Free Republic

When Father Solanus Casey died in Detroit in 1957, all he left after 86 years on this earth were a small crucifix, an old pair of sandals, several religious pictures, a wooden statue of St. Anthony, some dog-eared religious books, a knot of heavily darned socks and a framed, 40-year-old picture of his family. Bl. Solanus Casey (1870-1957) But he left another rich legacy — a long list of curious "favors" to an equally long list of devoted believers. Father Solanus Casey had come to Detroit to be a Capuchin friar. During his years as a priest he spent...

Felice da Nicosia (1715-1787) VATICAN CITY, OCT. 19, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Here is the biography issued by the Holy See of Felix of Nicosia (1715-1787), who will be canonized with four other blessed this Sunday by Benedict XVI. * * * Felix of Nicosia was born of the marriage between Filippo Amoroso and Carmela Pirro, in Nicosia, Sicily, on Nov. 5, 1715. He was baptized on the same day, and was given the names Philip James. His father, a shoemaker by trade, died Oct. 12, 1715, leaving his widow with three children. The family was poor but very religious. As...

CHARLOTTE AMALIE, US Virgin Islands - She'd been a spiritual wanderer for 20 years, studying century-old teachings of a Russian philosopher, seeking tranquility in Zen and Hinduism. For Charlene Kehoe, Catholicism was a relic of a past she thought she'd left far behind. Her bond with the Catholic Church of her youth had frayed to little more than a seasonal reflex - one token visit at Christmas that was more social than religious. And even that one service could be a sharp reminder of why she'd left. ''I was so disgusted, I think I walked out after Communion,'' Kehoe said...