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The month of June is dedicated to The Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Highlights
June 13
St. Anthony
Called the Wonder Worker, he is one of the most popular saints in the Catholic Church and is implored as the patron of lost things and a hundred other causes. He was a preacher and theologian and was declared a Doctor of the Church by Pope Pius XII.
Recipe of the Month
Nameday Cookies
On different saints' days, make sugar cookie dough and roll out with symbolic cookie cutters.
Activity of the Month
Stitching Feast-Day Symbols
Research with your children the different symbols for saints and feast days, and do some stitching of the symbols.
Symbols
St. Boniface
The Archbishop of Mentz established the foundation for Christianity in Germany. His emblem refers to his defense of the Gospel as he met the blow of death while confirming baptized converts.
St. Barnabas
One of the Apostolic Fathers, whose feast day in olden times was celebrated by young lads and clerks bedecked with roses. This shield is divided.
St. Peter & St. Paul
The interwoven symbols of Sts. Peter and Paul are used at Winchester, where the cathedral church is dedicated to these saints.
The Trinity
The triquetra is one of the many symbols that clearly express the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity.
Sacred Heart of Jesus, I place my trust in Thee.
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The month of October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary. The Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated on October 7.
Highlights
October 18
St. Luke
St. Luke was a physician from Antioch and a disciple of St. Paul. He is the author of the third Gospel and of the Acts of the Apostles. In his Gospel he highlights the universality of salvation.
Recipe of the Month
Paella
Paella is a delicious, typical Spanish dish which has literally hundreds of ways to be prepared. Try making a version of this recipe in honor of the Spanish saint, Teresa of Avila, whose feast is October 15.
Activity of the Month
Display Flip-Easel for the Mysteries of the RosaryFor the month of the rosary, gather some images of each mystery of the rosary and put them on display. This will provide a helpful visual to meditate on the mysteries.
Symbols
St. Jude
The sailing vessel here represents the Church, which St. Jude (also known as Thaddeus or Lebbaeus) carried to many ports as he journeyed as a missionary.
St. Simon
The companion of St. Jude on many missionary journeys, St. Simon was known as a great fisher of men through the power of the Gospel.
St. Francis
St. Francis, the father of the Franciscan Order, for two years before his death bore the marks of the Lord's Passion upon his hands, feet and side. The tears on the cross represent the marks of the stigmata.
St. Ignatius of Antioch
A convert of St. John, reputedly consecrated Bishop of Antioch by St. Peter, St. Ignatius was an important link between the first and second centuries of the Church. He was the writer of seven epistles as he proceeded to his martyrdom when condemned by Trajan.
Thou, O daughter, art blessed of the Lord, for through thee have we been made partakers of the fruit of life.
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The month of September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, whose memorial the Church celebrates on September 15.
HighlightsSeptember 14
Triumph of the Cross
This feast commemorates the rescue of the true Cross of Christ by Emperor Heraclius in a victory over the Persians. Our Mother the Church sings of the triumph of the Holy Cross, the instrument of our salvation.
Recipe of the Month
St. Michael's Waffles or Gaufres
In France, paper-thin sweet wafers called gaufres were baked by street vendors. Serve waffles on St. Michael's Day to continue this tradition.
Activity of the Month
Make a Cross
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross is an appropriate feast day to thank God for the blessing of Christ dying on the Cross, which opened the gates of heaven for mankind. Here is a family project which involves making a homemade cross.
Symbols
Mary
The Monogram of the Blessed Virgin. The letters of the name "Maria" are evident in this ancient symbol. A crown was sometimes placed over the monogram by medieval artists.
St. Matthew
The moneybags refer to the occupation of St. Matthew before he was called to follow Christ. He was a tax gatherer known as Levi.
St. John Chrysostom
The great work of the Archbishop of Constantinople to overcome crime, heresy, and corruption was interrupted by avaricious enemies who effected his exile, which lasted four years, and ended with his death.
St. Jerome
One of the Four Western Fathers, along with Sts. Augustine of Hippo, Ambrose of Milan and Gregory the Great. He contributed courage and wisdom in his defense of the truth. His translation of the Bible into Latin, known as the Vulgate, is in general, the version authorized in the Roman Catholic Church.
O afflicted Virgin, O soul great in virtues, as in sorrows, both the one and the other spring from that great fire burning in they heart for God, the only love of thy heart! --St. Alphonsus Ligouri
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The month of May is dedicated to The Blessed Virgin Mary.
