Faith and Practice

Ignatius of Loyola founded the order of the Jesuit Fathers, which he named "Society of Jesus" in the 16th century. He also bequeathed to the Church a method to do "Spiritual Exercises", which help the faithful to discern their way in life.

These two sisters welcomed Jesus to their home in Bethany and later led Jesus to the tomb of their brother Lazarus.

Joachim and Anne are the parents of Mary, mother of Jesus and thus they are the grandparents of Jesus Christ. Although they are not mentioned in the New Testament, later writings tell their story.

Sharbel, a Lebanese Maronite monk and priest, lived a life of devotion to God as a man of prayer. In the Maronite Church, Sharbel is one of the most loved of the saints.

A disciple of Jesus, Mary Magdalene stayed with him until the end, when he died on the cross, and she was also among the first witnesses to his resurrection.

Jeremiah is one of the greatest of Israel's prophets. He suffered much because of his faithfulness to God during a period of sin and refusal of God's Word. The Catholic Church remembers him on July 21 each year.

The Biblical prophet Elijah is a central figure in the books that tell the story of the people of Israel. Tradition ties him to Mount Carmel and the Christians in the Holy Land celebrate him on July 20 each year, especially in Haifa.

On this feast, the Church remembers Mary, protectress of the Carmelite monks, who settled on Mount Carmel in Haifa.

Daniel, from the Jaffa community, has sent us a brief article about Saint Bonaventure, a great Franciscan theologian and a doctor (teacher) of the Church whose feast is celebrated on July 15.*

Sister Gabriele of the Benedictine Monastery on the Mount of Olives sent us this article about Saint Benedict. His feast is celebrated on July 11.

Maria Goretti was only 11 years old when she was murdered by a young man, who sought to rape her. She is the patron saint of rape victims.

The Apostle Thomas is best remembered because of his doubt when his fellow apostles told him that Jesus had risen from the dead and appeared to them. According to one tradition, he brought faith in the Risen Jesus to India.

On June 29, the Church celebrates the memory of the two great apostles of the Church at the beginning, Peter and Paul, who did much to found communities of believers in the Risen Jesus. June 29, according to tradition, is the date of their martyrdom in Rome.

Irenaeus of Lyons was one of the great Fathers of the Church in the second century. He was a bishop and greatly influenced the development of Christian theology.

On June 24, six months before Christmas, the Church celebrates the nativity of John the Baptist, who played an important role in the life of Jesus Christ.

Daniel sent us an article he wrote on Saint Anthony of Padua, monk and doctor of the Church, who was born in 1195 and died in 1231. He is also the patron saint of the Franciscan Custody of the Holy Land.

Saint Barnabas is the patron saint of Cyprus, a Jewish disciple from that island who was a model of Christian life at the very beginning of the Church.

Saint Ephrem was one of the Fathers of the Church who wrote in Syriac (the Christian form of Aramaic) and produced hymns, poetry as well as fascinating Biblical exegesis.

Justin Martyr is an important Father of the Church and is from the Holy Land. His treatise "Dialogue with Trypho" is an important testimony to Jewish-Christian dialogue in the second century.

This feast, which commemorates the joyous visit of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist, comes at the end of the month of Mary.