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SAINT OF THE DAY (March 26)

St. Margaret Clitherow was one of the Forty Martyrs of England and Wales executed for harbouring Roman Catholic priests during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England.

Margaret was born in 1555 to a protestant family in Middleton, England. She was known throughout the town for her wit and good looks.

On 1 July 1571, she married John Clitherow, a wealthy butcher and chamberlain of the city, who was also a widower with two sons.

She bore him three children and the family lived at today's 10–11 The Shambles.

Several years after her marriage to John, Margaret was introduced to the Catholic faith and converted.

She was a zealous defender of Catholicism and hid fugitive priests in her home. Eventually, Margaret was turned in to the sheriff and tried for the crime of harboring Catholic priests.

While Margaret was on trial, many efforts were made to encourage her to deny the Catholic faith, but she held firmly.

Finally, Margaret was condemned to be pressed to death upon sharp rocks. She was executed on 25 March 1586.

She was beatified by Pope Pius XI on 15 December 1929 and was canonized by Pope Paul VI on 25 October 1970.

It was also Pope Paul VI who first called Margaret "the Pearl of York."

She is the patron saint of businesswomen.

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Gentlemen pose for photos with their beloved pups, circa 1880-1900. 🧵

🎩📷🐶

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Removing freckles from a young woman using a skin peel, Hungary 1937. 👀

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Rubber or Latex Masks

In the 1920s, rubber or latex masks were sold to help people look younger by reducing wrinkles and improving skin tone.

These masks made the skin sweat by trapping heat and moisture, which cleaned pores, boosted circulation, and briefly tightened the skin.

Sweating also removed dirt and oil, hydrated the skin, and made it look fuller and fresher. The warmth from the mask also increased blood flow, giving the skin a healthy glow. 🎭

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The Solemnity of the Annunciation celebrates the coming of the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary to announce to her the special mission God had chosen for her in being the mother of His only son.

We are continually reminded of the importance of this feast to our salvation in various devotional prayers.

Two examples that highlight the importance of this feast are the joyous mysteries of the Rosary and the Angelus.

The Feast of the Annunciation began to be celebrated on this day during the fourth and fifth centuries, soon after the date for celebrating Christmas was universalized throughout the Church.

This feast celebrates the Incarnation of the Second Person of the Trinity and the salvation of all mankind.

This point of our salvation was deeply discussed by many of the Church fathers to explain to the faithful and to show the deep love God has for us.

Some of the Church fathers who wrote on this were St. Athanasius, St. Gregory of Nyssa, and St. Augustine.

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TODAY IN HISTORY

25 March 421

Venice, Italy, was founded with the dedication of its first church, San Giacomo di Rialto.

The location was chosen as a refuge from invading tribes after the fall of the Roman Empire.

Over time, the settlers transformed the marshy islands into a thriving maritime power. They established a vast network of canals and a significant center for trade and culture during the Renaissance.

Venice remained an independent republic for over a millennium.

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TODAY IN HISTORY

24 March 1603

Queen Elizabeth I passed away at the age of 69.

She had ruled England for 44 years and brought stability to the Empire after the tenuous rules of her siblings.

Her health unfortunately deteriorated after the deaths of several close friends.

Upon her death, she was placed in Westminster Abbey in a tomb shared with her half sister, Mary I.

24 March 1199

King Richard the Lionheart of England was wounded by a crossbow bolt at the Siege of Châlus Chabrol in France.

Despite thinking that it was a minor injury, the wound became infected and led to gangrene.

Richard succumbed to this wound and died on 6 April 1199. He was then succeeded by his brother, John.

24 March 1944

Over 75 Allied prisoners escaped from a POW camp in Sagan, Germany.

Despite the camp's high security, prisoners managed to dig three tunnels leading beyond the camp’s perimeter and named them Tom, Dick, and Harry.

Harry was the tunnel eventually used for the escape.

Of the escapees, 73 were recaptured and Hitler ordered 50 to be executed.

This escape attempt inspired the 1963 movie "The Great Escape," starring Steve McQueen.

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“I do not really think that I am frightfully important. I wrote the Trilogy as a personal satisfaction, driven to it by the scarcity of literature of the sort that I wanted to read.”

— John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (1892-1973)

Letter # 163

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SAINT OF THE DAY (March 24)

St. Catherine was born near the beginning of the fourteenth century to parents Ulfo and St. Bridget of Sweden.

At the age of seven, Catherine was sent to the abbey at Risburgh by her parents and placed under the care of the abbess to receive an education and to build a foundation for her spiritual life.

At the age of 13, Catherine was taken from the abbey and given in marriage to Egard, a German nobleman.

Upon meeting Egard, Catherine persuaded him to make a mutual vow of perpetual chastity with her.