Highlights
May 29 or June 1
Ascension
The whole universe is invited to acclaim the glories of the Ascending Christ. He is surrounded with the just of Limbo, with the souls who had finished their purgatorial expiation and probably with the saints who came out of their tombs on Easter Sunday: "Ascending on high He has led captivity captive".
Recipe of the Month
Beignets de Pommes (Apple Fritters)
To celebrate the feast of the Ascension, try making apple fritters, or plain Beignets if you don't have the fruit.
Activity of the Month
Ascension Thursday Picnic
Solemnities, such as the Feast of the Ascension, should be days of festivity. Why not a picnic and a day of fishing for the feast of the Ascension.
Symbols
St. Philip
It was to St. Philip that Christ addressed his remark concerning the feeding of the multitude. The roundels represent two loaves of bread.
St. James the Less
This symbol refers to the tradition that St. James was cast down from a pinnacle of the temple in Jerusalem, stoned and sawn asunder by the Jews.
St. Matthias
Chosen, by lot, to replace Judas Iscariot, St. Matthias served as a missionary in Judaea, where he is said to have been stoned and beheaded. A battle axe with silver head and tawny handle, white open book with inscription "super Mathiam."
Our Lady
The fleur-de-lys is a symbol for the Blessed Virgin Mary and is derived from the Madonna's lily.
You are all-beautiful, O Mary! You are the glory, you are the joy, you are the honor of our people!
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The month of February is dedicated to the Holy Family.
Highlights
February 2
Presentation
This feast is a festival of light. The procession, in which the blessed candles are carried by clergy and faithful, recalls by its symbolism the manifestation of Christ, the Light of the world, received in the temple. "A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of Thy people Israel."
Recipe of the Month
Heart Cakes
St. Valentine's Day is a joyful feast, and there's no better way to observe it than by exchanging sweet, heart-shaped confections.
Activity of the Month
Candlemas Ceremony
The family, who with lighted candles goes in spirit to the Temple with our Lady, will learn a wonderful lesson of her humility.
Symbols
St. Polycarp
The bishop of Smyrna was condemned to death by burning. The flames refused to do their task, billowing about like sails, exposing the bishop's figure in a radiant light. A soldier used his spear to end the spectacle.
St. Scholastica
The sister of St. Benedict, and founder of a Benedictine convent not far from Monte Cassino. It is related that St. Benedict had a vision of a dove rising just before he received word of her death.
St. Agatha
During the Decian persecution, St. Agatha, a Sicilian of noble birth, died under torture rather than break her vow of lifelong consecration to Christ.
St. Dorothy
The patroness of gardens is particularly well known in the little villages of southern Europe. Her feast is locally celebrated on Feb. 6. The symbol is descriptive of her zeal for the Faith.
Jesus, who hast made Thyself obedient to Thy parents, to Thee be ever glory, with the supreme Father and with the Spirit.
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This first encyclical of Pope Leo XIV, devoted to the challenge of artificial intelligence, was given in Rome on May 15, 2026, and published on the Vatican website on May 25, 2026.
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This is the table of contents page which links to the individual essays added to the CatholicCulture.org library from the collection published as A Century of the Catholic Essay in 1946, edited by Raphael H. Gross, C.PP.S. There are 45 essays in eight sub-sections. The essays were added to our library between February 2025 and April 2026.
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Lionel Johnson (1867-1902) was a British critic and poet who converted to Catholicism in his early twenties. Known for poetry and his book The Art of Thomas Hardy, Johnson's career was shortened by frail health and an early death. In this essay he comments on the life and work of the Irish poet Clarence Mangan (1803-1849). [For more of these Catholic essays, see the Table of Contents.]
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James J. Daly (1872-1953) was an educator and author educated at St. Ignatius College in Chicago and St. Louis University. A Jesuit at 18, he was ordained in190. He served as literary editor of both America and Thought, and as professor of English at the University of Detroit. Among his writings are Boscobel and Other Rimes and a number of his scholarly essays which appeared in both A Cheerful Ascetic and Other Essays and The Road to Peace. Here we have a delightful sketch of the remarkable naturalist, Charles Waterton. [For more of these Catholic essays, see the Table of Contents.]
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Sister Mary Madeleva (1887-1964) was known for poetry, eloquence, and scholarship. She became the third president of Saint Mary's College in Notre Dame, Indiana, from which she had herself graduated. After joining the Holy Cross Sisters she obtained her M.A. from Notre Dame and her doctorate from the University of California. Her poetry is alive with religious mysticism, and her essays--as in the present example--both lively and sure. Here she defends the Prioress in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales against a great many false interpretations. [For more of these Catholic essays, see the Table of Contents.]
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