Author Archives: stceceliastgabriel

Pope John Paul II was the Bishop of Rome for 27 dramatic years.  Elected to the Chair of St. Peter in 1978 at the age of 58, he served the Church as the Holy Pontiff until his death in 2005.  During a post-Conciliar period that coincided with dramatic cultural upheaval, Pope John Paul II was given the reins of a Church that was suffering through a crisis of confidenceContinue reading “St. John Paul II”

There is a tradition among the various national seminaries in Rome to play in a soccer tournament each year called the “Clericus Cup.”  Almost every seminary fields a team, so you’ll have games in which the seminarians from the English College play the seminarians from the French College, or the seminarians who are studying atContinue reading “North American Martyrs”

Today is the feast day of St. Teresa of Jesus, who was a 16th century Carmelite nun from Avila, Spain.  She was, by all accounts, brilliant and charming, as well as physically beautiful.  She entered the Carmelite monastery at the age of 20.  At that time, the monastic life was very lax.  There were always people comingContinue reading “Let Nothing Disturb You”

Years ago, when I was going through my period of vocational discernment, there were times in which I felt overwhelmed by the question of what God wanted me to do with my life.  I knew there was the possibility that He was offering me the priesthood, but I struggled to accept that and to risk the possibility that the priesthoodContinue reading “Martha & Mary”