Free Republic

A patron saint for life Amidst the myriad canonizations and beatifications proclaimed by Pope John Paul II, some have involved exceptionally dramatic lives. Think of Saint Maximilian Kolbe, the Franciscan martyr of charity who offered his life in the starvation bunker at Auschwitz to save the father of a family. Or Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Edith Stein), the brilliant philosopher and proto-feminist who rediscovered her ancestors' faith in the God of Abraham through Catholicism. Blessed Miguel Pro, S.J., shot by a firing squad of violent anti-clericals during the Mexican Cristero uprising in 1927, was perhaps the first martyr...

Buenos Aires, Jul. 28, 2006 (CNA) - The Catholic weekly “Cristo Hoy” in Argentina has launched a prayer crusade for a mother who decided to postpone treatment for cancer in order to save the life of her ninth child. The newspaper reports that Laura Figeroa is in the terminal stage of her illness, the diagnosis is brain metastasis, considered irreversible.”  Two weeks ago, on July 12th, Figeroa gave birth to her son Pedro at only 27 weeks.  The baby weighed just 2.4 pounds and was placed immediately in intensive care, where he is struggling with kidney and heart problems. The baby’s...