Watra Church Goods

08/03/2026

Saint of the Day: Saint MoLua of Killaloe
DOB: Approximately 554 AD
DOD: Approximately 609 AD
Canonization: Not formally canonized
Patron Saint of: Ardagh (a parish in County Limerick, Ireland)
Feast Day: August 4
-Molua was born in the mid-6th century into a Munster family. His father, Carthach, belonged to the Corca Oiche tribe of the Limerick region, and his mother, Sochla, was from the kingdom of Ossory.
-Molua traveled north to the famed monastery of Bangor Abbey in County Down. There, he trained under St. Comgall alongside other giants of the Celtic Church, including St. Columbanus and St. Gall. At Bangor, he was ordained a priest and embraced an austere lifestyle centered around strict prayer and labor.
-Medieval hagiographies focus heavily on Molua's extreme hospitality and kindness. He operated under the philosophy that welcoming a stranger was akin to entertaining Christ.He was also famous for his deep bond with nature. He strictly forbade the needless killing of any creature. A famous Celtic legend state that when Saint Molua died on August 4, 609, the news caused such grief that all the wild animals and livestock of Ireland openly wept and wailed for him

08/02/2026

🙏✝️

08/01/2026

The Replacer of Judas
Saint Matthias the Apostle
From the Acts of the Apostles 1:21-26

"Therefore, it is necessary that one of the men who accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus came and went among us, beginning from the baptism of John until the day on which he was taken from us, become with us a witness to his resurrection."

So they proposed two; Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also knows as Justus, and Matthias.
Then they prayed,
"You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen to take place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas turned away to go to his own place."
Then they gave lots to them, and the lot fell upon Matthias, and he was counted with the Eleven Apostles.

That's all we officially have in reference to the last Apostle, It's believed he was martyred with an axe, hence why he is often depicted in devotional works holding one. It's believed his major relics are housed at the monsatery of Santa Giustina in Padua, Italy and in the Abbey of Saint Matthias in Trier, Germany.

In Chicagoland, we host the Saint Matthias Catholic Church (of Queen of Apostles Parish) in the Lincoln Square neighborhood (seen here). Originally founded as a German National Parish, it remains a church and school of the neighborhood. In it, they host a statue of the saint on the altar, as well as on the church's facade. Additionally, there's a Saint George & Saint Matthias Episcopal Church in the Roseland neighborhood on the far south side and a Saint Matthias Cathoilic Church in nearby Crown Point, IN.

Saint Matthias, apostle and martys of Christ, pray for us!
Video and written credit: Tik Tok

07/31/2026

Happy !

07/30/2026

Get your Pope Leo merch! We have bobbleheads, frames, prints, books...stop by!
4201 S. Archer Ave, Chicago, IL 60632...we have parking behind the building!

07/29/2026

07/28/2026

Saint of the Day: Saint Kilian
DOB: Approximately 640 AD
DOD: Aporoximately 689 AD
Canonization: Not formally canonized
Patron Saint of: rheumatism, gout, and diseases of the eye
Feast Day: July 8
-Saint Kilian was an Irish missionary bishop and the Apostle of Franconia (modern-day Bavaria, Germany). He left his homeland to become a pioneering missionary.
- He received an extensive education at the School of Ross in County Cork, a prestigious monastic institution that attracted students from all across Europe.
- In the summer of 686, Kilian and eleven companions traveled through Gaul to Rome. He met with Pope Conon, who gave him official faculties and his blessing to preach to the pagan Germanic tribes.

07/27/2026

Saint of the Day: Saint Alphonsa
DOB: 19 August 1910
DOD: 28 July 1946
Canonization: 12 October 2008
Patron Saint of: the sick and the suffering, body illnesses (particularly foot ailments)
Feast Day: July 28
-Born Anna Muttathupadathu in Kerala in 1910, she was a Franciscan Clarist nun whose life was characterized by deep prayer and chronic physical pain.
-Despite enduring significant illnesses and hardships, she offered her suffering with grace and a joyful spirit
- Following her death in 1946, she was credited with numerous miraculous healings and was officially canonized by Pope Benedict XVI in 2008.