I’ll be the first to admit that integrating the Catholic faith into my everyday life isn’t always easy.Okay, that’s an understatement. It’s far from easy. The number of things I have to do every daycan sometimes leave no room for God. Did I just say that?No room for...
Mass
If You’ve Never Been To Easter Vigil Mass, Here’s Why You Need To Go
The Mother of All Vigils The Easter Vigil is the most extraordinary liturgy of the entire year in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church. The Roman Missal guides the celebration of this great night and even refers to the Easter Vigil as the “mother of all vigils,”...
A Catholic Dad Gives His 10 Best Strategies For Mass With Kids
Mass With Kids: A Seemingly Impossible Task Parenting young children at Mass seems like an undoable task. How can they be expected to be still and silent for an hour or more? Should I take turns with my spouse and do Mass in shifts? Will the other parishioners be...
How To Have The Most Dynamic Liturgy This Christmas | Part 2
Whether you’re a regular Mass-goer, or you attend Church once a year at Christmas, chances are high that you have come across a liturgy that either had a boring homily or painful music. If not these, then perhaps you have witnessed a priest introduce liturgical...
Millions Will Visit A Catholic Church In The Christmas Season – Tips To Make Sure They Come Back!
All of us have surely noticed the jump in Mass attendance at Christmas. Many Catholics who don’t attend Sunday Mass regularly, make it a point to attend either a vigil Mass on Christmas Eve or a Mass on Christmas Day, in an attempt to add a spiritual dimension to...
A Walk Through The Holy Mass
The Holy Mass There are two main parts of the Most Holy Sacrifice of the Mass: the liturgy of the Word and liturgy of the Eucharist. The Catechism of the Catholic Church says that these two main parts “together form ‘one single act of worship… (CCC 1346).’” Let’s...
Jim Gaffigan’s “Barely Catholic” Shares The Hard Truth
Comedian Jim Gaffigan has a unique way of sharing his faith through his stand-up routines. In a recent video, "Barely Catholic", he gets more than just the jokes right. How many of us have had a little conversation like this with Jesus? "Barely Catholic" Hard Truths?...
The Nicene Creed: Explained!
Historical Introduction of the Nicene Creed We call the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed the Nicene Creed. The Nicene Creed is professed every Sunday at Mass in the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. In the Eastern Rites of the Catholic Church and in our separated...
Why Does The Priest Kiss The Altar? And More Altar Facts You Need To Know!
Fr. Brice Higginbotham from the Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux provides excellent insight into the meaning and significance of the altar as he answers many of the questions you've probably never even thought to ask about this fixture present in every church. Take a minute...
Our First EVER “Liturgy Live” Featuring Fr. Ian and Alanna
Welcome to the new weekly Facebook live session where Fr. Ian Van Heusen and Alanna Burg discuss the readings for the upcoming Sunday. You can catch us during the weekly live sessions on Mondays at 3pm EST on Facebook from our Catholic-Link page. We welcome questions...
This Is The Moment In The Mass That Softened A Grieving Mom’s Heart
"Shall we now begin the Mass." The words that I had loved hearing over the last several years now felt like an invitation to the tears that were always a struggle to keep locked in. As our priest listed the intentions of the Mass, I listened intently, keeping my...
Young Kids And Mass: 3 Essential Tips For Success
Yup, that topic. Young children and the Mass. Little did I know seven years ago, before our first was born, what an expert I’d become on the topic. At first, it seemed so easy to go to Mass with a child. We’d go to Mass, infant Clare would nurse or sleep, and maybe...
Uncontainable Joy & Keeping Secrets: 3 Thought Experiments
Father Ian VanHeusen presents a Catholic Bible Study and spiritual exercise on the Gospel reading from Mark 1:40-45, when Jesus cleanses the leper and His reputation for miracles and wonders begins to spread near and far. We invite you to watch Father's video, then...
7 Truths You Need To Know If You’re Part Of A Parish Choir
https://catholic-link.org/trouble-understanding-the-mass-heres-a-simple-explanation/ A few years ago, I belonged to a choir, but for different reasons, I had to leave it and commit to other things in the field of evangelization. However, I have continued educating...
7 Things You Can Do To Get More Out Of Mass
Habits and routines form and shape our experiences and our lives. These habits will help you make going to Mass more than a habit. Going to Mass is the ultimate form of prayer and should be a spiritual encounter with Christ. I invite you to reconsider your Mass...
All Your Questions About Adoration Answered…What Is It? How Do I Go? What Do I Do? And More!
Maybe, you've seen our posts about the benefits of Adoration or heard some of your Catholic friends talk about "going to Adoration," but you still don't really understand what that means. That's ok! Though the practice of Adoration has been a part of the Catholic...
Bored At Mass? These Tips Will Help You Make The Most Of The Eucharist
One of the most common refrains I hear from young people is 'Mass is boring. Homilies are boring. I don't know why I have to come Sunday after Sunday.' Some of my youth in the rear pews would be distracted on their phones during Mass. When I asked them once what they...
Do You Know About These 6 Incredible Eucharistic Miracles?
The True Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist is one of the greatest mysteries of our Catholic faith. It is something that can be very difficult for us to understand. How does what appears to be a piece of bread and a cup of wine become the Body and Blood of our...
8 Things Every Catholic Should Be Doing Every Day
We get it. You already have a to-do list that is long. This list isn’t meant to guilt you into an impossible regimen on top of your already crammed day. The goal is to start incorporating one or two of these things into your day and then keep working until these...
What One Priest Told Me About The Mass That Still Gives Me Goosebumps
There are certain, obvious parts of the Mass that become more automatic touchstones ... easier, in a sense, for us to focus on or re-focus from. For instance, we can read along in our missals during the Liturgy of the Word—a natural way to engage. And at the...
9 (Non-Spiritual) Skills Kids Learn At Mass That Prepare Them For School
Of course, there is no question that the spiritual benefits far outweigh any practical benefits that children may receive when they attend Mass and that the reason we attend Mass is to be with and worship Our Lord, but we’ve already written about that in a few other...
Should You Sing At Mass Even If You Can’t Carry A Tune?
Sometimes the choir sounds so beautiful at Mass that it's tempting to not join in singing. You're inclined to just sit back, relax and enjoy the show. But, that's just it. This isn't a show. This is Mass. This is our highest form of worship and prayer and it is...
10 Non-Religious Ways To “Prove” God’s Existence (Especially For Your Atheist Friends)
Those of us who take part in an apostolate are used to looking for ways of explaining the presence of God in the easiest way possible, so that even the simplest of our friends can understand something so great. We struggle trying to understand the 5 ways of proving...
9 Tip Survival Guide For Returning To Mass When You Haven’t Been In Awhile
This article is for you, especially for you, if you have been thinking about going back to Mass. On the part of all of us at Catholic-Link, let me personally invite you back to mass (we even wrote a letter for you!): We want you back! Today's article looks to give you...
Do You Know the Meaning Of The Sign of the Cross? The 3 Beautiful Truths It Contains
A terrible tragedy for Christianity has been, and always will be, the separation between rite and symbol; or to be more precise, the tragedy is due to the fact that the believers have forgotten the meaning of the symbols that take place during the various rites. Yes,...