Fortuna Sittard, a team in the top tier Dutch Eredivisie league, unveiled its new away jersey for the 2026–2027 season as a tribute to the city’s patron saint, whose devotion has remained alive for more than three centuries.

“The deep burgundy color directly refers to the rose, the saint’s symbol. In addition, the design incorporates a subtle rose pattern that reflects the rich history of St. Rose and the special bond between the patron saint and the city of Sittard,” the club said on its website.

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The uniform’s details also evoke the Peruvian saint. The typography used is inspired by the architecture of the Chapel of St. Rose in Sittard; the jersey numbers are surrounded by thorns, alluding to her iconography; and an image of the saint appears on the back of the shirt above the player’s name.

But behind this design is a story of faith and gratitude that remains alive in the Dutch city.

The promise that changed the city’s history

In 1669, a deadly epidemic spread through the Limburg region. Fearing that the disease would devastate the city, the Dominican friars of Sittard—who had served as missionaries in Peru and knew of Rose of Lima’s recent beatification—encouraged residents to entrust themselves to her intercession.

The city council promised that, if Sittard were spared from the epidemic, they would proclaim St. Rose of Lima as its patron saint, build a chapel on the city’s highest hill, and make an annual pilgrimage there.

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According to local tradition, the city was preserved from the disease, and its residents fulfilled their promise.

In 1675, the Chapel of St. Rose was built on Kollenberg Hill, a site that has since become one of the city’s main symbols.

“Today, St. Rose is the best-known patron saint of a city in the Netherlands. Sittard continues to honor her legacy, especially during the St. Rose Festival, held every year on the last weekend of August,” the club noted.

The result is a jersey that unites soccer, history, and faith in an uncommon tribute to the first saint of the Americas.

Rising 55.6 meters (about 182 feet) above the countryside near Konotopie, the statue is expected to become the tallest Marian monument in Europe. Bishop Krzysztof Wętkowski will consecrate the structure following approximately a year and a half of construction.

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The monument features a 40.8-meter (about 134 feet) statue of the Blessed Virgin set atop a 15-meter (about 49 feet) pedestal designed in the form of a crown. The figure itself is roughly two meters (about 6.5 feet) taller than Rio de Janeiro’s well-known Christ the Redeemer statue. 

Though it is set to hold the European record, the statue will not be the tallest representation of Mary worldwide. That distinction belongs to the Mother of All Asia — Tower of Peace in Batangas City, Philippines, which measures 322 feet.

The statue was funded by Mr. Karkosik, one of the wealthiest people in Poland, and his wife as an extraordinary testament of faith and devotion. While the final cost has not been publicly confirmed, estimates have placed the project at about 23 million euros, or $26.5 million.

The Karkosiks selected the site in part because it stands near the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sorrows, a long-standing local pilgrimage destination known for a wooden Marian image associated with reported healings and favors. The sanctuary has drawn the faithful since the 19th century and was rebuilt and expanded in 2011 with support from the Karkosiks.

For the couple, the new statue extends that devotion on an unprecedented scale. For the faithful gathering on the Assumption, it will offer a striking new landmark dedicated to the Mother of God and Queen of Heaven.

From one English-language website to a global, social-first Catholic media community, ChurchPOP has shared the joy, beauty, humor, and truth of the faith with millions around the world.

Here are 12 fun facts about ChurchPOP—and thank you for being part of the journey. 

1. ChurchPOP officially launched on Aug. 11, 2014—making today its 12th anniversary.

2. Founder Brantly Millegan created ChurchPOP as a BuzzFeed-style Christian-culture site and led the project until 2022.

3. Its original tagline was: “Make holy all the things!”

4. ChurchPOP was created to make Catholic content fun, accessible, informative, and highly shareable.

5. From the start, it published memes, videos, lists, prayer resources, Church history, and uplifting stories.

6. ChurchPOP was entrusted to the patronage of Our Lady of Perpetual Help.

7. Our patron saints are: Saint John Paul II, Saint Carlo Acutis, Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati and Saint Maria Goretti 

8. ChurchPOP began as an English-language website, but now we have 5 different language editions.

9. ChurchPOP expanded internationally in Portuguese and Spanish in 2016. Its Italian edition launched in 2017, followed by a Hungarian edition in 2024.

