In October 1986, Pope John Paul II made a pilgrimage to a place called Paray-le-Monial, a town in eastern France. Paray-le-Monial is called the “City of the Sacred Heart” because it was the home of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque, a 17th century religious sister whose visions of Christ led to widespread devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. During an audience, Pope John Paul II saidContinue reading “The Sacred Heart”
Category Archives: Saints
Hearing the Call of the Shepherd
In this Sunday’s gospel, Our Lord refers to Himself as the Good Shepherd, thus inviting us to consider the mystery of vocation. The Second Vatican Council reminds us that there is a universal vocation to holiness, which means that every single person is called to be a saint. For the sake of helping people respond to the universal vocation, we believe the Lord gives aContinue reading “Hearing the Call of the Shepherd”
The Spirit Moves Us
It was my first year in seminary and I was out with my family at a restaurant in Fairfield when we ran into some old friends of ours who had lived in our neighborhood when we were growing up. Jim, the father, was interested in what I was doing and so we talked about how my experience at St. JohnContinue reading “The Spirit Moves Us”
The Mysticism of St. Patrick
As saints go, St. Patrick is underrated. I think that’s especially true at this time of year when we see him everywhere, advertising green beer and corned beef sandwiches, waving the tri-color while holding his shamrock-covered crozier. The real St. Patrick, who was responsible for the fifth century spread of Christianity in Ireland, was one of the greatest missionariesContinue reading “The Mysticism of St. Patrick”
Fr. Emil Kapaun
Fr. Emil Kapaun was a Catholic priest from Kansas who served as a U.S. Army chaplain in both World War II and the Korean War. During his service in Korea he was taken prisoner and died in a Korean prison camp in 1951 at the age of 35. In 2013, he was awarded the MedalContinue reading “Fr. Emil Kapaun”
Who Are These People?
The Mass can sometimes feel like this: a few readings from the Bible, a sermon, a collection, the priest saying a bunch of stuff while we kneel down, the Our Father, Communion, announcements, dismissal. If this is our experience of Mass, it might surprise us that the most fascinating part of it actually takes place during the part where the priest saysContinue reading “Who Are These People?”
St. Blaise
February 3 (tomorrow) is the Feast of St. Blaise, a feast that always brings back memories from my days as a student at St. Theresa School in Trumbull. It seems like every year the sisters would walk us across the parking lot from the school over to the church for Mass on the Feast of St. Blaise, and we were kind of excited because we knewContinue reading “St. Blaise”
Expanding the Circle
In today’s gospel (Mk 10:1-9), Jesus sends out 72 of His followers to prepare the way for His visits to local towns, telling them to proclaim that “the Kingdom of God is at hand.” They are sent out “like lambs among wolves,” with no money or extra gear. It almost seems irresponsible of Jesus to send them out that way,Continue reading “Expanding the Circle”
Conversion through Beauty
Elizabeth Lev is an art historian in Rome and a highly sought-after tour guide to the Eternal City. In her book How Catholic Art Saved the Faith, she writes about the tumultuous period the 16th century. The Protestant Reformation was in full swing and Gutenberg’s printing press made it possible to disseminate information on a scale previously unimaginable. An overwhelming amount of polemical literature appeared, usually containing new and unfamiliarContinue reading “Conversion through Beauty”
Baptism into Ordinary Time
This weekend we celebrate the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time. If you’ve been paying attention, you might be wondering what happened to the 1st Sunday. In her wisdom, the Church makes the transition from the Season of Christmas into Ordinary Time with the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, which we celebrated last Sunday. This is certainly fitting, because baptism isContinue reading “Baptism into Ordinary Time”
The Parish of St. Cecilia-St. Gabriel 