DEEPAGAM is the Don Bosco Catechetical Centre for Catholic faith and Christian value formation

January 10 : Baptism of the Lord

It’s a cliché, but true, that to finish well depends on making a “good beginning.” A month or so ago we heard “the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God,” proclaimed on the Second Sunday of Advent. Those words sound like a title—and, in a way, they are Mark’s “title” for... Read More

January 11 : Blessed William Carter

William Carter, a married bookseller, established his own printing press in London to publish Catholic literature for England's persecuted Catholic population. Continuously in danger from the Elizabethan authorities, he is said to have done his printing with a press so small that he could produce no more than one page at a time, and sometimes had to resort to... Read More

January 12 : Saint Marguerite Bourgeoys

“God closes a door and then opens a window,” people sometimes say when dealing with their own disappointment or someone else’s. That was certainly true in Marguerite’s case. Children from European as well as Native American backgrounds in 17th-century Canada benefited from her great zeal and unshakable trust in God’s providence. Born the sixth of... Read More

January 13 : Saint Hilary of Poitiers

This staunch defender of the divinity of Christ was a gentle and courteous man, devoted to writing some of the greatest theology on the Trinity, and was like his Master in being labeled a “disturber of the peace.” In a very troubled period in the Church, his holiness was lived out in both scholarship and... Read More

January 14 : Saint Gregory Nazianzen

After his baptism at 30, Gregory gladly accepted his friend Basil’s invitation to join him in a newly founded monastery. The solitude was broken when Gregory’s father, a bishop, needed help in his diocese and estate. It seems that Gregory was ordained a priest practically by force, and only reluctantly accepted the responsibility. He skilfully... Read More

January 15 : Saint Devasahayam Pillai

Neelakandan Pillai was born into an affluent Hindu family in 1712. As a young man he went into the service of the royal household in India’s Travancore province. Eventually put in charge of state affairs, Pillai became acquainted with Captain Eustachius De Lannoy, the Dutch naval commander who trained the king of Travancore’s forces. Their... Read More

January 16 : Saint Berard and Companions

Preaching the gospel is often dangerous work. Leaving one’s homeland and adjusting to new cultures, governments and languages is difficult enough; but martyrdom caps all the other sacrifices. In 1219, with the blessing of Saint Francis, Berard left Italy with Peter, Adjute, Accurs, Odo and Vitalis to preach in Morocco. En route in Spain, Vitalis became... Read More

January 17 : Saint Anthony of Egypt

The life of Anthony will remind many people of Saint Francis of Assisi. At 20, Anthony was so moved by the Gospel message, “Go, sell what you have, and give to [the] poor” (Mark 10:21b), that he actually did just that with his large inheritance. He is different from Francis in that most of Anthony’s life... Read More

January 18 : Saint Charles of Sezze

Charles thought that God was calling him to be a missionary in India, but he never got there. God had something better for this 17th-century successor to Brother Juniper. Born in Sezze, southeast of Rome, Charles was inspired by the lives of Salvator Horta and Paschal Baylon to become a Franciscan; he did that in... Read More

January 19 : Saint Fabian

Fabian was a Roman layman who came into the city from his farm one day as clergy and people were preparing to elect a new pope. Eusebius, a Church historian, says a dove flew in and settled on the head of Fabian. This sign united the votes of clergy and laity, and he was chosen... Read More

Lives Of Saints

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