Saints – The Parish of St. Cecilia-St. Gabriel

Incorrupt

On Ascension Thursday (5/18/23) the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles in Gower, Missouri transferred the coffin of Sr. Wilhelmina Lancaster from her grave in the community cemetery to a sarcophagus in their monastery chapel. What would have been a normal act of devotion to their foundress, who died on the same feastContinue reading “Incorrupt “

God is Good

“Forever I will sing the goodness of the Lord!” With this reference to Psalm 89, Bishop Caggiano began his homily for the Mass last Saturday (5/20) at which he ordained six new priests for the Diocese of Bridgeport. The Bishop remarked that such an occasion should evoke songs of praise and thanksgiving from the heartsContinue reading “God is Good “

Warring with Spirits

Warning: this article contains spoilers about season one of “The Rings of Power” television series. If you have been looking forward to watching it, I suggest skipping to the second paragraph. “The Rings of Power” is a television series on Amazon Prime that serves as a prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the RingsContinue reading “Warring with Spirits “

God’s Precious Ones

If you were a member of the Church in its earliest days, one of the people you’d have thought most unlikely to become a follower of Christ was Saul of Tarsus. Saul was a Pharisee, a brilliant young scholar of the Law, and a zealous defender of his tradition. He believed the Christian sect wasContinue reading “God’s Precious Ones “

Christian Witness in Egypt

It’s not easy being Christian in Egypt. A few years ago, I came across an article by a writer named Matthew Schmitz about the zabbaleen of Cairo. The literal meaning of this word is “garbage picker,” and it refers to the residents of Mokattam Village, almost all of them Christian, who make their living collectingContinue reading “Christian Witness in Egypt “

Pope Benedict XVI, R.I.P.

On February 11, 2013 I was sitting in a Roman lecture hall, taking notes and trying not to be distracted by my Australian classmate whose phone kept buzzing. Finally, he turned to me and whispered, “The Holy Father just resigned.” I looked at him skeptically, saying, “That’s not possible. Someone is pulling your leg.” AContinue reading “Pope Benedict XVI, R.I.P. “

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 “

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 “

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 “

Parish Potential

Next Saturday, August 13, is the feast day of Blessed Michael McGivney. Fr. McGivney is well-known for having founded the Knights of Columbus in 1882, which today is a Catholic fraternal organization that has over 2 million members worldwide, providing hundreds of millions of dollars in charitable giving as well as countless man-hours of serviceContinue reading “Parish Potential “