Neighbor (1928–2003) The formula for Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood changed very little from its first broadcast in 1968 until its last in 2001. Invariably it began with Fred Rogers slipping into…

Ursuline, Witness and Advocate (1958–2021) In 1987, Dianna Ortiz, a young Ursuline from New Mexico, joined her sisters in Guatemala, where she taught Mayan children. She was largely unaffected by…

Dominican (ca. 1190–1237) While studying in Paris in 1220, Jordan of Saxony was inspired to put on the habit of the Order of Preachers. His meteoric rise in the order…

Founder, Sisters of St Francis of Perpetual Adoration (1830–1905) Born in Germany to a deeply religious family, Regina Christine Wilhelmine Bonzel felt an early call to religious life. “On the…

Gospel Singer (1911–1972)Mahalia Jackson, known as the “Queen of Gospel,” died fifty years ago today on January 27, 1972. Born to a poor family in New Orleans, she found her…

Monk, Poet, Peacemaker (1926–2022)Long before his death in 2022, Vietnamese Zen master Thich Nhat Hanh was regarded as one of the great spiritual teachers of our time. Born in Hue,…

Nun (1445–1497)Blessed Veronica was born to devout peasants in a village near Milan. From an early age she wished to become a nun, though this would require that she learn…

Priest (1837–1900)Edward McGlynn, who was born in New York City to Irish immigrants, studied in Rome and was ordained a priest in 1860. At the age of twenty-nine, he was…

Cardinal, Archbishop of Florence (1872–1961)In May 1938, Mussolini welcomed Hitler to tour Italy, where he was warmly welcomed in Rome and other cities. The exception was Florence, where the Cardinal…

Archbishop of São Paulo, Brazil (1921–2016)Paulo Evaristo Arns, the son of German immigrants, was born in Brazil. In 1943, he entered the Franciscans and two years later was ordained a…