St. John Vianney is the patron saint of priests, particular parish priests, so be sure to wish your pastor a happy feast of his patron! @thegnewsroom

This is the feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori. He founded the Redemptorist Order, who've had a great impact on my life. They're especially known for their work of mercy, especially in the confessional, and have a particular devotion to Mary under the title "Our Mother of Perpetual

I've been talking about good places to pray, and another good one is in front of our Blessed Mother! We never pray to Mary - we pray with her and through her. I always turn to her to help me with my fragile prayers. @thegnewsroom

We say that Jesus Christ is true God and true man. Because He was true man, he needed friends! Today is the feast of Sts. Martha, Mary, and Lazarus, good friends of Jesus. We thank God for the friends in our life! @thegnewsroom

Yesterday, a tragedy struck our neighborhood, just two blocks away from Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. We are heartbroken by the loss of life. The victims, those who were injured, and their families are in our prayers. We should never get used to violence or lose our respect for the.

We’ve been talking about good places to pray, and another place that I find particularly conducive to prayer is before the Crucifix. Never can we doubt God’s love for us when we’re in front of the Crucifix. @thegnewsroom

Sts. Joachim and Anne were the grandparents of Jesus, because they were the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary! We know the importance of grandparents. @thegnewsroom

Today is the feast of one of the twelve Apostles, St. James! You may be familiar with the Camino, a well-worn path of penance, prayer, and camaraderie to the burial place of St. James. Two of our priests are there with about two dozen men discerning the priesthood. Something

It's the feast of St. Sharbel Makhlūf, a hermit from Lebanon who was sought after by many suffering people for help. He never let them down – and he's still not! @thegnewsroom

A great place to pray is always before our Lord's real presence in the Most Blessed Sacrament! When we are in prayer before our Lord, we feel particularly close to Him. It's good just to be there with Him! @thegnewsroom

Summer vacation is often a time of deeper prayer. I want to spend the next few weeks talking about prayer, because we can often feel – I know I sometimes do! – that our prayers aren't very good. But I take courage in the words of two masters: St. Paul and Thomas Merton.

I'm interrupting my vacation to tell you about a great saint: St. Benedict, founder of monasticism! Great centers of scholarship, worship, and prayer, monasteries became the glue that held Europe together during the so-called "dark ages." Happy feast of St. Benedict, especially

I'm trying to take it easy these days, and I hope you're able to do so as well. A vacation is a chance to grow closer to the Lord! @thegnewsroom

This is the first Saturday of July. I mention that because first Saturdays are important in our Catholic chemistry! When Our Blessed Mother appeared in Fatima in 1917, she invited the three shepherd children to advocate devotion to Mary on the first Saturday of every month.

Happy Fourth of July! Today we rightly celebrate Independence Day. Our founding fathers, though, knew that the secret of this nation is that we would acknowledge our dependence upon Almighty God. @thegnewsroom

People from India proudly call themselves "St. Thomas Christians" because it was St. Thomas the Apostle who went there! Today is the feast of St. Thomas the Apostle, who came a long way from "Doubting Thomas" and went on to become one of the great missionaries of the Church.

July is traditionally dedicated to the Most Precious Blood of Jesus. It was shed for us on the Cross for our redemption, salvation, and our forgiveness of sins, and is shared with us in the Most Blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Christ. @thegnewsroom

St. Junípero Serra was a Franciscan missionary in what we now call California. He started in Mexico and worked his way up, naming the different towns. A great saint, a missionary, a loving preacher of the Gospel. St. Junípero Serra, pray for us! @thegnewsroom

Today is the feast of the Protomartyrs of Rome, the first martyrs of the Church in Rome. Peter and Paul were among the first martyrs, and hundreds and if not thousands within the next decades would be martyred as well. They would not worship the emperor. They would only worship

The Saturday after the feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus is always the feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Pope St. John Paul II said it very well. Remember, at the center of all creation beats two hearts – the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.