GOTTA BE SAINTS

The Mission:

To help men and woman discover that they are fearfully and wonderfully made by a God who loves them!

"The Best Wine Until Now" - John 2:10

It’s okay - I’m not going to talk about Corona. Instead I want to talk about wine. Well, more specifically, I want to talk about the...

Come, let us return to the Lord.

A reflection on today's readings. A few years back there was a television show called, “The Moment of Truth.” Each contestant was asked...

Were not our hearts burning within us?

My dearest brothers and sisters, Reception of Jesus Christ in the Most Holy Eucharist has been taken away. It feels as if we are sheep...

Lord, let my will be Your will.

How often have you and I thought, “If I just date this person, I’ll be fulfilled,” or “If I just get that promotion, life will be...

The Vision:

To be a voice of truth to anyone who will listen. We are called to be Saints and God wants to help us get there.

CONTACT

gottabesaints@gmail.com

A few of my favorite titles for today’s Saint!

Which one is your favorite?

St. Joseph, pray for us!

#stjoseph #saint #gottabesaints

Happy Solemnity of St. Joseph!

Today we honor the quiet strength of the man chosen to be the earthly father of Jesus and the protector of the Holy Family. In his silence, we see deep trust; in his obedience, we see true courage; and in his hidden life, we find a model of holiness in the ordinary. May we imitate his humility, his steadfast love, and his willingness to say yes to God in whatever is asked of us.

#gottabesaints #stjoseph #saint #saintoftheday

Did you know there is a canonized saint who was a violent soldier, struggled with a gambling addiction, lost everything, and still became one of the Church’s greatest servants of the sick?

This is the story of St. Camillus de Lellis.

Swipe through to learn the story of a powerful conversion and a life completely transformed by grace.

Want to learn more? Type in his name on the @truthly.ai app.

#gottabesaints #faith #christ #saint

St. Patricks Breastplate. A beautiful prayer to pray today on his feast.

#stpatrick #stpatricksday

Happy Feast of St. Patrick!

St. Patrick was a fifth century missionary and bishop who is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. Born in Roman Britain, he was kidnapped as a teenager and taken to Ireland where he was enslaved for several years. During this time, his faith deepened through prayer and reliance on God. After escaping and returning home, he eventually discerned a call to return to Ireland as a missionary. There, he preached the Gospel, baptized thousands, and helped establish the Church across the island. Known for his humility, perseverance, and zeal, St. Patrick’s legacy endures as one of the most influential missionaries in Christian history.

#gottabesaints #stpatricksday

Did you know there is a canonized saint whose personal weaknesses were widely known, yet who refused to abandon the truth when his life depended on it?

This is the story of St. Andrew Wouters.

Swipe through to learn the story of a beautiful and powerful saint.

Want to learn more? Type in his name on the @truthly.ai app.

#gottabesaints #faith #christ #saint

Santa Maria dell’Anima in Rome is the historic national church of the German-speaking Catholic community in the city. Its origins trace back to 1350, when a Dutch couple, Johannes and Katharina Peters from Dordrecht, founded a hospice to care for poor pilgrims traveling to Rome during the Jubilee year. The institution was dedicated to the Virgin Mary and named dell’Anima (“of the soul”), referring to the charitable mission of caring for the souls and bodies of travelers who came to the city to visit the tombs of the apostles.

Over time, the hospice expanded into a larger religious and charitable complex serving pilgrims from the Holy Roman Empire, particularly those from German and Dutch lands. In the late fifteenth century, as the community grew, the present church was constructed between 1499 and 1522 during the Renaissance. The building became the principal spiritual center for German-speaking Catholics in Rome and was closely associated with the Habsburg emperors and other rulers of Central Europe. Its architecture reflects the transition from late Gothic influences to Renaissance style, and the church houses several notable works of art and tombs of important clergy and nobles connected to the German Catholic world.

