THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD
Forty days after Christmas we come to a feast day that will lead us on a path to the cross. Also known as Candlemas, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord has layers of meaning. Jesus, the Light of…
ST. JOHN BOSCO
John Bosco (1815 – 1888), affectionately known as Don Bosco, was an Italian Catholic priest, educator and writer. He worked in Turin and ministered to people who were harshly affected by industrialization and urbanization. He dedicated himself to supporting street…
SUNDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD
Now and then the Church invites us to slow down and reflect on what really matters. Today’s observance, Sunday of the Word of God, is a good example. Instituted by Pope Francis in 2019, it is an annual reminder that…
WORLD RELIGIONS DAY
World Religion Day is an interfaith observance initiated in 1950 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’i of the United States, celebrated worldwide on the 3rd Sunday of January each year. Though initiated in the United States, World Religion…
ST. ANDRE BESSETTE: A HEALER AND A MAN OF PRAYER
He was a frail young man, born in 1845 in St-Grégoire-d’Iberville, Quebec, who couldn’t read or write – an orphan by the age of 12. He tried various trades without much success, including in the United States, where many went…
EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
In 2022 Pope Francis referred to Vincent Van Gogh’s Starry Night (1889) in his homily for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord: “A great painter, Vincent Van Gogh, once said that his need for God drove him to…
MARY, MOTHER OF GOD AND WORLD DAY OF PEACE
Scientists of human development, psychology and neuroscience are all in agreement that the loving gaze from a mother to a child is a vital part of one’s growth into a healthy integrated human person. There is something about that long,…
HOLY FAMILY OF JESUS, MARY AND JOSEPH
In the book of Deuteronomy, Moses offers a beautiful image: our Lord carrying the Israelites all along the way of their 40-year journey through the desert. On this feast day celebrating and honouring the Holy Family, we might review our…
CHRISTMAS — IS THAT ALL?
My son was four years old when, on the morning of December 25, far too early after the short night before, he finished unwrapping the last of his gifts. Then he turned to me, an anxious look in his eyes:…
O ANTIPHONS
Have you ever wondered about the O Antiphons? These chants and prayers show up during the week before Christmas. They are part of the Acclamation prayers in the weekday masses. What might be most familiar to us about the O…