839 years ago today, the murder of St. Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury, inside Canterbury cathedral has been memorialized by T. S. Eliot, Jean Anouilh, and many others. Today we take an in depth look at the life and times of Henry II's close friend and confidant, whose life change and resulting martyrdom spawned years of miracles and pilgrimage.

A St. Jeopardy quiz winner and a new quiz on St. Lucy in this extended SaintCast on the 5th day of Christmas.

• New story approval of miracles and heroic virtues
• Becket the Movie

What do Elvis Presley, Enrico Caruso, Dante Alighieri, and Venetians have in common? They all have a special love for Santa Lucia. On December 13th we celebrate the Feast of St. Lucy. Special traditions take place all over the world.

• Becoming Italian blog on St. Lucy
• Magnatune.com
• Catholic Roundup Advent Calendar

Today, in honor of the Feast of All Saints (and Halloween) we recount a true ghost story as told by St. John Bosco, whose best friend who came to visit after his death.

• Our Sunday Visitor "What about Ghosts?"
• Writings of St. John Bosco

Paul wishes a belated 'Happy St. Crispin's Day' to all, recalling the famous speech from Shakespeare's Henry V at the Battle of Agincourt.  We highlight the lives of 4 of the 5 new saints from October 11, the Mills Brothers, New Orleans, a Catholic Pilot and more.

• The Catholic Foodie with Jeff Young
• The Mills Brothers 'Basin Street Blues' with famous vocal trombone
• Kenneth Branagh's St. Crispin's Day speech from Henry V
• The Catholic Pilot with Jeff Nielsen
• The Catholic Laboratory with Ian Maxfield

Paul and daughter Laura walk above the Coliseum in Rome, combing the Celian hill for Saint-related sites, and stumble upon the magnificent Basilica of SS. John and Paul, and the former home of Pope St. Gregory the Great. Also hear news of the miracle of San Gennaro in Naples this week.

• YouTube video of St. Januarius blood liquefaction miracle
• Bishop Fulton Sheen foundation

In one of the fiercest Catholic persecutions of the last 100 years, 'God's jester,' Miguel Augustin Pro, was executed for his witness to Christ among the faithful of Mexico.  Learn about his many disguises, his pranks, and his faithful ministry to the poor in SaintCast #128. Also, Paul takes to the street in St. Louis to ask St. Louisians 'who is their patron saint?'

• www.shopphilomena.com
• Fr. Serra's newsletter
• Brother Dominic's biography of Miguel Pro
• Patrick Madrid's DVD on Mexican persecution in 1920's
• In Between Sundays podcast page
• The Catholic Foodie with Jeff Young

The bones found in the tomb in the catacombs of St. Priscilla were moved to Naples, and shortly thereafter amazing miracles began happening. What do we know of St. Philomena? Padre Pio generates solar power?

• www.SaintsforSinners.com
• Dr. Mark Miravalle on St. Philomena
• SaintCast on St. Laurence and the Holy Grail
• Dennis Schaefer's column on wine

High in the mountains of Lazio, south of Rome, young Benedict took refuge in the silence of a cave to come to know God, an inauspicious beginning to a man called the "Father of Western Monastacism." The story of Benedict, his Rule, and an interview with a Benedictine monk. Therese goes to space, Jesus, Tiger Woods, and more. News of miracles through the intercession of Father Kapaun and Blessed Marmion. Saints of the week, and Happy St. Swithun's Day!

• St. Benedict links
• Our Lady of Vailankanni
• St. Bonaventure SaintCast

Fresh from the CNMC, we pose the question, "Who is the Patron Saint of San Antonio?" We ask that question "on-the-street" (well, really, on the Riverwalk) and you'll be surprised at the answers! More on Anthony of Padua, and news on the bones of St. Paul. The oldest image of St. Paul ever discovered unveiled this week, feedback on "the Mind of Jesus," and Monsignor Mangan answers questions on the patrons of those discerning religious vocations. This and more on SaintCast #125.

• Story of St. Margaret Marie and confession
• Story on St. Paul fresco discovery
• Monsignor Charles Mangan at Mary's Project
• Institute on Religious Life

The sacred brain of Jesus? Never heard of that devotion? On today's SaintCast we review the life of Margaret Marie Alacoque, the saint largely responsible for the devotion to Jesus's Sacred Heart, and Paul ponders why there's no devotion to Jesus's mind.  Also, learn about Saint Shemp.

• Catholic New Media Awards Vote Early and Often :)
• Saint Shemp in iconography
• The Catholic Laboratory
• Wandering Fool and the Sacred Brain of Jesus

A saint reference in Nacho Libre? Play along with St. Jeopardy to find out what that's about. We profile an early Church martyr, philosopher, and Father, Justin Martyr, as we go soundseeing at the Aracoeli Basilica in Rome, Italy.

Does a saint's body have to be found to be canonized?

• Catholic New Media Awards Vote Early and Often :)
• Santa Maria in Aracoeli Wikipedia site
• iBreviary iPhone/iPod Touch app review

Today we profile the Venerable Bede, a huge influence in the world from 'the Dark Ages,'all from a small monastery in England. From the timing of Easter to English translation of the Bible and other works, to tables of the tides, Bede left his mark on the world. Hear Fr. Z. from 'What Does the Prayer Really Say,' and from Fr. Reginald Foster, 'the pope's Latinist,' from Radio Vatican.

• Catholic New Media Conference registration
• Fr. Rick Lobs blog
• Fr. Johannes's YouTube channel
• Fr. Z. at "What Does the Prayer Really Say"

Five new Saints were canonized in Rome, among them a Portuguese soldier, known in Portugal as the Father of the Nation. Also learn about Saints and the pets they loved.

