stceceliastgabriel

Protomartyr

The fourth week of Advent is usually cut short by the arrival of Christmas, which is the beginning (not the end!) of the Christmas season. One of the things I love about the first days of the Christmas season are all of the beautiful feasts contained in them. Right on the heels of the celebrationContinue reading “Protomartyr “

Emmanuel

Advent brings with it great music. One of the classic hymns we sing during this season is “O Come, O Come Emmanuel,” which expresses the sorrow of those who live in exile combined with the joyful hope of redemption and restoration. The title of the song contains within it an interesting tension, if we rememberContinue reading “Emmanuel “

Mother of the Redeemer

We find ourselves in the second week of a new liturgical season – the 4-week season of Advent. With the change in liturgical season come changes in the liturgy itself. First, the priest begins to wear violet-colored vestments, whereas before he wore green. Second, we don’t sing the “Gloria” at the beginning of Mass untilContinue reading “Mother of the Redeemer “

Gratitude

Gratitude brought Dorothy Day to God. In 1925, Day was living in a bungalow on the beach in Staten Island. She had spent the past ten years working in Manhattan as a journalist documenting the radical political movements she supported, and living a bohemian lifestyle with artists, playwrights, and activists in Greenwich Village. An abusiveContinue reading “Gratitude “

Benefits of Belief

Do parents want what’s best for their children? Almost always. That’s why they work hard, sacrifice time and resources, and try to instill in them values and habits that will help them succeed and flourish. But what if, more than any other activity, regular religious practice is the most likely to help your kid succeedContinue reading “Benefits of Belief “

Altar of Repose

Our parish is blessed with two beautiful churches. St. Gabriel’s was built in 1964, originally as a multi-purpose space, serving as both church and school gym. When plans to build a free-standing church were abandoned, the space was designated permanently as a church, and a gym was included in the later expansion of the schoolContinue reading “Altar of Repose “

Filial Piety

“Lee Corso is a mixture of Don Corleone and Yoda.” For those unfamiliar, Lee Corso is a sports broadcaster who co-hosts the show “College Game Day” on ESPN along with Kirk Herbstreit, who likes to describe his colleague this way. Back in college, my roommates and I would gather around the television every Saturday morningContinue reading “Filial Piety “

St. Charles Borromeo

This can be a busy and stressful time for young people who plan to go off to college next year. For those who are going through the process (and their parents), St. Charles Borromeo (1538-84) might be a fitting patron saint to turn to for help in making a good decision. That’s because St. CharlesContinue reading “St. Charles Borromeo “

Reasonable Faith

Is it reasonable to believe in God? The Church at the First Vatican Council (1869-70), in its document Dei Filius, declared infallibly that “God, the principle and end of all things, can be known with certainty by the natural light of human reason from created things.” This means that human beings on our own canContinue reading “Reasonable Faith “

The Joy of Creating

Every Thursday afternoon in high school I would spend an hour with Mr. Guzzi, my piano teacher. Mr. Guzzi was a well-respected local jazz pianist, and I was interested in learning that style of music. During those lessons, he taught me things like music theory and chord progressions. He gave me drills to develop basicContinue reading “The Joy of Creating “