10. EWTN acquired ChurchPOP in 2015, one year after its founding.

11. Mother Angelica founded EWTN from a monastery garage, and ChurchPOP carries that same fearless Catholic-media spirit into the social-first era.  Mother Angelica is our eternal inspiration.

12. ChurchPOP evolved into a social-first Catholic media brand, bringing news, reels, memes, infographics, and faith content to audiences across major platforms.

Happy anniversary, ChurchPOP!

Thank you, Mother Angelica, for showing us that big faith can start in small places.

Braden celebrated his birthday on August 5 while visiting the Vatican. Because the day fell on a Wednesday—the day Pope Leo XIV holds his weekly audience with the faithful—Braden was one of the lucky visitors in St. Peter’s Basilica who had the opportunity to greet the pope personally.

@braden_8096 That time I met the pope and he gave me a birthday gift #popeleoxiv ♬ Amore mio aiutami - Version 3 - Piero Piccioni

As Pope Leo XIV approached to shake his hand, Braden excitedly told him, “Holy Father, today is my birthday.”

“Whoa, happy birthday!” the pope replied. “How many years?”

“Eighteen,” Braden answered.

Pope Leo then asked where the young man was from.

“Oklahoma,” Braden said.

“Tulsa or Oklahoma City?” the pope asked.

“Tulsa,” Braden replied.

Fr. Marco Billeri, Pope Leo XIV’s second personal secretary, overheard the exchange and happily retrieved a blessed rosary for the teen. Pope Leo handed the rosary to Braden, telling him, “For your birthday.”

The video of the exchange quickly went viral on TikTok, where viewers praised Fr. Marco’s kindness and attentiveness in helping make Braden’s birthday even more memorable. Braden later shared a follow-up in the comments, posting a photo of the opened rosary box to give viewers a closer look at the blessed gift Pope Leo XIV had given him.

The reaction from the internet was overwhelmingly positive with TikTok users sharing their own experiences with family members gifting them precious Catholic items, and others meeting different popes. 

One user shared:

My dad & I were Blessed and given Rosaries by St John Paul II in 1995 in the Vatican. It is one of my most cherished possessions 🙏🙏🙏

Another user wrote:

I received this rosary from my grandmother; it was blessed by John Paul

Even nonbelievers were chiming in to express what an amazing experience Braden shared with everyone. One said, “I’m not Catholic anymore but if the pope gave me a rosary I’d treasure that FOR LIFE.”

What began as an 18th birthday trip to Rome became a moment Braden will likely never forget: a personal greeting, birthday wishes, and a blessed rosary from the pope himself.

Out of every single saint recognized in the Catholic Church, Saint Philomena stands out for this specific reason. She is the only saint recognized by her miracles alone rather than a life of virtue. Her feast is August 11th.

Saint Philomena's Story

In 1802, workers discovered a tomb in the catacombs of Saint Pricilla in Rome. Inside the tomb were the remains of a young girl. The outside read: “Pax Te Cum Fi Lumena” or, “Peace Be With You, Philomena.”

She was later identified as an early Roman virgin and martyr.

According to Church tradition, Philomena took a vow of virginity at a young age. When she caught the attention of a Roman emperor, she rejected his advances for marriage. Angered by Philomena’s rejection, the emperor imprisoned her and tortured her. Eventually, she was executed for her refusal to renounce her Christian beliefs.

Due to numerous miracles taking place at her tomb, Pope Gregory XVI raised Philomena to be publicly venerated on January 13, 1837. This meant that altars and churches could be built in her honor.

The Catholic Church celebrates Saint Philomena's feast day on August 11.

“Pray to Saint Philomena. Whatever you ask from her, she will obtain for you.” - Saint Gregory XVI.