• www.blessednuno.org
• Saints and their Pets

Today we welcome Honolulu's Bishop Larry Silva to the SaintCast to discuss the upcoming canonization and life of Blessed Damien de Veuster. He talks of the upcoming celebrations and pilgrimages and what Fr. Damien means to Hawaii and the world.

"Who is St. Bede" and what does he have to do with Dante Alighieri?

• Blessed Pedro Colungsod website
• Notre Dame liturgical choir website/CD's

Today Paul emerges from 2 weeks of hibernation (while recuperating from a respiratory illness) to highlight a new DVD on the life of Servant of God John Paul II. This new DVD reveals never-before-revealed secrets about events in the life of His Holiness that come to us via the memories of his long-time secretary, Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz.

• Testimony the DVD website
• Mary's Project with Msgr. Charles Mangan
• News of brain injury miraculous healing
• Fr. Jim Martin, humor & religion

Man-on-the-street segment returns with Paul asking "What do you know about St. Patrick?" You'll be surprised at the answers. Fr. Jim Martin returns to talk about his DVD "Who Cares about the Saints?" Listeners questions, feedback, a possible patron saint for chemists, and your chance to win Fr. Jim's DVD on this week's Jeopardy quiz.

• Phedippidations running podcast with Steve Runner
• "Who Cares About the Saints?" at Loyola Productions
• Catholic Vocations Podcast
• Saint Patrick DVD "Apostle of Ireland"
• Research any saint at Saints.SQPN.com

Travel with Paul today to southern California to the "jewel" of the California missions, as he visits Mission San Juan Capistrano, on this the 3rd anniversary of the SaintCast.  Follow along with photos at saintcast.org while learning about the mission founded by Blessed Junipero Serra, and the swallows of Capistrano.

• Follow pictures while you listen here
• Jeff Wahl at Magnatune.com
• Official Swallow Day celebration website
• Print your SaintCast flyers for posting here

Great news from Rome this week, that Blessed Fr. Damien de Veuster, the priest to the lepers of Molokai is to be canonized in October. On this SaintCast we interview Ken Bath of the ROMCAL.net website, about his program to bring the Roman Catholic liturgical calendar to the masses. St. Raphael and the fish, SQPN giving campaign, Catholic New Media Conference, and saintly quote from Francis Xavier on this week's SaintCast.

• ROMCAL
• St. Benedict Abbey
• The Divine Mercy Podcast with Greg Keuter
• Magnatune.com
• Print your SaintCast flyers for posting here

Today on the SaintCast live (well almost) from San Diego, we learn about the 7 Florentine noblemen who started the Servite Order 775 years ago. Also, St. Dominic goes to the dogs. More on relics in the altars of listeners' parishes, Jeopardy answers, a new St. Jeopardy quiz, and a touching account of the martyrdom of St. Paul Miki. What is an antimension? Listeners sound off on a number of topics on this new SaintCast.

• International Servite website
• Magnatune.com
• Print your SaintCast flyers for posting here

Do you understand Aquinas? OK. . I'm not the only one with that difficulty. But today on the SaintCast, two medieval philosophy scholars, Joel Lonfat and Bettina Kreissl-Lonfat tell us why he's so important to the Church, what his major writings meant, who influenced him, and even take us through the Five Ways to come to know God's existence. We also learn of the approval of a miracle in the cause of a Trappist monk, architect, and photographer from Spain, Blessed Brother Rafael. More on relics in the altar from Brazil, and why is St. Anthony the patron saint of lost objects? These topics and more on today's SaintCast.

• Bettina and Joel's website
• Books on Aquinas by Kenny and Torrell, Torrell on the Summa
• Patron Saint of diabetics, St. Paulina of the Agonizing Heart of Jesus
• Print your SaintCast flyers for posting here

High on a rocky ledge in what was once the kingdom of Sicily, this cousin of the emperor Frederick II contemplated his future while a prisoner in his own family's castle. Who would have thought that he would come to be recognized as one of the greatest minds of the Catholic Church. . .The quiet demeanor of this humble giant of a man led others to believe he was a dunce.  But Aquinas's theology and writings were anything but simple. Tune in to hear the life story of "the Angelic Doctor" of the Catholic Church, author of some of the Church's most beloved hymns, and perhaps the greatest theologian in the history of Christianity.

Try your hand at this week's St. Jeopardy quiz, and win a T-shirt. Feedback and more.

• Catholic Under the Hood Podcast with Fr. Seraphim Beshoner
• Relic of St. Desiderius
• Magnatune.com
  
• Print your SaintCast flyers for posting here

This is a brief podcast part of the 12 days of Christmas for the Catholic New Media Roundup Advent calendar, on the traditions of midnight Mass and Mass at dawn on Christmas, in Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the 4th century.

Music in this episode: O little town of Bethlehem by Kathy Fisher at fishertheband.com

This is a brief episode aired as part of the Catholic New Media Roundup's Advent calendar, on the Feast of Juan Diego, 2008.

Music in this episode:  O Come Emmanuel sung by Kathy Fisher. Susan Tangâs music comes courtesy of Magnatune.com.

He died nearly alone, on tiny Sancian island, within sight of China - only 10 km from the land of his life's dream. His dream. . to evangelize the East.  On today's podcast we explore the life and work of Francis Xavier, directly responsible for baptizing the most converts since St. Paul. We know much about Xavier from his touching letters, and the letters of those around him. A carefree college kid in Paris, he had a conversion experience that led him, along with Ignatius Loyola, to found the Jesuits. Steadfastly obedient to his mission, he traveled to India, Japan, and Indonesia, and almost to China to bring the message of Christianity to thousands.

• Mary in Monmouthshire Podcast - Welsh Saints
  
• Print your SaintCast flyers for posting here