Blog & News
Saint Nicholas
Have you ever wondered what St. Nicholas really looked like? If so, you aren’t the only one! How does this modern forensic reconstruction of St. Nicholas’ face compare with traditional images developed and handed down by iconographers through the centuries? What do you think?
Squanto the Catholic
Most people know the basic story of the first Thanksgiving: the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock, the Native Americans helped them grow food, and they all gathered together in a feast of thanksgiving. But what most versions leave out is the crucial role played by Squanto...
The Presentation
On the feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we celebrate the fact that Our Lady’s parents (Saint Joachim and Saint Anne) brought her to the Temple at the age of three and handed her over to live there for a long period as a consecrated virgin, where she might exclusively contemplate God.
Veterans Day
From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: LET US PRAY for our brothers and sisters as they go forth with courage and determination to face the forces of violence, weapons of destruction, and hearts filled with hate. The response after each prayer of petition is: "Through the darkness, bring us to light."
Star of the Sea
Did you know that the Blessed Virgin Mary embarked on a sea voyage in her lifetime? Though this information does not come to us by way of Scriptures, it reaches us through a trustworthy private revelation, which the Church approved and leaves to our discretion to believe. Such is the vast work entitled, Mystical City of God, written by Venerable Maria of Agreda, a Conceptionist nun and mystic of the 17th century to whom the Virgin Mary dictated her life.
Forgotten Season
Do you know about the Triduum of Death, the Forgotten Season of Allhallowtide? For most people, Halloween is just a fun (or sinister) secular holiday that stands on its own. But, it actually used to be an important part of a short liturgical season focused on death, Allhallowtide.
A Mother's Plea
Pope Francis canonized five new saints on October 13. Perhaps the most well-known is a 19th century British theologian by the name of Cardinal John Henry Newman. But what isn’t so well known is a special miracle that led to his sainthood. That miracle not only saved one little girl – still thriving today – but also her mother. Melissa Villalobos of Chicago first encountered Newman by accident on an EWTN (Eternal Word Television Network) show.
Christopher Columbus
In popular myth, Columbus is the very symbol of European greed and genocidal imperialism. In reality, he was a dedicated Christian concerned first and foremost with serving God and his fellow man. Peering into the future, Christopher Columbus (1451-1506) could not have anticipated the ingratitude and outright contempt shown by modern man toward his discovery and exploration of the New World. Few see him as he really was...
Our Lady of the Rosary
On October 7, the Roman Catholic Church celebrates the yearly feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. Known for several centuries by the alternate title of “Our Lady of Victory,” the feast day takes place in honor of a 16th century naval victory which secured Europe against Turkish invasion. Pope Saint Pius V attributed the victory to the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary, who was invoked on the day of the battle through a campaign to pray the Rosary throughout Europe.
Unexpectedly Expecting
I had been brought up to believe that life is always a gift, but it certainly didn’t feel like one when I gazed in shock at a positive pregnancy test. As a mom who had my first baby in college, I know that an unexpected pregnancy can sometimes bring fear, shame, and doubt. However, I also know that an unexpected pregnancy can bring joy, excitement, awe, gratitude, and deeper love than I knew was possible — not to mention the little bundle who inspires these sentiments! About nine months after looking at that pregnancy test, I received the very best gift I have ever been given...
...my daughter Maria (name changed for privacy).