stceceliastgabriel

Seeking Refuge

Over the past week we have been doing much as a nation to commemorate the terrible events of September 11, 2001. Part of the ritual has been to share with each other our own experiences of that horrible day, which set so many things in motion and changed our world in so many ways. I was living in Spain at theContinue reading “Seeking Refuge”

Holy Hour for Vocations

Several years ago, when I was the Vocations Director for the Diocese of Bridgeport, I came across a talk that Mother Teresa of Calcutta gave back in 1993. In it, she told the story of an old man that her sisters discovered and pulled out of a gutter. He was in very bad shape. They brought him toContinue reading “Holy Hour for Vocations”

Our Lady of Perpetual Help

In 1882, there was a terrible outbreak of smallpox in the small nation of Haiti. Over the course of several months, tens of thousands of Haitians died of the disease. The epidemic was made worse by a drought that was unusually long for the tropical island. On February 5, 1882, Archbishop Alexis Jean-Marie Guilloux gathered the people to the church of St. Francis Xavier in the Bel-Air neighborhoodContinue reading “Our Lady of Perpetual Help”

Breaking the Spell

There was a very interesting opinion article in last Sunday’s New York Times (“How to Think Your Way Into Religious Belief” 8/15/21). It was written by Ross Douthat, who has had a column in the Op-Ed section of the Times since 2009, and has on occasion used that space to write about religion. Douthat is Catholic, and his writings demonstrate a broad interest in religious belief,Continue reading “Breaking the Spell”

The Assumption

It is a very unusual thing not to be celebrating the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time this weekend. Instead, this Sunday the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is unusual because Sundays have a privileged place in Catholic liturgy. Sunday is the Lord’s Day, the first day of the week, the day on which Christ rose fromContinue reading “The Assumption”

Ordo

In the sacristy of every Catholic church there is a little book called an Ordo. Published annually by the Bishops of the United States, the Ordo provides all the information about the liturgy that one needs for every day of the year. It tells us what readings we’re supposed to read at Mass, what prayers we’re supposed toContinue reading “Ordo”

Return

Brandon Vogt is the Senior Content Editor at Word on Fire Catholic Ministries, an organization established by Bishop Robert Barron to provide tools of evangelization for Catholics. Recently, I listened to Vogt speak about his new book called Return: How to Draw Your Child Back to the Church. The book was the fruit of Vogt’s many years of research on the sky-rocketing number of people who were raisedContinue reading “Return”

Building on What We’ve Received

I watch too much YouTube. More often than not, it’s a big waste of time. But sometimes you can come across something interesting there. I recently watched an interview of the film director Spike Lee. He was asked by the interviewer to put together a list of films that he would recommend to anyone interested in film. At one point, he expressedContinue reading “Building on What We’ve Received”

Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi

During a recent conversation with a member of our parish, he told me that over the past few years he has come to a greater love and appreciation for the True Presence of Christ in the Eucharist. He attributed this awakening to his experience of reverence in the liturgy. In particular, he said that attending Eucharistic exposition and benediction,Continue reading “Lex Orandi, Lex Credendi”

The Eucharist in The Times

There was a very interesting article in The New York Times two weeks ago in which journalists Elizabeth Dias and Ruth Graham reported on the Eucharist (“Beyond the Politics of Communion, an Ancient Holy Ritual”, 6/27/21). The impetus for the piece was the recent meeting of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, at which the bishops discussedContinue reading “The Eucharist in The Times”