Faith

Dubbed the “Harp of the Holy Spirit,” the “Column of the Church,” and “Sun of the Syrians,” St. Ephrem (feast day: June 9) is revered not only by Roman Catholics, but by Eastern Orthodox and Syriac Orthodox Christians as well.

Saint Philip Neri, “the Second Apostle of Rome,” was well-known for his humorous and unusual penances, including one involving a chicken. His feast day is May 26.

Saint Peter Canisius, Doctor of the Church (feast day: Dec. 21), travelled more than 20,000 miles on horseback during his years of ministry and essentially renewed the Catholic faith in Germany. When he was once criticized for doing too much, he responded, “If you have too much to do, with God’s help you will find time to do it all.”

In light of Amazon's new streaming series "The Rings of Power" set in J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings universe, everyone's talking about Tolkien — including many Catholics.

Turn to any page of St. Faustina's Diary, and you'll find spiritual gems. 

Sometimes, it may feel like the Lord is distant. But as St. Faustina understood well, He's never very far.