Celebrated by Catholic monasteries throughout the world and at many parishes, Tenebrae, which means “darkness” in Latin, focuses our attention on the sufferings and death of Our Saviour. It takes place during the three days preceding Easter Day—Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday—with special psalms and ceremonies during Matins and Lauds (the first two…
CNA—Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland in Oregon on Tuesday thanked Pope Francis for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith’s recent affirmation of the Church’s teaching on marriage and the human person. “I would like to express gratitude to the Holy Father for the recent statement from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the…
CNA—Jack Phillips, a Christian cake baker, was again in court for declining to make a cake that expresses messages contrary to his religious beliefs after an attorney who identifies as transgender filed suit over the bakery’s refusal to make a cake to celebrate a gender transition. The civil trial began March 22, conducted virtually by…
CNA—Early on March 24, 1944, a Nazi patrol surrounded the home of Józef and Wiktoria Ulma on the outskirts of the village of Markowa in southeast Poland. They discovered eight Jewish people who had found refuge with the couple and executed them. The Nazi police then killed the pregnant Wiktoria, who was 32 years old,…
These past weeks, you have had occasion to look at this particular Iconic Image of Christ, which I am guessing you probably have not seen before. I chose this Icon with the hope of it being an occasion of beauty as well as grace for you as you journeyed through Lent anew. To see an…
CNA, Catholic Catechism—A plenary indulgence is a grace granted by the Catholic Church through the merits of Jesus Christ, Mary and all the saints to remove the temporal punishment due to sin. The indulgence applies to sins already forgiven. A plenary indulgence cleanses the soul as if the person had just been baptized. A plenary…
For the past few weeks you have been looking at the iconic image of Christ in its beauty, and you have considered the words of St. John of Kronstadt which point out Who this is and how He looks at you…. What do you see when you look at Him? This week, the image…
CNA—A Franciscan friar was ordained archbishop of Tehran-Isfahan this week and commissioned to “offer the light of the Gospel” in Iran. Archbishop Dominique Mathieu, 57, was consecrated in Rome in the Basilica of the Twelve Holy Apostles on Feb. 16, the feast of St. Maruthas, the fourth-century bishop and patron saint of Iran. Cardinal Leonardo…
A state judge has ruled Texas can defund the Planned Parenthood abortion business. Siding with state officials, a judge in Travis County declined Planned Parenthood’s bid to block state officials from removing the abortion company from the state Medicaid program. State District Judge Lora Livingston said Planned Parenthood did not prove its contention that state…
Just as in any art or science there are rules to follow, so it is with the art of the icon, both for the success of the art piece as well as for the spirit of the artist. Since we have chosen to focus on the Icon of the Holy Face this Lent, I would…
CNA—Pope Francis’ prayer intention for the month of March is for a renewed experience of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In his video for the prayer intention, created by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, the pope asked for prayers that the Sacrament of Reconciliation would be experienced “with renewed depth, to taste the forgiveness and infinite…
Below is the full text of the inflight interview between Pope Francis and news media en route from from the Holy Father’s historic visit to Irac Baghdad, Iraq, to Rome, Italy that took place March 8, 2021, provided courtesy of CNA: Pope Francis: First of all, thank you for your work, your company, your fatigue.…
I am ready for Lent this year. Please don’t misunderstand me. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak. Something within always resists Ash Wednesday’s sober call to repentance and a reorientation of my life. But, after facing the challenges of the pandemic this year, I admit that business as usual has not been…
OCCatholic—Reading the Bible has had a positive effect on people’s “mental well-being” during the pandemic, according to a Christian Research survey conducted in the United Kingdom. The survey also found that respondents were reading the Bible more and turning to Bible-related videos more during the pandemic. The survey, carried out on behalf of the Bible…
This week I invite you to quietly look deeper… After my first and surprising experience of icons in Russia, the next experience was also amazing and drew me even closer to an understanding of the Icon. It is by entering into the process that one draws more closely to the icon subject, regardless of whether…
I never thought I’d watch Mass from the front seat of my car. I never thought I’d receive Holy Communion standing in the parish parking lot. But there I’ve been, Sunday after Sunday for months on end, in the parking lot at St. Kilian Catholic Church in Mission Viejo, California. From the start, I knew…
CNA—Benedict XVI addressed conspiracy theories about his resignation as pope, Pope Francis’ trip to Iraq, and Joe Biden in an interview with an Italian newspaper published on Monday. The pope emeritus told Corriere della Sera that he stood by his decision despite criticism from his friends in an interview released on March 1, a day…
CNA—Eight hundred years ago, a barefoot St. Dominic carried an icon of the Virgin Mary across Rome to entrust the Marian image to a new community of cloistered nuns, who have safeguarded the icon within the walls of their convent to this day. The icon, known as the “Advocata,” can be found today in a…
This week I invite you to quietly look upon the face of this icon of Christ… Take note of the size of the eyes, the fineness of the nose, the delicacy of the mouth, because in the upcoming weeks we’ll be taking a closer look at each of these features of the face. There is…
CNA—The House on Thursday passed the Equality Act, a bill that the U.S. bishops have warned would trample religious freedom protections while codifying gender ideology in federal law. By a vote of 224 to 206, the House passed the Equality Act only six days after it was introduced on Feb. 18. The legislation, sponsored by…