Santa Maria dell’Anima also became an important institutional center. Attached to the church was a college for German clergy studying in Rome, strengthening the ties between the papacy and Catholic regions north of the Alps. Today the church remains an active parish and cultural center for German-speaking Catholics in Rome, preserving centuries of history tied to pilgrimage, hospitality, and the international character of the Catholic Church.

Lord, give me peace now and always.

#gottabesaints

Did you know there is a canonized saint who converted while performing a play mocking Christianity?

This is the story of St. Genesius of Rome.

Swipe through to learn the story of a beautiful and powerful saint.

#gottabesaints #faith #christ #saint

The Toledo Cathedral (Cathedral of Saint Mary of Toledo) is one of the most important Gothic cathedrals in Spain and a central symbol of the city’s religious history. Construction began in 1226 during the reign of Ferdinand III of Castile, shortly after Christian forces consolidated control of Toledo following centuries of Muslim rule. The cathedral was built on the site of an earlier Visigothic church, which had later been converted into a mosque during the Islamic period. After Toledo returned to Christian rule in the 11th century, the mosque served temporarily as a cathedral before being replaced by the grand Gothic structure that stands today. Influenced by the great cathedrals of France but adapted to Spanish traditions, construction continued for more than two centuries and was largely completed in the late 15th century.

The cathedral became the spiritual center of the Spanish Church, serving as the seat of the Archbishop of Toledo, historically the most powerful ecclesiastical office in Spain. Its interior reflects centuries of artistic development, combining Gothic architecture with Renaissance, Baroque, and Mudéjar influences. The immense nave, intricate choir stalls, and spectacular high altar retablo depict scenes from the life of Christ in richly carved and gilded detail. The cathedral also houses an extraordinary treasury that includes works by artists such as El Greco, whose famous painting The Disrobing of Christ is displayed in the sacristy.

Beyond its artistic and architectural significance, Toledo Cathedral has long played a major role in Spanish religious and political life. Important liturgies, royal ceremonies, and national celebrations were held there for centuries, reflecting Toledo’s historic role as the ecclesiastical capital of Spain. Today the cathedral remains both an active place of worship and one of the country’s most visited historic monuments, drawing pilgrims and visitors who come to experience its beauty, history, and spiritual legacy.

#toledo #catholic #gottabesaints #churchesandsteeples

One of the realest quotes you’ll ever read. Jesus, help me to embrace sacrifice and mortification.

#gottabesaints #lent

The Sacred Heart of Jesus reminds me that holiness begins with allowing my own heart to be transformed by His. When I look at the Sacred Heart, burning with love and wounded for our sins yet still open to us, I am struck by how personal God’s love truly is. Jesus does not love humanity in the abstract. He loves each of us individually and patiently invites us closer to His heart. The more time I spend in prayer before Him, especially in the Eucharist, the more I realize that becoming a saint is not about doing extraordinary things. It is about letting His Sacred Heart shape my own, learning to love, forgive, sacrifice, and trust the Father the way He did.

#gottabesaints

Parrocchia Santuario di Santa Maria in Traspontina is a Baroque church in Rome located along Via della Conciliazione, just west of St. Peter’s Square. The church was built in the late 16th century and completed around 1587 during the papacy of Pope Sixtus V. It replaced an earlier medieval church that once stood closer to the Tiber River but was demolished as part of urban redevelopment around the Vatican. The present church was entrusted to the Order of Carmelites, who still administer it today. Designed in the restrained Roman Baroque style, the building was intentionally constructed with a relatively low dome so that cannon fire from nearby Castel Sant’Angelo would pass over it during potential military conflicts. Inside, the church contains richly decorated side chapels, notable Marian devotion, and several important artworks connected to Carmelite spirituality. Over the centuries it has served both as a parish church and a sanctuary honoring the Blessed Virgin Mary, remaining an active center of prayer and devotion near the Vatican.

#rome #vatican #marian #catholic

Happy International Women’s Day! Here are a few beautiful saint quotes.

#internationalwomensday

Sometimes, this is the prayer we need to pray! If you’re struggling to love our Lord well, or continually failing, say this prayer. God can work with an honest and humble prayer.

