Melanie Rigney

“I propose to go wherever the Lord calls me.” (St. Martin of Tours)

From an early age, Daniel Comboni believed he was called to missionary work in Africa. And indeed, within three years of his ordination at age twenty-two, Daniel and five other missionaries were in Sudan. There, his dream collided with reality. The climate was far different from that of his native Italy. The Sudanese were leery of the men, regarding them in the same light as slave traders. The work was hard with little fruit. Daniel returned home in 1859 and spent a few years teaching and rethinking his missionary strategy.

Albert was curious, and you know what curious people do: They ask questions. They do research. And, often, they love teaching as a means of sharing what they’ve learned. Albert’s curiosity is breathtaking. He conducted research into virtually every known natural science, outdoors and in the laboratory, and took the same considered approach to questions about the life of the Blessed Virgin, to whom he was devoted. The Dominican was a respected instructor at numerous European colleges, and one of his students, Thomas Aquinas, would become a close friend.

Benedict the African was a natural leader. But the way he exercised his leadership was different from the way we might expect.

“A single act of love makes the soul return to life.” (St. Maximilian Kolbe)

The Gospel writer Luke, who we know as a disciple of St. Paul drew on St. Mark’s Gospel for his own version of the story of Jesus’ life on earth.

Gerard believed he had found his vocation as a lay Redemptorist, throwing himself into whatever task the community assigned him: sacristan, gardener, carpenter, and of course tailor, which had been the young man’s training.