10 Catholic Role Models You Need to Learn About Now (An Updated List)

List of Catholic Saints

Last year, I wrote an article about Catholic saints and (soon-to-be saints, hopefully) who I’m incredibly thankful do. Interested in reading it? Check out Announcing 10 Catholic Role Models to be Thankful for!

This year has brought a seismic shift to our way of life. Political tensions and race riots added to the stresses caused by the pandemic. Despite, all the changes, my faith in God remained as strong as ever.

How exactly do you find strength and calm during horrifying news like the McCarrick scandal?

It’s okay to be frustrated, disgusted, worried, angry, sad, or any other raw negative emotion. I am deeply saddened by the abuse and corruption in the Catholic Church. But the Church is a reflection of the Incarnation— it’s both human and Divine.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 1118,  ”

The sacraments are “of the Church” in the double sense that they are “by her” and “for her.” They are “by the Church,” for she is the sacrament of Christ’s action at work in her through the mission of the Holy Spirit. They are “for the Church” in the sense that “the sacraments make the Church,”35 since they manifest and communicate to men, above all in the Eucharist, the mystery of communion with the God who is love, One in three persons.

Individuals who life fully in the sacramental life and leave they previous life behind transform from sinners into saints. Holy men and women allow and cooperate with God so intimately they in a sense become “little Christs”. Jesus, Mary, and the saints always draw me back to the Truth as taught by the Catholic Church. Here is an updated list ten holy Catholics you should learn about.

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Venerable Fulton Sheen

Reading the works of the American archbishop helped me learn my faith in a clearer and more articulate fashion. His book The World’s First Love: Mary the Mother of God influenced more than any other work on deepening my relationship with the Blessed Virgin. He famously said, “Judge the Catholic Church not by those who barely live by its spirit, but by the example of those who live closest to it.”

St. Josemaria Escriva

Since receiving his book The Way as an unexpected Christmas present, this Spanish priest became a huge role model for me. Fr. Escriva’s practical advice and wisdom on work being a pathway to holiness helped me become not only a better employee, but also a better husband as well.

St. Teresa of Avila

Saint Teresa of Avila is a wonderful role model for how to clear out the clutter of fear and sin in my life. I even named my youngest daughter (Avila) after this Doctor of the Church. My spiritual life need not be at the surface level. Her spiritual work, Interior Castle, helps me invite God past the entryway of my “spiritual home” and into the recesses of my heart.

St. Catherine of Siena

Over the past year, I had the privilege and joy of acclimating myself with the teachings of this Doctor of the Church. In light of the recent clergy crisis, I oftentimes sink into despair as I think that a simple lay person such as myself has nothing to contribute or weight to affect the good of the Church.

Reading the many letters of Catherine of Siena proved to me that even the laity have the ability—and the charge—to holiness and call on Church leadership to be good shepherds to lead the flock faithfully!

St. Maria Faustina

Being my wife’s confirmation saint, I did not learn about Sister Faustina until we started dating in college. Along with the impact the Polish nun had on my wife, her Diary of a Soul proved helpful for my spiritual life.

As a lifelong Catholic, I always knew of God’s mercy, but her ability to articulate boundlessness of Divine Mercy and the Divine Mercy icon now have become staples in my spiritual life.

St. Athanasius

Growing up as a cradle Catholic, I am ashamed to admit I never heard of this amazing doctor of the Early Church. Since taking a graduate course on Christology and reading [enter book title], St. Athanasius’ intrepid stand against the most sinister heresy—Arianism—in the history of the Catholic Church always inspires and fascinates me! I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read the sainted bishop’s On the Incarnation.

St. Pope John Paul II

The Polish pope overcome much adversity in his life: losing his immediate family members by the age of 21, living through Nazi and Communist regime, and suffering from polio at the end of his life.

John Paul II’s ability to suffer gracefully and his strong devotion and daily reception of the sacrament of Penance make him the perfect role model for faithful Catholics.

St. Francis de Sales

Although Frances was a bishop, his spirituality largely impacted the laity. His spiritual work Introduction to the Devout Life, remains  as relevant now almost 500 years later.

St. Therese of Lisieux

Whether I experience doldrums or dryness in the spiritual life, reacquainting myself with the Little Way of St. Therese provides me spiritual nourishment to withstand those dry spells.

