“It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins.” 2 Macc. 12:46 “There shall not enter into it anything defiled…” Apoc. 21:27 I lost my Dad in 1999. He was a wonderful father and certainly considered by all to be a good man. He […]
THE Church teaches us that the souls of the just who have left this world soiled with the stain of venial sin remain for a time in a place of expiation, where they suffer such punishment as may be due to their offences. It is a matter of faith that these suffering souls are relieved […]
Praying to the Saints is the opposite of idolatry.
The Saints in Heaven are living witnesses and members of the Church.
MONICA, the mother of St. Augustine, was born in 332. A, a girlhood of singular innocence and piety, she was given in marriage to Patritius, a pagan. She at once devoted herself to his conversion, praying for him always, and winning his reverence and love by the holiness of her life and her affectionate forbearance. She […]
Does the Bible still have relevance? All that guidance and those stories of 2,000 years ago and longer – do they mean anything today? They should, of course – especially the things Jesus taught. Loving God with every fiber of your being, loving your neighbor as you love yourself, forgiving countless times. Laying down your […]
“You received Holy Communion this morning and that is well, but you must do more, make a general confession and offer your communion for the conversion of sinners.” These were the words the Queen of Heaven spoke in 1859 to a Belgian immigrant named Adele Brise in Champion, Wisconsin. In 1917 the children in Fatima […]
You cannot count the number of times in your life you have said these words: “Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners now and at the hour of our death, Amen.” Why do we do this? Why ask Mary to pray for us? Many say “No need to get the Mother involved, just […]
Charles de Foucauld was a dandy, a fop, or perhaps an epicure. Having lost his faith as a young teen, he learned to enjoy the good things in life and did all he could to continue to enjoy them. Even amidst a military career, in which he performed quite daring exploits, he still loved to […]
Blessed John Paul II gave the Church many beautiful gifts; among them were the Year of the Rosary (2002-2003) and the Year of the Eucharist (2004-2005). In doing so, he encouraged priests, religious and laity to use these gifts and harness the spiritual power and strength that flows from them. Both he and his successor […]
October, the month of the rosary and the Pro-life Rosary Campaign, is over. Forty Days for Life has just ended. Things will quiet down until January with the various state marches and the National March for Life. There will be various prayer vigils before the march. In the spring there will be a new Forty […]
One of the most central elements to the Catholic pro-life movement is prayer. As Catholics we have the power of the communion of saints and in my own reflection, I have come to identify a handful of saints who could be considered “co-patrons” of the pro-life movement. The Holy Family exemplifies for us a common […]
Jesus said “Behold, I will be with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28-20). In all the centuries since His resurrection, with the rising and the setting of the daily sun, Christ has descended to be with us, always. Every time a priest has proclaimed “This is my body…. This is […]
Even those to whom the truth of the Resurrection has been revealed and claim to believe in that truth still struggle in a world broken and corrupted, where might makes right, and where sometimes the immensity of evil tempts us to doubt the divine presence. We live in a world where we see through the […]
After Jesus ascended to heaven at Mount Olivet, the Apostles returned to the Upper Room in Jerusalem and devoted themselves to prayer (Acts 1:12-14). A novena is nine days of prayer. The nine days of prayer between Ascension Thursday and Pentecost Sunday marked the first of all novenas. At different times in our lives, God […]
Last fall, I participated in the 40 Days for Life prayer vigil at our local Planned Parenthood. It was the first time I had done this, and I was a bit fearful. (Will I get arrested? Will people yell at us?) On the contrary, the experience was humbling and incredibly moving. After the 40 Days […]
by Shawn Carney, Campaign Director, 40 Days for Life When people hear about babies saved from abortion, it motivates them to trust God — and participate in 40 Days for Life. After all, how often do you have an opportunity to literally help save a life just by peacefully praying? It’s already happened in this […]
The radical liberals are coming for your children. It’s time to wake up, people. These extremists have become emboldened by the decaying morals and rising apathy in America and they are now hard at work re-programming your children through our educational system. A recent article from the Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute included several […]
In our family we observe a common Catholic tradition: whenever we hear a siren, we say a Hail Mary, “for whoever is in need and for the first responders”. Since we live just a few blocks from a fire station, we get lots of practice in this devotion. Which also affords our daughter Liz, now […]