Over time, Saint Philomena has built up quite the fan club!

Various saints have long expressed their love for her and have spoken often of turning to her heavenly intercession.

The list includes Saints Padre Pio and Saint John Vianney, who said he turns to Saint Philomena for every one of his needs.

“To Saint Philomena, God refuses nothing.” -Saint John Vianney

Father Chris Alar elaborated on the Saint Philomena phenomenon and how she stands out among the communion of saints in our Church, saying, 

“If you need a miracle in your life, pray to this saint. This saint is unique like no other.”

Novena Prayer to Saint Philomena 

We beseech Thee, O Lord, to grant us the pardon of our sins by the intercession of Saint Philomena, virgin and martyr, who was always pleasing in Thy sight by her eminent chastity and by the profession of every virtue. Amen.

Illustrious virgin and martyr, Saint Philomena, behold me prostrate before the throne whereupon it has pleased the Most Holy Trinity to place thee. Full of confidence in thy protection, I entreat thee to intercede for me with God, from the heights of Heaven deign to cast a glance upon thy humble client! Spouse of Christ, sustain me in suffering, fortify me in temptation, protect me in the dangers surrounding me, obtain for me the graces necessary to me, and in particular(Here specify your petition).

Above all, assist me at the hour of my death. Saint Philomena, powerful with God, pray for us. Amen.

O God, Most Holy Trinity, we thank Thee for the graces Thou didst bestow upon the Blessed Virgin Mary, and upon Thy handmaid Philomena, through whose intercession we implore Thy Mercy. Amen.

Prayer Source: EWTN

Three of them, Sister Philippa, Sister Amata, and Sister Balvina, all related the following event. Here is Sister Philippa’s testimony from “The Acts of the Process of Canonization”:

“The Lady Clare narrated how on the most recent night of the Lord’s Nativity because of the serious illness she could not get up from her bed to go to the chapel. All the sisters went as usual to Matins and left her alone. The Lady said with a sigh: ‘Lord God, look, I have been left here alone with You.’ She immediately began to hear the organ, responsories, and the entire Office of the brothers in the Church of Saint Francis, as if she were present there.”

Sister Amata added that St. Clare also saw the manger of our Lord Jesus Christ. Sister Balvina added that St. Clare later said to her sisters: “You left me here alone after going to the chapel to hear Matins, but the Lord has taken good care of me because I was not able to get up from my bed.” Matins would have preceded the Midnight Mass. 

On February 14, 1958, Pope Pius XII made St. Clare patroness of television. He wrote:

“The Church, which has never been against the progress of civilization, encourages inventions and discoveries, and even uses them for the propagation of truth and the extension of religion. Among such useful inventions, the television has its place; it “reproduces the sights and sounds of distant events in so vivid a manner that one would think to be actually present at them.”

Television . . . can be the source of great good, but, at the same time great evil, in view of the singular power it exercises over the very soul of the family. It behooves us, therefore, to give to this invention a heavenly safeguard, who prevents its evil and allows its good. We wish to appoint, for this patronage, St. Clare. It is said that in Assisi, one Christmas night, Clare, confined to her convent by sickness, heard the fervent hymns that attended the sacred ceremonies and saw the Mass being celebrated, as if she were present in the Franciscan church . . . In her splendor, her innocence, and her light which she throws on our darkness, may St. Clare protect this instrument and may she give to its translucence the lights of truth and virtue — the pillars of our society. 

In consequence, having consulted the Sacred Congregation of Rites, . . . and after much thought, by the Apostolic power, through this letter and forever, We make, We Constitute and We declare St. Clare, virgin of Assisi, celestial patroness, after God, of television. We give her the liturgical privileges and honors that constitute such a patronage.”

One modern biography of St. Clare, in fact, recounts the vision of St. Clare under the heading: “A Televised Christmas Mass.” Mother Angelica and EWTN have brought the televised Mass for decades to multitudes of people who are homebound, imprisoned, hospitalized, and so forth, bringing them encouragement and support. It was the desire of Mother Angelica’s, and of EWTN’s staff, to give to television’s “translucence the lights of truth and virtue — the pillars of our society.”