The simplicity of her spiritual helps to provide me perspective that I do not have to perform grandiose works to grow in holiness. Actually, that path it found through consistent prayer and trust in God’s will. I am thankful for her loving witness to trust in the Father’s Divine Plan.

St. Louis de Montfort

Every great saint has a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, but arguably no other saint has written about the Mother of God with such clarity and beauty as Louis de Montfort. I learned about his books during a Marian consecration. True Devotion to Mary and The Secret of the Rosary are required items on your bookshelf. Re-re-reading both books have become a yearly tradition for me.

“[Mary] is the safest, easiest, shortest and most perfect way of approaching Jesus and will surrender themselves to her, body and soul, without reserve in order to belong entirely to Jesus.” — St. Louis de Montfort

Bonus Catholic Role Model —J.R.R. Tolkien

While the father of fantasy and beloved creator of Middle Earth may appear as an outlier in this list, the late Oxford professor strongly influenced and deepened my Catholic faith in recent years. His ability to teach truth without sounding preachy is second to none.

Reading his works sparks my imagination. When I found out that his Catholic faith permeated his entire life, even his writing,  I too dove deeper into the pursuing the joy of the truth founded in the Good News of Jesus Christ.

More information about my admiration for J.R.R. Tolkien can be found be clicking on this link to an article I wrote for EpicPew: https://epicpew.com/an-unexpected-journey-the-case-for-the-canonization-of-j-r-r-tolkien/

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Hope you enjoyed this list and find it helpful in your spiritual life!

Thank you for sharing!

10 Reasons Why Catholics Should Always be Thankful

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Editor’s Note: This post was originally published on November 26, 2017.


G.K. Chesterton stated in Christmas and Salesmanship, “Gratitude, being nearly the greatest of human duties, is also nearly the most difficult.” As a father I know all too well how difficult it is sometimes for my children to express gratitude to me. On the other hand, as a husband I struggle to tell my wife how thankful for all that she does. Not only do I need to improve on my attitude of gratitude within my marriage,  I need to focus on having a thankful mindset in my spiritual life and relationship with God. In celebration of the Thanksgiving holiday, I came on my top ten reasons for why I am thankful for Catholicism!

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Eucharist

The Bread of Life Discourse in John 6 has Jesus preaching the most profound truth in the history of the universe. Jesus said, I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give is my flesh for the life of the world” (John 6:51). The Catechism of the Catechism Church calls the Eucharist the “source and summit of the Christian life” (CCC 1324). Every Sunday I experience the miracle of being able to receive the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ!

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Holy Trinity

God is love. Love entails relationship. The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is the Mystery that God is a Communion of Three Persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I am grateful for the revelation of this truth. I am able to ponder the depth of its truth without it growing stale, it always remains fresh and profound!

Incarnation

The most solemn moment of the Nicene Creed occurs when we profess: “For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit, he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man.” At this point, we bow to recognize the amazing fact that God became a mere human. St. Athanasius had this to say about the Incarnation, “God became man that man might become God” (On the Incarnation). I am thankful that God sent his only Son-Jesus Christ—to become a bridge for humanity to access God.

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Confession

I have experienced real, tangible, and concrete healing when I receive God’s healing grace’s in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Through frequent reception of Penance, I have been able to overcome sins that dominated me in my youth. I have also been able to recognize sins that hid in the background previously. As a result, Confession provides me with graces to root out sinful tendencies and to grow in holiness.

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Divine Mercy

While I experience Divine Mercy in the Sacrament of Confession, I want to treat this topic as a separate point. I used to view God as a wrathful Judge. My scrupulosity leads to a judgmental mentality—that I struggle with still today. However, through the intercession of the Divine Mercy saints of the 20th century such as St. Maria Faustina, John Paul II, Maximilian Koble, and Mother Teresa my awareness that God is a Merciful and Just Judge has increased!

 Mary

My relationship with our Blessed Mother has improved over this past year. In celebration of the centenary anniversary of the Apparitions at Fatima, my wife and I consecrated ourselves to Jesus through St. Louis de Montfort stated, “[Mary] is the safest, easiest, shortest and most perfect way of approaching Jesus and will surrender themselves to her, body and soul, without reserve in order to belong entirely to Jesus” (True Devotion to Mary). I learned that Mary is the greatest witness and advocate for God. Her desire is to lead ll her children to Jesus Christ.

