stceceliastgabriel

St. Cecilia

This Tuesday (11/22) is the feast of St. Cecilia our co-patron. Born in the third century into a wealthy Roman family, her parents arranged for her to marry a young pagan nobleman by the name of Valerius. Unbeknownst to them, however, Cecilia had become a Christian, and like many young Christian women at the time,Continue reading “St. Cecilia “

Resisting Colonization

I had never heard of Bo Burnham until I came across a clip of a recent conference at which he spoke about the impact of social media on culture. Burnham is a 32-year-old comedian and musician who received critical acclaim for a comedy special he produced during the COVID-19 lockdowns called Inside. Originally from Massachusetts,Continue reading “Resisting Colonization “

God’s Plan for St. Martin

In the first thousand years of Christianity, St. Martin of Tours was one of the most widely-venerated and beloved saints in the Church. Born to pagan parents just a few years after the legalization of Christianity in 313, Martin embraced the Christian faith at an early age. As the son of a retired Roman militaryContinue reading “God’s Plan for St. Martin “

Communion

This Tuesday, November 1, is the Solemnity of All Saints. It is one of the greatest feasts of the year because it is a celebration of those who have reached the final destination for which we are made and to which we all aspire, with the help of God’s grace. It’s important to remember thatContinue reading “Communion “

Altars

The most important object in every Catholic church is the altar. An altar is a table-like structure upon which is offered a sacrifice to God. In the worship rituals of the Old Testament, a sacrifice of an animal or grains would be offered to the Lord on the altar. The sacrifice would then be burned,Continue reading “Altars “

An Odd Sort of Mercy

Graham Greene was one of the most acclaimed writers of the 20th century, whose best novels feature morally complex characters who experience grace through their very real struggles with fallen human desire. I recently read his 1951 novel, The End of the Affair, which takes place in London in the mid-1940s. A writer named MauriceContinue reading “An Odd Sort of Mercy “

Bending the Knee

When I was a seminarian, I had a summer assignment at a parish where the pastor gave me the task of training the altar servers. I was very pleased when a pretty decent number of kids showed up to the training session. The first thing we practiced was processing down the aisle at the beginningContinue reading “Bending the Knee “

The Beautiful Life of St. Francis

In the Italian city of Assisi there is a small church named San Damiano located halfway down the hill upon which the city is built. There, in the year 1205, the young Francis knelt in prayer before a large crucifix. Suddenly, he heard the voice of Christ speaking to him from the crucifix, calling toContinue reading “The Beautiful Life of St. Francis “

Singing and Parking

On Singing: “He who sings prays twice.” This is a phrase attributed to St. Augustine of Hippo, the patron saint of our Diocese. He is saying that when we sing our prayers, we adorn the words we speak to the Lord with a beauty that comes from our hearts’ love for Him. It is likeContinue reading “Singing and Parking “

Gift Exchange

“O, marvelous exchange! Man’s Creator has become man, born of the Virgin. We have been made sharers in the divinity of Christ who humbled Himself to share in our humanity.” This is the Antiphon that opens the liturgical celebration of the Solemnity of Mary (Jan 1). It expresses a central claim of orthodox Christianity: thatContinue reading “Gift Exchange “