Mark Rehagen

Men, Happy Independence Day (one day early)! I have two messages for you Men of Signum Crucis this month. First, regarding the feast day today–the Memorial of St. Thomas the Apostle. St. Thomas the Apostle, as we all know, received the rather embarrassing title of “Doubting Thomas,” due to missing out when Jesus appeared to the other ten apostles after His resurrection, and then Thomas famously said, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and...

Men, I would like to share some thoughts in this newsletter on the heroic virtue of the saint whose memorial is observed by the Church today, St. Justin Martyr, and then add some thoughts about fatherhood, since later this month there is a day that is traditionally set aside to honor fathers. St. Justin Martyr was born a pagan in the late first century or early second century, a citizen of the Roman Empire. He trained himself to be a philosopher, but when he heard from a wise man that the...

Men, my remarks this month focus on Eastertide, dabbling, and a famous woman in the history of the Church to whom we men need to pay heed. In reverse order, first, the amazing woman to whom Pope Gregory XI listened to end one of the most unfortunate circumstances in the history of the Catholic Church–St. Catherine of Siena, whose feast day is celebrated today. To set the stage, in AD 1309, due to civil and religious unrest, as many of you are aware, Pope Clement V fled from Rome to...