Please pray for me and I I will pray for you.

#gottabesaints #lent

Father, I abandon myself into Your hands;
do with me what You will.
Whatever You may do, I thank You.
I am ready for all, I accept all.

Let only Your will be done in me
and in all Your creatures.
I wish no more than this, O Lord.

Into Your hands I commend my soul:
I offer it to You with all the love of my heart,
for I love You, Lord,
and so need to give myself,
to surrender myself into Your hands
without reserve and with boundless confidence,
for You are my Father.

- Charles de Foucauld

Lord, break my heart to be more aligned with Yours.

#gottabesaints #faith #surrender #lent

Catholicism in Madrid.

#catholicism #madrid #spain #catholic

I invite you to find a time this week to spend before our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament.

#lent #eucharist #gottabesaints

If you are struggling, remember this simple yet profound truth - God loves you now and always.

#gottabesaints #lent #love

A quote that is worth reading all the way through:

“This is God’s Will for us, that we be saints. In order to bring peace, genuine peace, to souls; in order to transform the earth and to seek God Our Lord in the world and through the things of the world, personal sanctity is indispensable. In my conversations with people from so many countries and from all kinds of social backgrounds, I am often asked: ‘What do you say to us married folk? To those of us who work on the land? To widows? To young people?’ I reply systematically that I have only ‘one stewing pot’. I usually go on to point out that Our Lord Jesus Christ preached the good news to all, without distinction. One stewing pot and only one kind of food: ‘My food is to do the will of him who sent me, and to accomplish his work’ [2]. He calls each and every one to holiness; he asks each and every one to love him: young and old, single and married, healthy and sick, learned and unlearned, no matter where they work, or where they are. There is only one way to become more familiar with God, to increase our trust in him. We must come to know him through prayer; we must speak to him and show him, through a heart to heart conversation, that we love him.”

St. Josemaria Escriva

Jesus, let me be your hands and feet today.

#lent #gottabesaints

This week on Gotta Be Saints, I sit down with Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. to talk about something we all struggle with… our words.

We dive into what it really means to train the tongue, why focusing on virtue is more powerful than obsessing over vice, and how our speech can either steer our lives toward wreckage or toward a safe harbor.

If you’ve ever struggled with gossip, exaggeration, sarcasm, or just saying the wrong thing at the wrong time… this one’s for you.

Fr. Pine shares practical, hopeful wisdom on how to crowd out sinful speech with edifying speech — and why our words are meant for communion.

👇 Want the link?
Type PINE in the comments and I’ll send it to you.

The Chiesa di Santa Maria del Rosario in Prati is a Roman Catholic parish church located in the Prati district of Rome. Built between 1912 and 1916 during a period of rapid urban expansion in the capital, the church was constructed to serve the growing residential neighborhood that developed after Italian unification. It was designed in a Neo-Gothic style, which is relatively uncommon in Rome, giving it a distinctive appearance marked by pointed arches, a prominent rose window, and vertical architectural lines that draw the eye upward. From its founding, the church was entrusted to the Dominican Fathers, reflecting its dedication to Our Lady of the Rosary and the strong Dominican promotion of devotion to the Rosary.

Inside, the church features a three-nave layout supported by columns and illuminated by stained glass that fills the space with colored light. The apse contains artwork dedicated to the Madonna of the Rosary, and various frescoes and mosaics enrich the interior devotional atmosphere. Over the decades, the parish has remained an active spiritual center for the local community, blending early twentieth-century architectural character with the living liturgical and pastoral life of the Church.

#gottabesaints #churchesandsteeples #rome #catholicchurch

Today’s saint was 86 years old when he was Martyred for the faith. His persecutors decided they would burn him at the stake, but when they attempted to tie him up, he told them there was no need, that he had no intention of running. He then said, “You threaten me with fire that burns for an hour and then is extinguished, but you know nothing of the fire of the coming judgement and eternal punishment, reserved for the ungodly.”

