Feast of The Chair of Peter
Today, Feb. 22, is no mere Saturday in Ordinary Time. It was no doubt chosen by Pope Francis as the date for his first consistory to install new members into the College of Cardinals because it is the Feast of…
Category Early Church
Conversion: A Lifelong Process
The work of Carvaggio, the master Renaissance artist, proves a picture really is worth a thousand words. His powerful painting, Conversion on the Way to Damascus, has forever cemented in popular culture that notion that St. Paul was riding a…
Of Violets and Roses
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…
A Link to Church Foundations
Just nine days after the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica, the Roman Calendar marks yet another celebration linked to bricks and mortar as we commemorate The Dedication of the Basilicas of St. Peter and St. Paul, two of the four…
The Basilica of Saint John Lateran
“Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10) Most people assume that the pope’s cathedral is St. Peter’s Basilica, located within the walls of Vatican City.…
Cosmas and Damian
The Saints of God Cosmas and Damian were denounced in the persecution of Diocletian the Emperor. That much is sure. What follows almost sounds like a Monty Python sketch: They were crucified, then stoned, then attacked by archers and finally…
The Cross as a Sign of Boundless Love and Mercy
The cross is at the very heart of our faith. As a symbol, it reminds us of God’s boundless love for us, and as a spiritual and historical reality it holds out the merciful promise of salvation. The Feast of…
Pope Gregory the Great
Few popes in the Church’s history have had as great of an influence on the shaping of the Church as Pope Gregory. Born into a wealthy patrician family in Rome around 540, Gregory rose to prominence within the Roman government.…
Saint Monica: Mothers and their Children’s Faith
There isn’t a mom I know who can’t relate – at least a little! – to St. Monica, the devoted mother of St. Augustine of Hippo, whose love for her child overcame their clash of wills and values. In what…
The Assumption of Mary
Today’s great Marian feast, the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is a day with joyful implications for all of us. The Assumption celebrates Mary having been taken into heaven, body and soul, at the end of…