 Saints

Along with Mary, the saints in Heaven provide a model for me to follow to help me grow in holiness. Reading about the lives of my favorite saints [St. Athanasius, John Paul II, St. Amelia, St. Bernadette, St. Pius IX, St. Maria Faustina, and St. Maximilian Koble—to name a few] helps provide concrete examples of what holiness looks like and how I am able to emulate their trust in God in my own life.

 Hope

I am thankful for the hope that the Catholic Church teaches and provides me daily. Attending Sunday Mass, going to Eucharistic Adoration, meeting with my monthly Catholic men’s group, and teaching Religious Education at my parish are ways that I receive [and pass on] hope. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 1843, “By hope we desire, and with steadfast trust await from God, eternal life and the graces to merit it.”

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Sacred Tradition

I am a history buff. In fact, I earned my undergraduate degree in history. The Catholic Church is a storehouse and guardian of 2,000+ years of history and tradition. While lesser important traditions pass away and give way to more appropriate devotional practices that fits the needs of the faithful, Jesus Christ knew that stability and consistency of truth is essential in mankind’s relationship with God.

The Catechism tells us in paragraph number 96-97,

What Christ entrusted to the apostles, they in turn handed on by their preaching and writing, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to all generations, until Christ returns in glory. ‘Sacred Tradition and Sacred Scripture make up a single sacred deposit of the Word of God’ (DV 10) in which, as in a mirror, the pilgrim Church contemplates God, the source of all her riches.

I am thankful that Jesus instituted the priesthood and office of the papacy to have truth passed on through the ages.

Beauty

The final fact about Catholicism in my top ten list that I am grateful for is the beauty I experience. Catholic cathedrals and basilicas are places where I have experienced beauty in an ineffable way. During the celebration of the Liturgy, I experience the beauty of God in both song and sight. The icons in my local church allow my prayers to be better united to God. I am pointed toward higher realities when I meditate with the aid of sacred song and holy images.

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Lord, we thank you
for the goodness of our people
and for the spirit of justice
that fills this nation.
We thank you for the beauty and fullness of the
land and the challenge of the cities.

We thank you for our work and our rest,
for one another, and for our homes.
We thank you, Lord:
accept our thanksgiving on this day.
We pray and give thanks through Jesus Christ our Lord.

R: Amen.

Related Links

Catholics, Be Thankful Always and Everywhere

Why I’m Thankful To Be Catholic

Announcing 10 Catholic Role Models to be Thankful for!

Thank you for sharing!

Plan for 2021 with The Christian Planner— Product Review


Editor’s note: I received this product from The Christian Planner  brand in exchange for an honest review.


Order and organization is important for success (and sanity). The unpredictability of 2020 likely has caused you to get off track with your routine (I’m still out of sync). Life will still be unpredictable going into the next year but one thing you can control is your habits and attitude.

I received the perfect thing to prepare me for getting back to normalcy (if normal was ever a thing)— The Christian Planner: Catholic Edition.

The Catholic Planner

It felt like Christmas morning when the package arrived on my doorstop last week. I love organization. No joke. I highlighted my notes in rainbow color order when I was in school. I have also had experiences with owning several schedulers and planners. But the Christian Planner is unique among them all.

Here were a few ways The Christian Planner distinguishes itself from traditional planners:

Christ Centered Calendar

Jesus isn’t simply the reason for the season. He is the reason for all the seasons! In the first pages, The Christian Planner details out the liturgical year and provides spiritual challenges for each particular season.

Saint Sections

There is a Seeking Sainthood section where you have space to journal or paste images of your favorite holy role models. This was something I found to be a neat feature.

Habit Tracker

Forming new habits takes time and if you’re anything like me you will fail a few times first. The Christian Planner has a daily habit tracker for you to record whether you met or missed your goals. There is also free space for you to note your progress.

Faith and Finance

Money isn’t a fun subject to think about. But good financial habits are essential to have in place for long-term success. At the end of every month, a Monthly Financial Tracker helps you assess your financial health. This is something I’ve never seen before in a daily planner.

I found The Christian Planner: Catholic Edition quite helpful in organizing goals and no doubt it will prove to be a valuable tool for me this upcoming year to form holy habits in 2021. I highly recommend this unique and creative planner! Purchase this product at www.christianplanner.com

 

 

 

Thank you for sharing!