It is only fitting that his courage would set up a wondrous miracle, as the flames consumed him, but did not harm him. It was only after this that his persecutors stabbed him, ending his life.

St. Polycarp, pray for us and give us this same courage!

#gottabesaints #faith #polycarp #catholic

As we continue this Lenten journey, let us not avoid the things that will help us become Saints!

#lent #lent2026 #gottabesaints #prayer #fasting

As we continue to dive into this Lenten season, I think it’s worth mentioning that silence has to be a part of our journey. To really grow in holiness, we have to sit in silence and let our Lord speak to our hearts.

It’s easy to focus on the penance of Lent — the things we’re giving up, the wine, the food, the comforts. These are all incredibly useful tools that help us grow closer to the Lord, to put away distraction and focus on Him. But if we don’t use that time faithfully, if we don’t actually sit with Him, that time can be wasted. And I don’t know about you, but I don’t like wasting time.

With any friendship, the best way for it to grow is by spending time together. You don’t come to know someone by avoiding them or only seeing them infrequently. Your love grows, your friendship deepens, through relationship and time spent together. This Lenten season is such a great opportunity to do that with our Lord.

I know this isn’t easy. I know it can be hard. And yet my advice to you, if you’re reading this, is to enter into the silence. God wants to meet us there. He wants to speak to our hearts. He wants to change our lives.

Will you let Him?

#lent #gottabesaints

Today we celebrate the first Friday of Lent, and it has me thinking about where I want to be at the end of this season. I desire to be better than I was when I entered it, to have built habits that actually last, and, of course, to have grown in love for our Lord. But to make that possible, I think it’s important to remember that holiness is found in the ordinary. If I can love my spouse well over these next couple of weeks, do my job faithfully, and accept the graces of each moment, then I will grow in holiness not through extraordinary actions, but by living faithfully in my daily life. Let us all desire to grow in holiness and to do so right in the middle of our ordinary lives. Please pray for me. I will pray for you.

#gottabesaints #lent #holiness

Did you know there is a family of nine who are all on their way to sainthood?

This is the story of the Ulma family.

Swipe through to learn the story of this incredible family.

Want to learn more? Search the Ulma Family on the @truthly.ai app.

#gottabesaints #faith #saints #ulma

Lent begins today. Please pray for me and I will pray for you.

#gottabesaints #lent #ashwednesday

The Chiesa di San Nicola dei Lorenesi is the historic national church in Rome of the people of the Duchy of Lorraine. A community of Lorrainers had been present in Rome since the late Middle Ages, many serving the Roman Curia, and by 1508 they had formed a confraternity under the patronage of Saint Nicholas and Saint Catherine. In 1622–1623, Pope Gregory XV granted them the small medieval church of San Nicola in Agone near Piazza Navona. The structure was rebuilt in the 1630s under the direction of the Lorraine architect François Desjardins (Francesco Giardini), giving it the refined Baroque character it retains today.

The church became the official national church of Lorraine in Rome, a role that continued even after Lorraine was annexed to France in 1766, when it was incorporated into the French religious establishments in Rome. Its façade is restrained but elegant, while the interior is richly decorated with colored marbles, stucco work, and frescoes. In the 1730s, the painter Corrado Giaquinto completed striking ceiling frescoes depicting scenes from the life of Saint Nicholas and allegorical virtues, adding a light Rococo brilliance to the Baroque setting. After a period of decline, the church underwent restoration in the early 21st century and is now entrusted to the Community of Saint John, continuing to serve both French-speaking Catholics and pilgrims visiting Rome.

#rome #catholic #churchesandsteeples #baroque

Lent is about to be upon us. Are you ready?

#gottabesaints

With Lent kicking off tomorrow, here are a few suggestions on how to grow in holiness during this season. What are you planning to do this Lenten season?

#lent #lenten #gottabesaints #catholic

“Be who you were created to be, and you will set the world on fire.” St. Catherine of Siena

#saint #gottabesaints

With Ash Wednesday so close, many of us are asking ourselves: What should I give up?

