Catholic Sprouts: Daily Podcast for Catholic Kids

September 24: ST. GERARD OF CSANÁD: Rerouted for Christ

A storm blew St. Gerard of Csanád off course toward the Holy Land — and sent him to Hungary instead, where he tutored a future saint. Bound for the Holy Land, Gerard's

September 23: PADRE PIO: Marked by Christ

Padre Pio carried the actual wounds of Christ's Crucifixion in his own body for fifty years — and spent his life hearing confessions. In 1918, while deep in prayer, Pad

September 22: ST. THOMAS OF VILLANOVA: Father of the Poor

St. Thomas of Villanova refused to decorate his own archbishop's residence — and sent the money to a hospital instead. Known since childhood for giving away his own clo

September 21: ST. MATTHEW: The Tax Collector Apostle

St. Matthew dropped his tax booth the instant Jesus said "Follow me" — then threw a party so his old friends could meet Him too. A tax collector despised by his own nei

September 20: STS. ANDREW KIM & PAUL CHONG: Heroes of the Catholic Church in Korea

St. Andrew Kim, Korea's first native priest, was beheaded at 25 — two years after a layman's secret mission made his ordination possible. Paul Chong risked his life smu

September 19: ST. EMILY DE RODAT: A School in One Small Room

St. Emily de Rodat turned her own small bedroom into a classroom after overhearing poor mothers worry about their daughters. Unsure of her calling for years, Emily over

September 18: ST. JOSEPH OF CUPERTINO: The Flying Friar

St. Joseph of Cupertino, mocked as a boy for being slow, would later rise off the ground during Mass in front of stunned crowds. Dismissed by one religious order after

September 17: ST. ROBERT BELLARMINE: The Cardinal Who Wrote for Children

St. Robert Bellarmine was one of Europe's most brilliant cardinals — and he spent months writing a simple little book just for children. A theological genius trusted by

September 16: ST. CYPRIAN OF CARTHAGE: From Darkness to Light

St. Cyprian of Carthage left behind a wealthy lawyer's life in his thirties — and faced execution decades later without a trace of fear. Baptized as a grown man after y

September 15: OUR LADY OF SORROWS: She Did Not Look Away

Our Lady of Sorrows stood at the foot of the Cross and simply would not look away. This feast honors the depth of Mary's suffering as Jesus's mother, from Simeon's warn

September 14: THE EXALTATION OF THE CROSS: Too Heavy for a Crown

Legend says the True Cross grew too heavy for an emperor to carry — until he traded his crown for bare feet. This feast remembers Emperor Heraclius's return of the reco

September 13: JOHN CHRYSOSTOM: Glory to God for All Things

St. John Chrysostom, the "golden-mouthed" preacher, was exiled by an empress for telling the truth — and died still praising God. As archbishop of Constantinople, John'

September 12: ST. FRANCIS CHOE & BL. MARIA YI: United in Christ

St. Francis Choe risked his life recovering the bodies of Korea's martyrs — and his own martyred family raised Korea's second native priest. Married in secret amid Kore

September 11: SERVANT OF GOD WILLIAM ATKINSON: Called Anyway

Servant of God William Atkinson became a quadriplegic before he ever became a priest — then became the Church's first quadriplegic priest anyway. An eighteen-year-old n

September 10: VEN. IGNACIA DEL ESPÍRITU SANTO: A Needle and a Pair of Scissors

Turned away from every convent in Manila for being Filipina, Venerable Ignacia del Espíritu Santo built one herself with a needle and scissors. When Spanish colonial co

September 9: ST. PETER CLAVER: A Slave of the Slaves Forever

St. Peter Claver climbed into slave ships in Cartagena harbor before almost anyone else dared go near them. For forty years, whenever a slave ship arrived in Cartagena,

September 8: BL. FRÉDÉRIC OZANAM: Show Us Your Works

Blessed Frédéric Ozanam answered a college classmate's doubt about the Church not with an argument, but with his own winter firewood. Challenged by a classmate to show

September 7: ST. REGINA: A Queen Who Chose Heaven

St. Regina, a teenage shepherdess secretly baptized as a baby, chose martyrdom over marriage to a Roman official. Raised in the fields tending sheep, Regina turned her

September 6: BL. BERTRAND OF GARRIGUES: The Second Dominic

Blessed Bertrand of Garrigues walked barefoot beside St. Dominic, founding the Dominican order town by hungry town. One of St. Dominic's first companions, Bertrand gave

September 5: MOTHER TERESA: Finding Jesus in the Distressing Disguise of the Poor

St. Teresa of Calcutta — Mother Teresa — heard God's call on a train to Darjeeling and never looked back. A teaching sister in Calcutta, Teresa felt a second, deeper ca