Note: This is an excerpt taken from Fr. Joseph Wolfe’s chapter in EWTN Publishing’s new release, Italy’s Shrines and Wonders (VOL. II): Discovering Sacred Spaces and Fascinating Places in the Life of St. Francis of Assisi by Teresa Tomeo.

In the Collegiata di Santa Maria Assunta in Amaseno, a small town south of Rome, there’s a simple glass ampulla containing a dark, coagulated substance traditionally identified as the blood of St. Lawrence.

St. Lawrence—the Roman deacon and martyr—was executed on August 10, traditionally dated to the year 258. And this relic is no recent discovery: it has been documented in Amaseno since at least the consecration of the church in 1177.

The consecration documents describe it in Latin as de pinguedine S. Laurentii Martyris—literally, “of the fat of St. Lawrence the Martyr.” That detail is important. The relic has not historically been described as a tidy vial of pure blood, but as a mixture of material associated with the saint’s martyrdom.

Inside are what appear to be blood, fat, ashes, and even a small fragment of skin.

The extraordinary liquefaction

Here’s where it gets really fascinating.

For most of the year, the contents of the ampulla appear solid, dark, and coagulated. But around St. Lawrence’s feast on August 10, the substance traditionally undergoes a dramatic transformation: the dark mass becomes liquid and bright red, with the blood becoming visibly distinguishable from the other material in the ampulla.

Historical accounts say the phenomenon has occurred repeatedly over the centuries—and not only on August 10. It has reportedly occurred on other particular occasions, including when the relic traveled outside Amaseno on pilgrimage to Florence, Milan, and Malta.

One especially notable witness was Paolo Aringhi, a 17th-century Oratorian scholar and archaeologist, who recorded seeing the liquefaction in 1649.

A martyrdom written in the relic

The contents of the ampulla have a striking connection to St. Lawrence’s famous martyrdom.

Tradition holds that the saint was executed by being burned on a gridiron. Along with the reddish material identified as blood, the relic contains ashes, charcoal-like material, and a fragment of skin. For generations, Catholics have seen these elements as a physical connection to the way this heroic deacon gave his life for Christ.

There is also an intriguing historical twist: although the relic was already associated with St. Lawrence, accounts from the early modern period suggest its annual liquefaction around his feast made that connection especially powerful for the faithful.

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August 10th Feast Day

Today, August 10, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Lawrence—and in Amaseno, it is the day of the anticipated prodigio della liquefazione del sangue di San Lorenzo: the prodigy of the liquefaction of St. Lawrence’s blood.

As the faithful gather to venerate the relic, this little-known tradition offers a powerful reminder of a martyr’s love for Christ: a faith that endured fire, crossed centuries, and continues to inspire wonder today.

But how many Catholics know the meaning of the Dominican dog?

Yes, lots of iconography related to Saint Dominic and the Dominicans includes a dog! But sometimes you have to look closely to catch it:

Once you start looking for it, you start seeing it everywhere! (You can see more examples at the end of this post.)

What does the Dominican Dog mean?

The Dominican dog goes back to a vision Saint Dominic’s mother supposedly had before she had him. Struggling with infertility, she was making a pilgrimage to the Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos in Spain when she dreamed that a dog jumped from her womb holding a torch and set everything around them on fire.

Soon after, she conceived a son with her husband and named him after the 11th-century Saint Dominic of Silos, for whom the abbey she had visited had been named.

The dream was prescient due to a play on words in Latin: although Dominic called his order the Order of Preachers, it would later come to be known as the Dominicans; in Latin, that’s Dominicanus, which is very similar to domini canis, or “dog/hound of the Lord.”

Given the order’s charism for zealous preaching of the Gospel, the story and the play on words seemed fitting! So, to this day, the Dominicans are nicknamed the “hounds of the Lord.”