Here are a few things to consider.

What are you giving up this Lent? Drop it below so we can inspire each other to go deeper.

#lent #lent2026

The Chiesa di San Salvatore in Lauro is a historic church in the heart of Rome, near Piazza Navona and the Tiber River. Its name comes from the laurel trees (lauro) that once grew in the area, and tradition suggests a pagan temple may have originally stood on the site. A Christian church was documented here by the 12th century, and in the 15th century Cardinal Latino Orsini rebuilt it and founded the adjoining convent. After a devastating fire in 1591, the church was reconstructed beginning in 1594 under architect Ottaviano Mascherino, giving it much of its present Baroque character. The 19th-century travertine façade features a relief of angels carrying the Holy House of Loreto, reflecting its strong connection to the Marian shrine of Loreto and its role as the national church of people from the Marche region.

The church also has a special association with Padre Pio (St. Pio of Pietrelcina). When Padre Pio visited Rome in 1917, he stayed at the adjacent convent complex of San Salvatore in Lauro. Today, the church houses a chapel dedicated to him and preserves memories of his time there, making it a place of quiet devotion for those who revere the beloved Capuchin saint. In addition to this connection, the complex contains important artworks and the tomb of Pope Eugene IV, and it remains an active parish and pilgrimage site within Rome’s rich spiritual landscape.

#churchesandsteeples

Happy Feast of St. Valentine!

#valentinesday

Sant’Andrea delle Fratte is a historic Catholic church in central Rome whose origins date back to the 12th century, when a small church stood amid gardens and orchards outside the city’s medieval boundaries—hence the name delle Fratte (“of the thickets”). The church was entrusted to the Order of Minims in the late 16th century and largely rebuilt in the 1600s, with major architectural contributions from Francesco Borromini, including the apse, dome, and bell tower; the façade was completed in the 19th century. Sant’Andrea delle Fratte is especially known for the 1842 apparition of the Virgin Mary to Alphonse Ratisbonne, an event that led to his conversion and made the church a site of Marian devotion. Today, it remains an active parish and a treasured Baroque landmark, also housing two celebrated angel sculptures by Gian Lorenzo Bernini.

#churchesandsteeples #rome #beauty

Today we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes.

On February 11, 1858, a poor 14-year-old girl named Bernadette Soubirous was gathering firewood near the grotto of Massabielle in Lourdes when she encountered a radiant Lady dressed in white. Over the course of 18 apparitions, the Lady called for prayer and penance, asked that a chapel be built on the site, and revealed herself as the Immaculate Conception, affirming the Church’s recent proclamation of that doctrine.

During the apparitions, a hidden spring began to flow from the grotto, and pilgrims have traveled there ever since seeking healing and renewal. Lourdes remains a place of hope for the sick, the suffering, and all who turn to God with childlike trust.

#gottabesaints #mary #ourkadyoflourdes

St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church was founded in the late 1910s as a mission serving Catholic families in rural Western Loudoun County. In 1921, parishioners built and dedicated a small wooden church in Purcellville—often cited as the first Catholic church west of Leesburg—providing a permanent spiritual home for a community that had long relied on visiting priests.

For decades, the parish remained a mission without a resident pastor, growing slowly but steadily through the commitment of its families. In 1967, St. Francis de Sales was formally established as a parish, with the Capuchin Franciscan Friars assuming pastoral care when the community numbered fewer than 100 families.

As the region grew, so did the parish. The current church building was dedicated in 1992, allowing St. Francis de Sales to serve a rapidly expanding congregation. The parish has since marked major milestones, including its 50th anniversary as a parish in 2017 and the centennial of its original church in 2021, celebrating a century of faith and service in Purcellville.

Did you know there is a canonized Saint who forgave those who enslaved her?

This is the story of St. Josephine Bakhita.

Swipe through to learn the story of this incredible Saint.

Want to learn more? Search St. Josephine Bakhita on the @truthly.ai app.