Catherine and Egard dedicated themselves to the service of God and encouraged each other in works of mortification, prayer and charity.

Around the year 1349, after the death of her father, Catherine accompanied her mother on a pilgrimage to Rome to visit the relics of the Roman Martyrs.

The two spent several years living in Rome. In 1373, St. Bridget died and Catherine returned to Sweden with her mother's body.

Two years later, Catherine returned to Rome to promote the cause for her mother's canonization and to gain approval for a Rule she had written for a group of religious women.

After gaining approval for her rule, Catherine returned to Sweden and became abbess of Vadzstena.

Catherine served as abbess of Vadzstena until her death on 24 March 1381.

During the final 25 years of her life, Catherine was known for her austere lifestyle and her practice of making daily use of the Sacrament of Confession.

Catherine was canonized by Pope Pius II in 1484.

She is often depicted holding a white lily to represent her purity. A deer is pictured alongside her to represent protection against attacks to her chaste and virtue.

She is the patron saint of anti-abortion movements and miscarriages.

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A royal surprise for Dame Mary Berry! 🙌

Plenty of birthday messages for Dame Mary feature in our special episode of The One Show, including this one from The Prince of Wales! 🎂

Watch ‘'The One Show: Dame Mary Berry, A Celebration at 90’' on 24 March 2025 at 7pm on BBC One & BBCiPlayer.

—

Dame Mary Rosa Alleyne Hunnings DBE (née Berry; born 24 March 1935) is an English food writer, chef, baker, and television presenter.

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This incredible video uses AI to show the late Queen Elizabeth II through the different ages in her life. How missed she is by so many in our country. 💜

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SAINT OF THE DAY (March 23)

Catholics in Latin America and throughout the world will celebrate the life and ministry of St. Turibius of Mogrovejo on March 23.

The 16th-century bishop upheld the rights of Peru's indigenous peoples and became one of the first canonized saints of the Americas.

Turibius was born in Spain on 16 November 1538 to a noble family in the kingdom of Leon.

He frequently prayed, fasted and gave to the poor even as a child. He eventually developed the daily habit of praying the Rosary along with the Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

He went on to study law at the University of Salamanca and served as a judge for five years in the territory of Granada.

His judicial wisdom and diligence drew the attention of King Philip II, who wanted Turibius – who was still a layman – to be consecrated as a missionary archbishop for the Spanish colony of Peru.

Turibius became greatly dismayed, protesting to the king and Church authorities that he was not even a priest and could not possibly accept the charge.

In a series of letters, he pled that he was not personally capable of serving as the Archbishop of Lima.

He reminded them that canon law won't permit a layman to become an archbishop.

Eventually, however, he had little choice but to comply. He was consecrated as a bishop in 1581 at the age of 43, then immediately left for Lima, Peru.

The new archbishop undertook to travel throughout the rugged and mountainous diocese, where he observed many of the worst effects of colonialism – both upon the enslaved and oppressed natives, and on many of the colonists who seemed to have lost their souls in the pursuit of wealth.

He responded with constant prayer and penance, as he traveled throughout his territory administering the sacraments, teaching the Catholic faith, and establishing schools, seminaries and hospitals.

To the indigenous Peruvians, the archbishop was a herald of the Gospel who held their lives as more precious than their country's supplies of gold and silver.

But to the many colonists whose behavior showed no sign of their Catholic origins, he was a prophetic scourge – whose efforts to awaken the public conscience earned him rebukes and opposition.

Turibius ultimately managed to make three visitations of his diocese, under rugged and dangerous conditions, which occupied about half of his 25 years as Archbishop of Lima.

He united the Peruvian Church at an administrative level by holding several local councils of its clergy but was also known to spend days traveling to reach a single individual with the message of Christ.

The archbishop became seriously ill in 1606. He sensed that his death was imminent and decreed that his possessions should be distributed to the poor.

Turibius died on 23 March 1606, and his body was found to be incorrupt the next year.

He was beatified by Pope Innocent XI on 2 July 1679 and was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII on 10 December 1726.

1983, Pope John Paul II proclaimed him patron saint of the Latin American episcopate and native peoples' rights.

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Pope Francis waves from Rome hospital window ahead of being discharged | BBC News

23 March 2025

Pope Francis has appeared at the window of the hospital in Rome for the first time since being admitted on 14 February.

The 88-year-old will be discharged on Sunday (March 23) and will need at least two months of rest at the Vatican, doctors treating him have said.

During the past five weeks, he presented "two very critical episodes where his life was in danger," Dr Sergio Alfieri, one of the doctors treating the Pope, said.

"Today, we are happy to say that tomorrow he will be at home," he told reporters on Saturday.

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