Blog Posts


Feast Day Mini-Study: St. Teresa of Avila

September 15th
St. Teresa of Avila
1515- 1582
I’d like to cut right to the chase: In this little blog on St. Teresa of Jesus (Avila), who we Discalced Carmelites call “Our Holy Mother,” I’ll simply share three ways in which her life and teaching on prayer has touched my life. Hopefully some of these insights will enrich you as well.

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Gathering Jewels: A Personal Testimony

by Melissa

After listening to Johnnette Benkovic Williams speak about the power of testimonies on Women of Grace Live, one listener shared this personal testimony with us. Her childhood "treasure hunt" of collecting little pieces of smooth glass and keeping them in a jar foreshadowed something much deeper- where she would find her true treasure in the Catholic faith. She also wanted to thank Johnnette for being a spiritual mentor to her through her 30+ years of listening to the Women of Grace radio program.

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The Transitus of Saint Francis of Assisi: Prelude to Heavenly Glory

by Theresa Cavicchio

The comprehensive Omnibus entitled St. Francis of Assisi: Writings and Early Biographies, published in 1973, is introduced with a statement which rings true still today, close to fifty years later: “There is something paradoxical about the fact that the Little Poor Man of Assisi, who sought only obscurity, should have become so widely known and universally loved as he is today.”

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Feast Day Mini-Study: St. Catherine of Genoa

September 15th
Saint Catherine of Genoa
1447- 1510

The life of St. Catherine of Genoa confirms that spiritual renewal, virtue, holy reflection, and spiritual direction lead to wisdom and discernment. Born into an illustrious Italian family that was connected to two popes, Catherine was known as a quiet and pious child, being both prayerful and obedient. She expressed an interest in the convent at the age of thirteen but she was turned away because she was too young.

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Feast Day Mini-Study: St. Monica

August 27th

Saint Monica of Hippo

331 - 387

Most of us are familiar with Saint Monica, the mother of the great Saint Augustine. As the story goes, Monica had a wayward child in her son Augustine. He was a great success, but he wasn't living a moral life and he wasn't growling in holiness. In fact, his behavior was leading him away from holiness and away from God altogether. Back at home, his mother, Monica, prayed fervently for the conversion of her son, Augustine. Not only was St. Monica's prayer time consumed with the conversion of her son, but also with the conversion of her husband, who was known to be adulterous and abusive to Monica. St. Monica persisted in prayer. God would reward this beautiful Saint for her endless petitions with the answer to prayer she had sought for so long!

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Masses for the Living, Too!

By Susan Tassone

Is a Mass offered for one who is still living more powerful than a Mass celebrated for that person after he or she has died? I often wondered about that, so I wrote to Father Edward McNamara, a noted Professor of Liturgy, at the Regina Apostolorum University in Rome. This is how he responded to my inquiry.

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Anthony of Padua: Saint of Many Titles

by Theresa Cavicchio

It’s fairly common knowledge that Saint Anthony of Padua (1195 – 1231 A.D.) has a reputation as finder of lost articles. Car keys, eyeglasses, and any number of items we consider indispensable, seeming to have disappeared, are catalysts for prayer to the gentle Franciscan and popular saint whose feast we celebrate on June 13th.

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