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…
On the feast of St. Agnes there is an interesting blessing celebrated at the church of the saint on Piazza Navona in Rome. Two lambs are blessed, and when they have grown, the wool from these lambs is woven and…
Comet Hale-Bopp hung brightly in the clear night sky – seemingly in suspended animation! I had just come out of church at the conclusion of the 8:00 p.m. Mass. I’d been waiting seemingly endlessly to finally see for myself this…
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.…
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…
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…
“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.…
All Souls’ Day is one of the most hopeful moments of the Church year. That might sound like an odd assertion regarding a day also known as The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. Indeed, celebration of the day comes…
Having a feast for all the Saints is probably one of the most humble, practical, and happy things we can do as a Church. It is an act of humility because it makes us aware that there are countless saints…
Increasing critiques of Halloween have led many Christians to question the day’s festivities. Some argue that the day’s customs have roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, despite several scholars’ arguments to the contrary. Others, such as one official…