When I was in my last year of seminary, something significant happened to my spiritual life. A friend gave me the book: 33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-It-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration by Fr. Michael Gaitley. I had always known that the Blessed Mother was important. But I don’t think I hadContinue reading “Marian Consecration “
Category Archives: Blessed Mother
The Power of Carmel
July 16 is the feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Because it falls on a Sunday this year, we don’t celebrate it in the liturgy, but it’s worth commemorating even on our own. Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the patron saint of the Carmelite Order which traces its spiritual lineage back to theContinue reading “The Power of Carmel “
Regina Caeli
Every Friday morning, either me or Fr. Mariusz celebrates Mass for the students and faculty of the Catholic Academy of Stamford (CAS), the school located on the St. Cecilia campus. A few weeks ago, as we were getting everything prepared in the sacristy, I heard one of the servers, an eighth grader named Patrick, quietlyContinue reading “Regina Caeli “
Health Crisis
There is a mental health crisis in our society, especially among the young, and everybody knows it. Fr. Roger Landry, the Catholic chaplain at Columbia University, in a recent article in the National Catholic Register, cites a 2023 Center for Disease Control study which found the following: 57% of girls and 29% of boys reportedContinue reading “Health Crisis “
Love Your Mother
My sister has an image of the Blessed Mother on her kitchen counter, near the sink. During a visit, it caught my eye and I remarked to her how beautiful I thought it was. “Yes,” she said, slightly wincing, “whenever I look at it, I think about how much better I need to be doing.” Continue reading “Love Your Mother “
Bells
In 1940, Walt Disney released the film Fantasia, which consisted of eight sequences of animation set to pieces of classical music. It is generally considered a masterpiece. The most famous scene from the movie, of course, is “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” which features Mickey Mouse as a novice magician who tries to wield magic to helpContinue reading “Bells “
La Guadalupana
In November, 1519 the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes was received by King Moctezuma at the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan, the future site of Mexico City. One of the Spaniards who accompanied Cortes, Bernal Diaz del Castillo, wrote about what they saw there: “Among us there were soldiers who had been in many parts of theContinue reading “La Guadalupana “
Rosary & Renovations
Pray the Rosary May is the month of Our Lady, and a good time to resolve to pray a daily rosary. But you don’t have to take my word for it. Just a couple of weeks ago, two world-famous Catholics made strong pitches for the daily rosary. There was Pope Francis, of course, who exhortedContinue reading “Rosary & Renovations”
Fish on Fridays
By now, it is a well-known story. In the early 1960s, a man named Lou Groen noticed a dramatic decline in business on Fridays at his McDonald’s restaurant in Cincinnati. He realized that this was due to the city’s large Catholic population – and Catholics did not eat meat on Fridays. So, Groen approached RayContinue reading “Fish on Fridays”
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”
The Parish of St. Cecilia-St. Gabriel 