MARY, MOTHER OF THE CHURCH
She was there at the birth of Christ. She was there at the birth of Christ’s Church. She is here, now, at Pentecost as the Church thinks of how to be reborn in a post-pandemic world. Mary, Mother of Jesus.…
Category Feast Day
HAPPY FEAST OF THE ASCENSION OF THE LORD!
Our youngest child of the six that we have parented, graduates this year. Perhaps because I have attended a graduation in May or June most every year for twenty years, when the feast of the Ascension comes, I always feel…
OUR LADY OF FATIMA
The apparition of the Virgin Mary in Fatima, Portugal in 1917 has been a source of inspiration, curiosity and intrigue for more than a century. The story of three children meeting a lady emanating glorious light and revealing three secrets…
ST. CATHERINE OF SIENA
If you plan on confronting a Pope (or two), especially if you are a woman – an uneducated one at that – you better have a pretty strong connection to the Lord, Jesus Christ. If you want to do this…
ANNUNCIATION OF THE LORD
One can get lost in researching Catholic doctrine on Mary and the feast of the Annunciation. We only need to look to interpretations of this moment in fine art and music to appreciate its influence on our tradition and humanity. In this…
ST. JOSEPH, PATRON OF CANADA, PRAY FOR US AND FOR THE WHOLE WORLD
I have the good fortune to have two of the best-known saints as my name patrons, and they are both celebrated in March. My first name being Joseph and my second name Patrick, it’s pretty obvious that this is a…
OUR LADY OF LOURDES
As a Catholic girl of Irish descent who grew up in rural Ontario, I didn’t grow up with Disney princesses. I grew up with apparitions of the Blessed Virgin. When I was around six or seven years old, someone my…
HAPPY FEAST DAY OF ST. JOHN BOSCO!
As an editor, I depend on many resources in my work: dictionaries, style guides, the internet, and even a saint or two! When challenges arise, I am happy to be able to call on the patron saint of my profession,…
REPRESENTATIONS OF GOD’S GOODNESS
On this feast day of St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274), I want to share something from this giant philosopher/theologian’s writings which I find remarkable. It should give us reason to pause and re-think what we are doing to creation as a…
PAUL’S (ECOLOGICAL) CONVERSION
What colour was the horse off which Saul was knocked on the road to Damascus? The Bible doesn’t say. In very fact, the Bible doesn’t mention a horse at all. At some murky point in history, the anonymous quadruped trotted…