The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, and planned by the Central Labor Union. In 1884 the first Monday in September was selected as the holiday, and the Central Labor Union urged similar organizations in other cities to follow the example of New York and...
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What is the main theme of the Letter of James, which will be proclaimed as the second reading for the next six Sundays? The Letter of James is more an exhortation to ethical living than a letter. It was probably written in the late first century by an author who attributes it to James,...
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Tournament night we played Holy Cross in the first game. We were behind 9-0 and made a “run at it” closing the gap at 8-9. All we needed was one more out in a critical inning and we didn’t get it. Holy Cross went on a massive scoring drive and ended up winning the...
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What are some ways to prepare to celebrate the Sunday Liturgy of the Word more effectively? Sunday Mass consists of two interrelated parts, the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. The Liturgy of the Word has been expanded into a three-year cycle of Scripture passages, with each liturgy containing four...
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What do we affirm on August 22 when we proclaim and celebrate the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary? The feast of the Queenship of Mary was instituted by Pope Pius XII in 1954, and was originally celebrated on May 31, the month of the May crowning of Mary. Today the memorial is celebrated...
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  From the Coach’s Corner: In the past week, we played St. Joseph’s of Moorhead. The agony of defeat was felt but the joy of the team playing together outweighed the defeats. We played the St. Joe’s Joeys in both games at 9 and 10 PM on July 30th. St. Joe’s won both games...
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Why was Fr. Maximilian Kolbe, whose memory we recall on August 14, canonized a saint by Pope John Paul II? Father Maximilian Mary Kolbe was a Polish Franciscan who promoted a strong devotion to the Blessed Virgin wherever he went. Having been ordained a priest in Rome in 1918, he returned to Poland to...
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I want to thank you all for your wonderful support! I know I am not as communicative as Fr. Jack Davis, who has very efficient channels of communication; but I do try to be faithful to the Spirit of Nativity! That spirit has driven me for the last 30 years. We have been operating...
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What preparations did Pope John XXIII enact during the spring and summer of 1959 to prepare for the ecumenical council? Fifty years ago newly-elected Pope John XXIII announced his desire to convoke an ecumenical council. His announcement encountered a variety of reactions and objections. However, John felt compelled to pursue his Spirit-led desire for...
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18th Sunday in Ordinary Time Twenty years ago, Marianne Wilson saw a need; thousands of people with critical illnesses were going hungry in her area of Southern California, and she just wasn’t going to stand for it. She began cooking healthy meals and delivering them to men, women and children dying from HIV/AIDS, cancer,...
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