More examples of the Dominican dog:

Saint Dominic, please pray for us!

Aurora, known through the profile, surprised her own mother when, with the spontaneity of a child, she described what she experienced during the time she was hospitalized in the ICU.

In the video, her mother asks who had cared for her during that difficult time.

Without hesitation, Aurora replies:

“Jesus’ mother.”

Then her mother asks her name.

“Mary.”

The girl continues:

“Mary saved me. She saved you too.”

When asked what had happened, Aurora says:

“She ran into the ICU.”

She then reveals the message she says she heard:

“Go home soon.”

The simplicity of her responses moved thousands of people, and the video quickly began to be shared by various Catholic accounts.

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“I simply receive it in my heart”

In the caption of the post, Aurora’s mother explains that she does not intend to offer an explanation for what her daughter shared.

“She told us that Mary, the mother of Jesus, came to save her.”

She continues:

“I cannot explain it rationally. I simply receive in my heart what she shared with us.”

The family also recalls a conversation they had with the mother of another autistic child.

According to her, these children often show a different sensitivity to reality—something that frequently leads families to reflect on the spiritual dimension of life as well.

Even so, Aurora’s mother is careful not to turn the account into an absolute claim.

“Regardless of how each person interprets this, I am immensely grateful to God for Aurora’s life and for every miracle we have experienced.”

She concludes:

“After everything we have faced, we continue believing that faith sustained us at every step.”

A story marked by faith

Aurora is known on social media through @princesadetraqueostomia, where her family shares their daily routine of care, therapies, and challenges related to her health condition.

Over the years, the account has also become a space for Christian witness. In its biography, the family describes Aurora as a “true miracle of God.”

In the comments on the post, thousands of people shared messages of prayer. One follower wrote,

“Our dear little lady—she is the nurse, and Jesus is the doctor.”

Fr. Josileudo Queiroz also commented on the video with a brief profession of faith:

“I firmly believe.”

The Church’s discernment

The Catholic Church always receives personal testimonies such as this one with respect, but it also invites the faithful to discernment.

Private experiences can strengthen the faith of those who have them, but they are not part of the public Revelation completed in Christ and are not binding on other faithful.

Regardless of how each person interprets Aurora’s account, the video stirred something shared by thousands of people: gratitude to God for the girl’s life and trust in the maternal intercession of Our Lady, so present in Catholic spirituality.

August is traditionally dedicated to the Immaculate Heart of Mary because the Church has long associated this month with honoring Mary’s interior love for Jesus and responding to her requests for devotion, consecration, and reparation.

Pope Pius XII placed her feast on August 22 and consecrated the world to her Heart, further tying this time of year to her loving role in Christ’s saving work. Even after the feast was moved near the Sacred Heart, August remained full of Marian feasts: St. Mary Major (Aug. 5), the Assumption (Aug. 15), and the Queenship of Mary (Aug. 22).

Scripture shows Mary pondering and treasuring Jesus’ mysteries in her heart, and saints like John Eudes and Bernardine of Siena helped spread explicit devotion to her Heart. At Fatima, Our Lady said Jesus wants devotion to her Immaculate Heart established in the world, promised “my Immaculate Heart will be your refuge and the way which will lead you to God,” and asked for consecration, reparation, and First Saturdays. The Church’s Directory on Popular Piety teaches that her Heart expresses her deep union with Christ’s work of salvation, from the Incarnation to the Resurrection.

How to Live August for Mary

In August, we can honor the Immaculate Heart by:

Renewing or making a consecration to her Heart, following papal examples and trusted methods like St. Louis de Montfort or 33 Days to Morning Glory.

Praying the Rosary and practicing the Five First Saturdays, continuing them as ongoing acts of love and reparation.

Doing something extra for Our Lady: wearing the Brown Scapular or Miraculous Medal, praying the Angelus and Memorare, and offering small sacrifices “for love of Thee, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for offenses committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary.”

In this way, August becomes truly her month: a time to let the Immaculate Heart of Mary be our refuge and our path to God.