#gottabesaints #faith #saints

Happy Feast of St. Josephine Bakhita!

#gottabesaints

Love is not tried by ease and satisfaction.

#gottabesaints

Happy Feast!

Saint Agatha was a third-century Christian martyr from Sicily, traditionally believed to have lived during the reign of the Roman emperor Decius. As a young woman consecrated to Christ, she rejected the advances of the Roman prefect Quintianus, who sought to force her into marriage and apostasy. In retaliation, he subjected her to brutal torture, including imprisonment, beating, and the mutilation of her breasts, yet Agatha remained steadfast in her faith, insisting that her true freedom and dignity came from belonging to Christ. According to tradition, she was miraculously healed while in prison by a vision of Saint Peter, but she ultimately died from her sufferings around the year 251.

Almost immediately venerated as a martyr, Saint Agatha became a powerful symbol of purity, courage, and resistance to injustice, and she is especially honored as the patron saint of breast cancer patients, nurses, and those facing sexual violence. Her devotion spread rapidly throughout the early Church, and she remains one of the most widely revered virgin martyrs in Christian history.

#gottabesaints

Did you know there is a canonized Saint who reformed the reformers?

This is the story of St. Francis de Sales.

Swipe through to learn the story of this incredible Saint.

Want to learn more? Search St. Francis de Sales on the @truthly.ai app or read his writings on the @hallowapp.

#gottabesaints #faith #saints

St. Blaise was a fourth-century bishop and physician in Sebastea, in present-day Turkey, who cared for both the physical and spiritual needs of his people during a time of Christian persecution. According to tradition, he once saved a boy who was choking on a fish bone, which led to his association with healing throat ailments. Arrested for his faith, he was tortured and martyred around the year 316, and his witness is remembered each year on February 3, when the Church continues the blessing of throats in his honor.

#gottabesaints

The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, celebrated on February 2, commemorates the moment when Mary and Joseph brought the infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem forty days after his birth, in accordance with Jewish law. There, Jesus was formally presented to God, and Mary fulfilled the ritual purification prescribed in the Law of Moses. The Gospel of Luke recounts how the elderly Simeon recognized Jesus as the long-awaited Messiah, proclaiming him a light for revelation to the Gentiles and glory for Israel, while the prophetess Anna also gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were awaiting redemption. From the early centuries of Christianity, this feast emphasized Christ as the true light of the world, which is why it became associated with the blessing of candles and processions of light, giving rise to the traditional name Candlemas. The feast beautifully bridges Christmas and Easter, highlighting both the humility of Christ’s obedience and the foreshadowing of his saving mission.

#gottabesaints #feastday

Mission Basilica of San Buenaventura was founded on March 31, 1782, by St. Junípero Serra as the ninth of California’s Spanish missions. It was established near the Ventura River to serve the native people and to support Spain’s broader effort to evangelize and settle Alta California. Unlike many other missions, San Buenaventura benefited from reliable water sources and fertile land, allowing it to develop a strong agricultural base that included crops, cattle, and orchards. From the beginning, the mission became a spiritual, cultural, and economic center for the region.

The original mission church underwent several changes in its early decades. After Serra’s death, construction continued under later missionaries, and the present church was largely completed in 1809. An earthquake in 1812 caused damage but did not destroy the structure, and the mission continued to function through the early 19th century. Like the other California missions, San Buenaventura suffered greatly during the secularization of the 1830s. By the mid-19th century, the mission complex had fallen into serious disrepair.

In 1862, the mission was returned to the Catholic Church, and restoration efforts gradually revived both the buildings and parish life. Over time, the church became known for its distinctive Moorish-inspired architectural elements and its long history of continuous parish use, making it unique among the California missions. In 1929, it was designated a minor basilica by Pope Pius XI, recognizing its historical and spiritual importance. Today, the Mission Basilica of San Buenaventura remains an active parish and a lasting witness to the legacy of faith in California history.

Happy Feast of St. John Bosco! May we follow his example and love all we come in contact with!

#gottabesaints

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