Learn more about the history and legacy of the Catholic Church!
The modern world values individuality. Self-sufficiency is considered a great virtue, priding ourselves on being able to handle and accomplish things on our own. It’s a tendency, however, that takes us right back to the Garden when satan tempted our first parents to...
WHAT IS A PAPAL BLESSING AND HOW CAN I GET ONE? Papal blessings can be received at the Papal Audiences in St. Peter's Square on Wednesdays, or during the Sunday Angelus held at noon. CAN’T MAKE THE TRIP?A Papal Blessing can often be granted for special occasions like...
Isn’t it exciting when you discover that not only do you enjoy someone’s work, but they are Catholic, too? That’s how it felt when I read Timothy Larsen's chapter on E. E. Evans-Pritchard in The Slain God: Anthropologists and the Christian Faith. It was like finding a...
INTRODUCTION to JUBILEES SPES NON CONFUNDIT. “Hope does not disappoint.” With these words, borrowed from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (chapter 5, verse 5), the solemn invitation to the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025 begins. The special papal document, or...
Why Are There Angels Around The Tabernacle? What You Need To Know About Angels Near The Tabernacle Tabernacle: comes from the Latin word tabernaculum which means ‘abode’, the house of God. There I will meet you and there, from above the cover, between the two cherubim...
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said: “For bells are the voice of the church; they have tones that touch and search the hearts of young and old.” There is a sweet, holy sound to the clear chiming of church bells. The Tradition Of Bells Bells have long had a traditional...
I didn’t go looking for the Sacred Heart; the Sacred Heart found me. My mom always had a statue of both the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary that had a special place in the home while I was growing up. In addition, I grew up about five minutes...
On the path that led to the Old Testament Although I am now a joyfully practicing Catholic, for nearly thirty years of my adult life, I lived as an evangelical Protestant. It was during those years that love of Scripture became the engine of my spiritual...
Your Lord and Savior is Now the Size of a Prune! Baby Jesus has been growing at a fast pace since the Annunciation and will be fully developed by the end of this month! Those tiny buds from last month are now arms and legs, hands and feet, fingers and toes. These...
During this Season of the Resurrection, we are mindful that the ministry of Jesus did not come to an end with His earthly life. Just before His Ascension, Jesus promised to send the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, to strengthen and guide His Church. The Holy Spirit...
One day each year – and one day only – there is no Catholic Mass celebrated throughout the world. One day. The Easter Triduum begins with Holy Thursday Mass. What many Catholics don’t realize is that Good Friday service not a Mass, but a liturgy, as no hosts are...
What is an Indulgence? Do Catholics still practice indulgences? That stopped after Martin Luther pointed out that they are wrong, right? To be sure, the 16th Century was a confusing time. There was a Dominican preacher named Johann Tetzel who Luther claimed was...
Sacramentals are powerful sacred signs and an indispensable means of grace. Through them, the liberation from evil and the healing of sicknesses (including psychological disorders) can occur and conversions may happen. Sacramentals can help to overcome multiple...
(All excerpts and photos in this article were selected from Dr. Lavoie’s new medical forensic, scriptural study of the Shroud of Turin: “The Shroud of Jesus And the Sign John Ingeniously Concealed.” Published by Sophia Institute Press, June 2023; endorsed by Scott...
The Solemnity of the Assumption of the Most Holy Virgin is a day of joy: our Mother is elevated to the heavens. God has triumphed. Love has triumphed. Life has triumphed. It has become evident that love is stronger than death, that God possesses true strength, and His...
You might say that I’m a groupie. Beginning when I was sixteen, I attended four World Youth Days: Denver (1993), Manila (1995), Paris (1997), and Toronto (2002). My experience, along with millions of other young people, was transformative. The impact is still felt in...
My whole life, I have stated I am a member of the Catholic Church. I specifically remember learning in youth group that the word “catholic” meant universal, but the definition didn’t mean much to me until I partook in World Youth Day 2005. It was the summer before my...
What is World Youth Day? The first World Youth Day was celebrated in 1984 when Pope St. John Paul II created a gathering on Palm Sunday in Rome to celebrate the Youth Jubilee of the Holy Year of Redemption. It was expected that sixty thousand people would attend, but...
What is Canon Law? The current law governing the Catholic Church is the 1983 Code of Canon Law. This Code, promulgated by His Holiness St. John Paul II replaced the 1917 Code of Canon Law. The Code is a system of laws and principles which regulates the...
Have you ever noticed how much buzz there is around the Mass that uses the Missal of 1962, commonly referred to as the Traditional Latin Mass (TLM)? I mean, if you're into Catholic Twitter, YouTube, or any other social media, you can't miss it. It seems to dominate a...
What is a Cult? – In Modern Terms “Cult” is not a useful term in modern terms. It does not have a specific meaning but is usually used in a pejorative sense. A cult, in modern terms, is a particular religious group that is...
Dressing up for special occasions is a common practice, but on certain occasions, the dress itself carries its own traditions and symbolism. The reception of First Holy Communion is one such special occasion. It is common to see those receiving First Communion dressed...
What is the Liturgy of the Hours? The Liturgy of the Hours is also called the Divine Office or the Breviary. The celebration of the Holy Eucharist is the source and summit of the Christian life, but it is not the only daily prayer of the Church. The Liturgy of the...
The cord of St. Joseph is a powerful devotion that grants special graces to those who wear it with faith. These graces will help you grow in your spiritual life. Delving deeper into the tradition of the cord of St. Joseph can lead to a greater understanding and...
What is the Liturgical Movement? In Desiderio desideravi (2022), Pope Francis writes, “We owe to the [the Second Vatican] Council – and to the liturgical movement that preceded it – the rediscovery of a theological understanding of the Liturgy and of its importance in...