When you love someone, you don’t just hang out with them once a week for Friday night dates. You want to be with them, in person, every moment you can. You don’t need entertainment. You don’t always need to understand each other or even say much. You just want to be...
5 Things Even Devout Catholics Can Do To Go Deeper In Discipleship
As Catholics, we have a desire to know the Lord, to deepen our relationship with God. To somehow invite Jesus Christ, who pursues us each personally, into every part of our lives. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also...
002 Fr. Rob – Holy Days of Obligation
There are certain days of the week and year that are considered Holy Days of Obligation, or days that we must go to Mass. There is SO MUCH MORE to Holy Days of Obligation than just the point that we must go to Mass, tune in and learn more!
The Male Saints Listed In The Roman Canon
In Communion with Those Whose Memory We Venerate In the Roman Canon, the First Eucharistic Prayer, in the section called the Communicantes, we are reminded of our communion with the Apostles and Martyrs. After the Blessed Mother and St. Joseph are mentioned, then many...
4 Ways Lay People Can Be Part Of The Catholic Mass
Lay Liturgical Ministries in the Ordinary Form of the Latin Rite, there are a few lay liturgical ministries that are worth examining in detail. There has been a great deal of confusion in the past decades about some of these ministries. This article will not likely...
Consecration: A Priest Shares What You Need To Know About This Part Of The Mass
How can billions of men and women believe that what their eyes see as bread is God? How can sane people support the claim by the Catholic Church according to which, at Holy Mass, bread becomes the Body of Jesus, and wine becomes His Blood? The Church teaches that the...
Who Are The Seven Women Saints Named In The Eucharistic Prayer At Mass?
To us, also, your servants, who, though sinners, hope in your abundant mercies, graciously grant some share and fellowship with your holy Apostles and Martyrs: with John the Baptist, Stephen, Matthias, Barnabas, Ignatius, Alexander, Marcellinus, Peter, Felicity,...
What You Should Know About Pope Francis’ Apostolic Letter on The Liturgy – Desiderio Desideravi
What is Desiderio desideravi? Desiderio desideravi, the title of Pope Francis’ 2022 document on the Sacred Liturgy, comes from the Latin version of Luke 22:15: “I have earnestly desired (desiderio desideravi) to eat this Passover with you before I suffer.” Pope...
Why It’s Important To Celebrate Easter EVERY Sunday Of The Year
The Sabbath Day Sunday, the seventh day of the week is the sabbath, a day of solemn rest, that is set aside for the Lord. This goes all the way back to the dawn of creation when God made everything in six days and then rested on the seventh. The Sabbath day also marks...
“If Families Aren’t Going To Mass, Your Catholic School Is Failing.”
This is an alarming statement – adding another level of responsibility on schools, especially in today’s society. But Catholic schools can and should influence Mass attendance! As we know today, many Catholic school students aren’t experiencing the Church as a family...
Why Do Catholics Light Candles?
Candles are Practical The word candle comes from the Latin “to burn.” Candles have been used since human beings have been able to start fire. Rudimentary wicks were encased in wax or animal fat and burned for light in the dark hours of the day. Oil candles were also...
Why Do We Sing At Mass?
Love and Song Over fifty percent of popular songs are about love, whether in the classical era or today. Paul McCartney’s song Silly Love Songs makes this observation when he says, “You’d think that people would’ve had enough of...
No Drums? No Guitars? Why The Organ Is The Catholic Church’s Favorite
Tra Le Sollecitudini – “Among the cares” In November 1903, Pope St. Pius X issued the Motu Proprio “Tra Le Sollecitudini” which is Italian for “Among the cares.” It is worth reexamining this excellent writing to glean from it the wisdom which endures. Of course,...
5 Ways To Elevate Your Experience Of The Liturgy
Elevating Your Experience Of The Liturgy After more than a year of dispensations from attending the Mass, Catholics around the world are taking a look at the liturgy with fresh eyes. As the saying goes “absence makes the heart grow fonder.” For a few, the pandemic may...
Genuflect Or Bow? When, Where, And Why This Is Part Of The Catholic Faith!
(Special Thanks to Adoremus and Dr. Denis McNamara) The heavy lifting and much of the inspiration for this article is offered by Dr. Denis McNamara’s fantastic article “Altar as Alter Christus: Ontology and Sacramentality” from Adoremus. The Church is deeply indebted...
Is It True That Pope Francis Is Restricting The Traditional Latin Mass?
Traditionis Custodes Early on July 16, 2021, Pope Francis issued a Motu Proprio entitled Traditionis Custodes which sent shockwaves through the Catholic world, especially in more traditionalist circles. For a brief first look at what the document says,...
Breaking Open the Pope’s New Motu Proprio – Traditionis Custodes
Pope Francis released a motu proprio on Friday, July 16, 2021, entitled Traditionis Custodes (“Guardians of Tradition”). This document will almost certainly be interpreted differently depending on the perspective of the reader. Those who currently and regularly attend...
So Much More Than Just Smoke: What Is The Importance Of Using Incense In The Catholic Church?
Incense – A Long History Incense has been used in sacred worship for over five thousand years. Long before Christian worship began burning fragrant aromas in liturgy, the Egyptians began using incense in a religious way during the Fifth Dynasty, between 2494 and 2345...
Discovering The Eucharist On Every Page Of The Bible
“Parousia: The Bible and the Mass” We are proud to share with you a phenomenal Bible study series at the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology called “Parousia: The Bible and the Mass” hosted by Dr. Scott Hahn. Beautifully presented, impeccably edited, with masterful...
Welcoming Them Home: 7 Tips For Churches To Reengage Parishioners
I remember the first Mass I attended after COVID-19 caused lockdowns countrywide and cut off access to the sacraments. I hadn’t been to Mass in more than two months, and I craved the Eucharist more than anything else I’d lost during the pandemic. The Mass was going to...
Church Was Boring…Until I Discovered These Four Things
I’m just not getting anything out of it! is a common cry for many who find church boring. For many raised Catholic, feelings of “not being fed” cause some to leave church altogether or at least find another Christian experience. Many go for churches that emphasize...
Why We All Need St. Jude Right Now
Who Was St. Jude? Judas Thaddeus is often known in Greek as simply “Thaddeus” because this is the name used in the Gospels according to St. Matthew and St. Mark. When translators were putting the books of the Bible into English, they sought to distant this Apostle we...
7 Ways To Give Thanks After An Answered Prayer
There are wonderful times in our lives when God answers a prayer. Maybe it is something we have been praying for years; maybe it is something we never thought would be answered. Maybe the answer was beyond our wildest dreams, better than we ever could have imagined....
Our 10 Favorite Catholic Masks
In many parts of the world, if you want to go to Mass you have to wear a mask. In my opinion, it's a small price to pay for the opportunity to worship the Creator of the Universe and receive Holy Communion. It might not always be comfortable, but we can be stylish and...
Mass Is Always Crowded On Sunday…Here’s Why
What Is A Priest? The popular definition of a priest is given as an ordained person with the authority to perform certain rites and administer certain sacraments. Properly speaking, however, a priest is one who offers sacrifice. This is what a priest is. This is what...