The feast of the Holy Family, which is situated appropriately between Christmas and New Year’s Day, serves as a context for the events it bridges: the birth of Christ and the octave of Mary. Living in a loving manner sometimes can be most difficult within the family (the domestic Church), where intimate conflicts yield deep wounds, and where routine and familiarity can breed contempt and complacency. So we look to the Holy Family as models of fraternal love in a world of fractured family life and institutions. You’ll find the entire reflection online.
Celebrate Mary’s birthday
September 8th is when the Church celebrates the feast of the nativity of the Virgin Mary. Why not tap into this as a great reason to have a party with your family, too?
St. Raymond of Peñafort
St. Raymond of Penyafort, whose feast we celebrate on January 7, was a Spanish Dominican friar in the 13th century, who compiled the Decretals of Gregory IX, a collection of canon laws that remained a major part of Church law until the 20th century. Watch a short video about him online.
Take the St. Patrick quiz!
Quick! Did St. Patrick really drive all the snakes from Ireland? Did he live in France? The answer to driving the snakes out is no … but he did live in France while training for the priesthood.
Joy in a time of penance
St. Patrick’s Day falls early in Lent this year. It sticks out like a sore, green thumb in the middle of a sober liturgical period. As a lifelong Catholic — […]