I know the feast of St. Joseph is coming soon. Is there any connection to Lent? On March 19, we celebrate the feast of St. Joseph, the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This solemnity during the Lenten season provides us with another model for living out the Lenten discipline of turning our hearts...
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How are the gifts of Pope Leo the Great seen in the church today? November 10 is the feast of St. Leo the Great, a doctor of the church and the first of three popes named “great.” As pope from 440 to 461, he was not only a great administrator but also a well-respected teacher....
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What is the Hispanic celebration known as Días de los Muertos, or Days of the Dead? In Mexico and in other parts of Latin America, November 1 and 2 are celebrated as “Días de los Muertos.” The custom goes back to ancient days when people set aside time to remember those who had died. Under...
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How do the readings from Sunday’s liturgy link to the celebration of Priesthood Sunday? This Sunday we celebrate Priesthood Sunday, an opportunity to thank God for the service and ministry of many great and wonderful priests who help us deepen our relationship to God and others. The Lectionary readings for this Sunday offer significant insights...
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Margaret Bitz and Dan Mahli have organized a neighborhood clean-up project for Nativity.  Margaret shares both her motivation for doing this and the details of the event in the following article: God was happy. In his burst of happiness He decorated his home, the universe. He hung the moon and stars in his bedroom and...
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Are there variations on praying the rosary besides the traditional prayer pattern? October is traditionally known as the month of the rosary, with the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary celebrated on October 7. The rosary traces it origin to those who wanted to imitate the monks’ daily psalm prayers but could not memorize...
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Why is October 11 significant in the life of Pope John XXIII and that of the Second Vatican Council? Pope John XXIII decided to convene the Second Vatican Council on October 11, 1962, the feast of the Maternity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. John XXIII was attuned to the symbolic connections made through feast days. A key...
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A friend told me St. Jerome had a lot to do with the Bible translation. Didn’t he live long ago? St. Jerome (345-420), whose feast is celebrated on September 30, is accepted as the model of biblical scholarship and study. His knowledge of Hebrew, Greek and Latin enabled him to translate the Bible from the...
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What is important about the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross? September 14 celebrates the feast of the Exaltation (or Triumph) of the Holy Cross, commemorating the discovery of the true cross. Its importance lies in the theology of the cross that the feast proclaims. The cross, the instrument of humiliation and death,...
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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 on...
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