known as a prolific Catholic theologian, preacher, teacher and evangelizer. Canisius was born in 1521 in the city of Nijmegen, now in the Netherlands, son of the city’s burgermeister (mayor). At age 15, he …
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Stewardship Saint for November: Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne
Born in Grenoble, France, in 1769, Rose was the daughter of a prominent lawyer. She was educated in a convent school and entered religious life when she was 18 years old. She eventually became a member of the Society of the Sacred Heart, and in 1815, at age 46, was directed to establish a convent …
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Stewardship Saint for October: Saint Maria Bertilla Boscardin
Maria Bertilla gave witness to Christian stewardship through her simple living and caring for others as a nurse and consecrated religious. She was born in 1888 in a village near Vicenza, in northern Italy, to a poor farming family headed by a violently abusive and alcoholic father. She lacked a normal education and was ridiculed …
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Stewardship Saint for September: Saint Teresa of Calcutta
Saint Teresa of Calcutta gave us an extraordinary example of Christian discipleship and stewardship by her faith, simplicity and service to women and men without considering their race, religion or nationality. She was born Agnes Bojaxhiu in Albania on August 26, 1910, and at age 18 went to Ireland to join the Sisters of Loreto …
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Saint Alphonsus Liguori, Bishop and Doctor of the Church
Alphonsus Liguori was the founder of the Redemptorists (Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer) and one of the greatest moral theologians in the history of the Church. Born into a Neapolitan noble family in 1696, he studied and practiced law successfully until, after losing an important case through his own fault and seeing it as …
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Saint Martha – One of Jesus’ Closest Friends
Just before Jesus’ final entry into Jerusalem, his close friends, Martha, her sister, Mary, and brother, Lazarus, entertained Jesus at their home in Bethany (John 12:1-8). Martha “served,” while Mary anointed his feet. It is in the simple statement, “Martha served,” that we recognize Martha for her witness to stewardship. She isn’t a prolific evangelist, …
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Stewardship Saint for June: Saints Peter and Paul
Great Stewards of the Church: Saints Peter and Paul This month we highlight two of the great stewards of our faith, Saints Peter and Paul, commemorated on June 29. The two apostles are celebrated together as the founders of the early Church of Rome. St. Peter held a preeminent status among Jesus’ disciples. He was …
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Stewardship Saint for May Jeanne de Lestonnac
Jeanne de LestonnacStewarding the sick and poor during plague years Jeanne de Lestonnac was born in 1556 into an influential family in Bordeaux, France. Her father was a member of the French Parliament, and a prominent Catholic. Her mother, who was the sister of the renowned humanist philosopher Michel de Montaigne, had embraced the teachings …
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