Happy Feast of Christ the King in 2020

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Pope Pius XI instituted the Feast of Christ the King in 1925. In his encyclical letter Quas primas the pope wrote,

Nations will be reminded by the annual celebration of this feast that not only private individuals but also rulers and princes are bound to give public honor and obedience to Christ. It will call to their minds the thought of the last judgment, wherein Christ, who has been cast out of public life, despised, neglected and ignored, will most severely avenge these insults; for his kingly dignity demands that the State should take account of the commandments of God and of Christian principles, both in making laws and in administering justice, and also in providing for the young a sound moral education (no. 32).

Jesus is a servant king. He came to minister to the poorest of humanity. As truly God and truly man, Christ is the Great Bridge to God the Father. The best kings unite and have the loyalty of their subjects. Unity can take place through force or love. Forced unity is not true unity—it is disunity masked under the guise of harmony.

People who live under the rule of a tyrant only obey the law because of penalty of prison or death. Lasting unity happens not in the form of forced government, but in the love of a family.

Through the sacrament of Baptism one becomes an adopted child of God. God rules through love not with intimidation tactics. Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the Cross was in obedience to the Father’s will and out of love for us all. Let us see Christ, not as a distant aloof king, but instead a brother leading us with love!

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Related Links

Christ the King of the Universe

Reflections for the Feast of Christ the King

 

Thank you for sharing!

Copywriting Supertip—Use the Rule of Three

💫 💫 💫Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Time for another Supertip (this is a series I started on LinkedIn and figured why not add it to my website).

I love sharing information & connecting individuals with each other. While theology is my expertise a deep passion of mine is writing about writing. I want YOU to power-up your writing skills. You will be able to do that with this supertip!🚀

Here is my tip ⤵️

💡Excellent copy provokes a response.

It prods (like a bear in hibernation) and awakens your audience toward an action.

Legendary copy makes you act.

Here’s an epic example of copy from the comedy The Office.

Bears. Beets. Battle Galactica.

Jim used this line to get Dwight’s attention (and viewers).

This quip is among the most famous from the show.

I wear a hoodie with Jim’s quote…

And every single time I’ve worn the hoodie I got a reply at least once!

Bears. Beets. Battle Galactica.

It follows two important rules of copywriting:

🐻 Rule of three— include a trio in your copy to make it easier to remember

Use a pattern (small, medium, large) or a random break on the third item

🐻 Alliteration— the human brain loves similar sounds

Delight your readers with delectable copy.

That’s my tip. Now, the super part of comes in from YOUR participation in the comments!

Share a tip specific to your niche and tag a connection who helped you the past week in the comments ⤵️

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Best scene from The Office.

P. S. No bears or beets were harmed in the writing of this blog post. I can’t be for certain about whether any starships were captured by aliens.

Thank you for sharing!

How Saint Teresa of Avila will help You Trust in God

Saint Teresa of Avila

There’s a lot of anxiety out there and I’m feeling it.

This has been one of the few pieces of writing that calms me down 100% of the time.

I didn’t choose Avila’s name because I liked the sound of it (although I think it’s a beautiful name). I picked it because of my close devotion to Saint Teresa of Avila.

Prayer of Saint Teresa of Avila

Today is the beginning of a new habit of me carrying her prayer card in my pocket at work to remind me of God’s Providence and Love.

Saint Teresa of Avila pray for us!

Thank you for sharing!

💡Copywriting tip #13— Simple copy beats complicated copy

Publishing is easier than ever.

But imposter syndrome kicks in when you get momentum.

Really content creation boils down to sharing a story that contains something valuable for someone else (an audience).

The next time self-doubt strikes you dodge the attack with this defensive pivot:

🔷 Substitute the word ‘share’ in place of ‘publish’

🔶 Change out ‘content’ for ‘story’

🔷 Replace ‘valuable’ with ‘helpful tip(s) for someone’

Essentially, content creation and publishing valuable content for your target audience is really much simpler 👇

💡 Share your story about how you can help others.

Include tips, best practices, something you wished you knew from the start.

Don’t overcomplicate (oops even I did that with such an obnoxiously obtuse word) or add difficulty to your copy.

Simplify it.

Content creation is about sharing your helpful story to others who will relate to it and find it helpful.

❓How do you make your copy simpler?

Thank you for sharing!