When the blessing of the Advent Wreath is celebrated in the home, it is appropriate that it be blessed by a parent or another member of the family. All make the sign of the cross as the leader says: Our help is in the name of the Lord. Response (R/.) Who made heaven and earth. [...]

By Doug Culp The sacred Scriptures teach us a great deal about the way God operates in the world. Chief among these seems to be surprise. Scripture teaches us to expect the unexpected when it comes to experiencing God. Norms and predictability are simply not applicable as God repeatedly shatters the limits of the narrow [...]

By Michelle DiFranco Dresden, Germany, is, without a doubt, one of the most festive places to be during the Christmas season. That is because it’s home to Striezelmarkt, one of the first Christmas markets, dating back to the early 1400s. Since then, hundreds of large and small markets have popped up to cover a “Christmas [...]

Story by Joe Pisani I say a lot of different prayers, from the rosary to the Chaplet of Divine Mercy and the Chaplet of the Blessed Sacrament, from devotions to my favorite saints, including St. Joseph, St. Josephine Bakhita, St. Jose Sanchez del Rio, St. Margaret of Castello, and of course Our Lady of Sorrows, [...]

Story by Father Bill Ashbaugh Many years ago, I visited a man in the hospital. He was going through a very difficult time with grief. His wife had recently died of cancer. He was very lonely and especially troubled. He wondered if his wife was all right. They had lived good lives, but they were [...]

By Sue Parker Feast Day: Nov. 22 Believed to have been martyred around 230, St. Cecelia, patroness of music and musicians, continues to be honored for her unfailing devotion to God, and for her courage and generosity. According to stories from the fifth century, Cecilia was a Roman citizen from a wealthy family who secretly [...]

By Sister Ann Shields November gives us at least two wonderful opportunities to grow in faith and to remember in prayer our departed sisters and brothers. The first day of November is always celebrated as the Feast of All Saints. The second day of November is devoted to prayer for all those who have gone [...]

By Michelle DiFranco In Ireland and the UK, since the Middle Ages, tradition and folklore have surrounded the Feast of St. Michael the archangel, or Michaelmas. A well-known legend suggests that when Lucifer was banished from Heaven, he fell onto a blackberry bush. Upon falling into the thorny brambles, he scorched them with his fiery [...]

By Patricia Majher   During the 1910s, a young wife in South Dakota thought she’d save money on the cost of a fancy, printed cookbook by making up a volume of her own. Using an old, hardcover medical book as a base, she painstakingly glued to its pages her favorite recipes, housekeeping tips—“how to close [...]

St. Martin de Porres Feast: Nov. 3 St. Martin de Porres (Dec. 9, 1579 – Nov. 3, 1639) was a lay Dominican brother from Lima, Peru. He was known to have been given many miraculous gifts such as levitation, bilocation, healing, and even the ability to communicate with animals. However, his greatest witness remains his [...]