On July 11th in the Liturgical Calendar, and on March 21st in the pre-1970 calendar, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Benedict of Nursia, father of Western Monasticism. Saint Benedict's name has garnered more attention of late due to the conversation across the...
What You Need To Know About Gaining A Fatima Indulgence
Did you know that on the 13th day of every month from May through October, 2017, Catholics can obtain an Indulgence in honor of the 100-year anniversary of Our Lady's apparitions at Fatima? First, a quick refresher on the Blessed Virgin Mary's messages at Fatima,...
That Time Bobby McFerrin Got an Audience to Spontaneously Harmonize the Bach / Gounod Ave Maria
Synergy: "the interaction or cooperation of two or more organizations, substances, or other agents to produce a combined effect greater than the sum of their separate effects." It's a phenomenon that - if you've experienced it - almost comes with it a spiritual and...
Two Ex-Muslims Who Risked Everything, Lost Much, and Gained Christ
Islam and Christianity. How do we begin to talk about this elephant in the room? On the one hand, Islamist persecution of Christians is a plague in places like Iraq, parts of Africa, Marawi City in the Philippines, and elsewhere. We must pray more ardently than ever...
Antidote To “Your Precious” Screen: The Glorious Icon Of Our Mother Of Perpetual Help
Have you heard of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, otherwise known as Our Lady of Perpetual Succor? Even if you didn't know the name, chances are you've seen the famous icon representing this title of Our Lady, as it is replicated and displayed in many Catholic churches...
A Beautiful Video Of Dominican First Professions And Receiving The Habit
The Dominican Order was canonically established in the year 1216 by Pope Honorius III. Named after their founder, St. Dominic, they use the official designation Ordo Praedicatorum (O.P.), or, in English, the Order of Preachers. Various mottoes characterize Dominican...
The Magnificat: Canticle of Mary And Magnifying Glass Of Intercessory Love
The Magnificat - otherwise known as the Canticle of Mary - is a beautiful, ancient, scriptural "song" of praise spoken by Our Lady. You may have heard the word thanks to the wonderful monthly publication that goes by the same name, but do you know the prayer, itself?...
Catholic Artisans, The Restoration Of Sacred Art, And How Beauty Will Save The World
Does a beautiful Church building matter to Christians? What about adornments like statues, altar rails, decorative pews and such? Stained glass... Stations of the Cross... the placement and design of the Tabernacle... If God is everywhere, especially in the humble and...
What It Looks Like When Feminine Beauty Speaks Truth To Power
A wise, sane, holy man –G.K. Chesterton- once said that “the modern world is full of the old Christian virtues gone mad. The virtues have gone mad because they have been isolated from each other and are wandering alone. Thus some scientists care for truth, and their...
9 Ways You Might Be Participating In Other People’s Sins
Talking about sin is not exactly a surefire way to win a popularity contest. Good thing the path to holiness is not a popularity contest! In fact, He promised that it wouldn't be, both in word (especially in the Beatitudes) and indeed (at His Crucifixion). But isn't...
Veni Sancte Spiritus: Summon The Holy Spirit With The Ancient “Golden Sequence” Prayer
Known and beloved as the "Golden Sequence," the Veni Sancte Spiritus is a beautiful, powerful prayer to the Holy Spirit that dates back to the thirteenth century. It is attributed to the Archbishop of Canterbury, Cardinal Stephen Langton. In 1570, this "sequence"...
7 Reasons To Keep Sharing Your Catholic Faith When People Don’t Seem To Care
Here's a battle I sometimes fight with myself: vacillating between exuberant repetitiveness about my faith, my conversion, how amazing God is, how I wish everyone I love would convert (for their own well-being and happiness!), how I wish every Catholic in the pews on...
St. Charles Lwanga And Companions, Martyrs Of Uganda: Saints You Need To Meet
June 3rd is the feast of St. Charles Lwanga and Companions. These great saints have been officially designated as martyrs for the Catholic faith. Officially, St. Charles Lwanga is the patron of converts, torture victims, and the African Catholic Youth Action....
What You Should Know About Blessed Salt
Do you know about the Catholic sacramental of blessed salt? A Sacrament is an outward sign instituted by Christ to give grace. (The Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church are Baptism, Confirmation, The Eucharist, Confession, Holy Matrimony, Anointing of the Sick, and...
The Meaning Behind the Names of the 12 Apostles
Names matter. For the Catholic Christian, who sees all of reality as replete with meaning, all the more so! The Catechism tells us, "God calls each one by name. Everyone's name is sacred. The name is the icon of the person. It demands respect as a sign of the dignity...
Sacraments v. Sacramentals: What’s The Difference?
What's a sacramental? Even if you're not sure about the word, you are familiar with Sacramentals, and you probably use them regularly! I tend to file Sacramentals into my mental "Theology-of-the-Body Folder," not because they have anything to do with sexuality, but,...
Once You Understand the Architecture of a Church, You’ll Never Look at It the Same
"A foretaste of the Heavenly Liturgy"¹ Several years ago I stumbled upon a video of a lecture given by Denis R. McNamara, that blew me away, and has subsequently traveled with me, so to speak, in my meditative, Mass-going, beauty-loving journeys as a Catholic. Every...
The Brown Scapular: Fatima Centenary And The Wearable Badge Of Devotion To Our Lady
How are you commemorating the 100-year anniversary of Our Lady's apparitions at Fatima? How about enrolling in the Brown Scapular of Our Lady? By now, there's not much that hasn't been said about Fatima - and you'll hear no complaints from me on that front! Let Our...
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...
Powerhouse for Purity: The Angelic Warfare Confraternity
Did you know there's a 400 year-old, worldwide, supernatural fellowship (spanning heaven and earth!) for the cause of safeguarding, healing and spreading the virtue of purity? What's more, did you know that it still exists? Did you know you can join it? The Angelic...
2 Hymns You Should Know: O Salutaris and Tantum Ergo
Even if you weren't aware of their names, or haven't heard them in Latin, chances are you're familiar on some level with these two traditional hymns, both composed as prayers by none other than the Angelic Doctor, St. Thomas Aquinas. In addition to sharing a common...
4 Signs You’ve Missed The Mark On Easter (Or Any Sunday)
Alleluia! Now what? Did you know that Easter is both an Octave (8 days) and a season (Eastertide is 50 days long!)? We are an Easter people, as the saying goes, and, as such, we ought to know how to pause in, or stretch out, what really is the center and foundation of...
15 Martyr Saints Who Teach Us How To Carry The Cross With Jesus
The lives of the saints provide us rich, beautiful sources of instruction in virtue. But there's a particular heroism to be gleaned from stories of the martyrs. Today we present 15 saints - some well known, others, more obscure, but all are admirable for a common...
Jesus’ Passion In Sacred Art: Meditating On The Sorrowful Mysteries Of The Rosary
Have you noticed the proliferation of zombie apocalypse imagery and themes everywhere in popular entertainment? The phenomenon is ironic to me, because just now as zombies preoccupy campy media, real life has become increasingly anesthetized. Death and sin are swept...
5 Works Of Art To Help You Pray The Joyful Mysteries Of The Rosary
Today, we resume our series on sacred art as an aid to praying the Holy Rosary. Sacred art makes sense, and it is just one more of the countless treasuries of our Catholic heritage. The Incarnation of the God-Man, Jesus Christ, would forever infuse humanity - human...