When I started my work in Church music in 1976 in Busby, AB, it really was the Wild West. We photocopied music and made duo-tang hymnals with words-only versions of copyrighted materials. I remember telling myself and others that this…
Everyone loves a parade. If you search the world, you will find Eucharistic processions of almost every description to mark the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. In Rome the procession goes down one of the major streets,…
A novena—a prayer lasting nine days—seems odd at first; the number nine is not widely used in the Bible. It may be that the custom of novenas actually grew out of the nine days of prayer that Scripture tells us…
The Via Lucis, or Way of Light, is a newer devotion in the Church that works like the Stations of the Cross, except that it celebrates the resurrection appearances of Jesus. It was first celebrated in Italy in 1988, and it has…
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…
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…
What a difference a word can make! The move from two sizes of Living with Christ – the Large size and the Regular size – to one Essential Edition has been a real adventure here at the Living with Christ offices. We have been…
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…
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…
Adding Saint Joseph to the other three main Eucharistic Prayers of the Roman Rite is part of a new development in devotion to the husband of the Blessed Virgin. I have been wondering what this seemingly random act of the…