Blogs
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St. Jerome – Ascetic and Doctor of the Church
St. Jerome was a 4th century influencer whose writing, theological ideas and translation of the Bible into Latin (“the Vulgate”) continues to resonate today. His ascetic life had characteristics of St. John the Baptist. St. Jerome spent four of his early adult years in the desert of Chalcis in Syria.
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Architectural Columns
A church building contains architectural elements that are common to all buildings; but also contains features making it identifiable as a church. The columns of a church play a key role in “supporting” the verticality of the structure
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A Miracle at Auschwitz – St. Maximilian Kolbe
Saint Maximilian Kolbe was a Polish Martyr and a mass-media evangelizer with a great devotion to the Blessed Mother. He died at the concentration camp Auschwitz when he sacrificed his life for a young husband and father whose wishes were answered by this miraculous intervention.
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Thousands Start the Celebration of the Feast Day of Our Lady of Vailankanni
The Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mother Mary on September 8th is the culmination of nine days of prayers, novenas, Masses, and parades at this annual celebration of the Feast Day of Our Lady of Vailankanni (also known Our Lady of Good Health) Tamil Nadu, India.
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Memorial of the Church of St. Mary Major (and a summer snowfall!)
August 5th, the Dedication of the Church of St. Mary Major is commemorated each year in part to celebrate the “Miracle of the Snows” when it snowed on the Esquiline Hill in Rome on August 5th, 358.
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Titles of St. Joseph
St. Joseph has several important titles in the Catholic Church which are: 1) the Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary; 2) the Foster-Father of Jesus; 3) the Worker; 4) the Patron of the Universal Church; and 5) the Patron of a Happy Death.
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Infant Jesus of Prague Feast Day and Novena
“The more you honor me, the more I will bless you.” These are the words that Father Cyril of the Mother of God, O.C.D., a Carmelite priest, heard from a statue of the Infant Jesus in 1637. January 14th is a date of honor for the Infant Jesus.
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The Manger Scene at Christmas
The annual celebration of Jesus’ birth in a manger at night in Bethlehem is commemorated with the display of the “manger scene” in churches, homes and yards across the world.
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Isaiah’s Poetry of Advent
In the readings of Advent, we are greeted by the verse of one of the greatest ancient poets in the Book of Isaiah. Isaiah’s poetry of hope tells of the coming of a Messiah who will rescue the plighted from sufferings and establish a new kingdom to satisfy all wants.
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St. Gertrude the Great
St. Gertrude the Great was a German abbess, a mystic and an early adherent to the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. She had many writings which still resonate nearly 700 years later about her struggle to reconcile her humanness with her role as a bride of Christ.
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An Adventure Story – St. Raphael in the Book of Tobit
The Feast Day of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael is September 29th. The adventure story of the Angel Raphael is told in the Book of Tobit. Although called “Saints”, the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael are angels, rather than “saints” who have been seemingly around since the beginning of time. An angel is a…
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St. Ludmila – Feast Day September 16
St. Ludmila is a favorite of people of Czech heritage and in-laws; and the patroness of Bohemia. She is the grandmother of the famed St. Wenceslaus and was instrumental in the spread of Christianity in Bohemia during her reign and that of her grandson.