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 [...]

Story by Joe Pisani While I was rummaging through some boxes in the attic, I found a small medal from 1950, when Pope Pius XII  proclaimed a Holy Year. On the front was his image, and on the reverse was the northern-most door of St. Peter’s Basilica, which is traditionally opened for jubilee years. The [...]

By Michelle DiFranco With Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner, it’s hard not to get caught up in everything that is, well, all about Thanksgiving and Christmas. Heck, how can we not, when we’re so bombarded with sights and sounds all around us? Set foot into the realm of retail and you’re blasted with a [...]

By Sue Parker Feast Day: Oct. 10 Inspired by the stories of missionaries who visited his classroom, St. Daniel Comboni (1831-1881) consecrated his life to Africa at age 18. His impassioned advocacy to “Save Africa through Africa” made missionary work on the African continent one of the Church’s priorities at that time. His vision of forming [...]