The Christmas season is all about joy. This is not what we might think: true joy is not synonymous with laughter or merry-making, though these might be expressions of it. True joy is something much deeper — and much rarer.…
Asked to name some of the hallmarks of the Advent season, most of us would have no problem mentioning the Advent wreath, or the use of rose and violet vestments. Perhaps less well-known—but equally beautiful—are the O Antiphons, the evening…
The liturgical colour in some churches will change to rose from violet this weekend. It is Gaudete Sunday—Rejoice Sunday. Knowing what is going on with these colours can help us to understand what is going on in Advent. Before we…
Mary, Mother of God, is honoured with an endless list of titles. Some, like Our Lady of Lourdes, link Mary to a place. Others, like Our Lady of Perpetual Help, reference the reasons we turn to Mary in prayer. Still…
December 8th is a special day for us at Novalis. Aside from being the traditional feast day of the Immaculate Conception, it is the very day that our founder, Fr. André Guay, began what would become Novalis. His dedication to…
Of all the documents of the Second Vatican Council, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, led to some of the most significant and visible reforms of the Church’s life. While many of those changes are easily identifiable, such as…