“Learn what family life is, its communion of love, its austere and simple beauty, and its sacred and inviolable character.” ~ Pope Paul VI. In 1921, Pope Benedict XV instituted the Sunday after Christmas as the feast of the Holy Family. We celebrate Christ’s Nativity...
“Which of the prophets did not your fathers persecute?” ~ Acts of the Apostles 7:53. Being persecuted has always been part of the Christian journey. On December 26 we celebrate the feast of St. Stephen. Stephen is not only the first recorded martyr, but was also a...
“No one is excluded from the joy brought by the Lord” ~ Pope Paul VI. Christmas is a season of joy! We have a sign in our house this time of year that says, "JOY." It’s kept in the kitchen where our kids see it whenever they wash their hands. My son loves looking at...
The feast of St. Lucy is celebrated today, December 13th. In 2006 we discovered that we were pregnant with our first child. We began praying about what name we’d like to give this beautiful gift that God had given to us. We had chosen a girl’s name and a boy’s name...
Advent: the arrival of a notable person, thing, or event. December is here and that means it’s Christmas season, but first...Advent! Advent can be celebrated with warm cookies, bright trees, beautiful stockings…However, for many Catholics, the Advent wreath on the...
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" ~ 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. With rejoicing hearts, give thanks! In 1789, President George Washington declared November 26th as a national day of...
In 1925, Pope Pius XI instituted the feast of Christ the King. Celebrated on the last Sunday before Advent, this feast concludes our liturgical year. Pius explained his reasoning for this feast in his encyclical Quas Primas “In the first”. He must reign in our minds,...
“She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future” Proverbs 31:25. When I hear this proverb, St. Cecilia of Rome immediately comes to mind. She was a young Christian in the late 200s, during a time of fierce persecution. As a...
“Passing encounters are only a caricature of love; they injure hearts and mock God’s plan” Pope St. John Paul II. The other day, a friend and I were reminiscing about our engagements before marriage. I dated my husband for nearly three years and then was engaged for...
So when He had washed their feet, He said to them: “Do you know what I have done for you? You call me Lord and Teacher; and you are right, for so I am. If I then, the Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet.” John 13:12-14. If...