-
Father Michael McGivney: A Likely Patron for Every Parish Priest
The saints are not really like you and me. But Father Michael McGivney comes very close, and for that reason, he will be an attractive patron for parish priests. A clarification: There are no canonized saints who are like you and me. The vast majority of all those in heaven were... Read more -
These nuns pray the Perpetual Rosary – one shares her reflections
When I knelt in the monastery chapel after entering through the enclosure door to begin my postulancy, Mother read the traditional prayer for this moment: “O Mary, my good Mother, behold at your feet this child whom the charms of your Holy Rosary have drawn into this dear solitude . .... Read more -
“A Path to Discipleship:” Supreme Knight reflects on Blessed Michael J. McGivney
In his annual report delivered to the Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus this summer, Supreme Knight Carl A. Anderson said that through the spiritual genius of Fr. Michael J. McGivney, the Knights of Columbus “became the way for Catholic men to transform friends into brothers —... Read more -
The Legacy of Father Michael McGivney, Holy Priest
On Oct. 31, at St. Joseph Cathedral in Hartford, Connecticut, Father Michael J. McGivney will be beatified, 23 years after the opening of his cause in 1997 in the Archdiocese of Hartford. On May 27, Pope Francis approved a decree recognizing a miracle attributed to his intercession,... Read more -
Blessed Are the Peacemakers: Lessons From the Life and Legacy of Blessed Karl
Sometimes it is hard to believe that saints were once flesh and blood: So often we see church statues of the blessed that look unreal. Harder still is it to recall that some of these saints had children and that today their descendants are living, breathing men and women. St. Gianna Molla is... Read more -
The North American Martyrs: Testament to Authentic Evangelization
The Second Vatican Council, citing the words of Christ – “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit; teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you” (Matt. 28:19) – decrees: “Therefore, all... Read more -
Polish priest, martyr and hero: Remembering Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko
When Communist officials kidnapped and killed Father Jerzy Popiełuszko, they likely did not intend to help create a Polish hero, martyr and future saint for the Catholic Church. Although the Communists had been trying to kill Popiełuszko in ways that would seem like an accident, they... Read more -
The Question No One’s Asking
What could be worse than the answer to a question no one‘s asking? Here is Jesus, Son of the living God, putting before his disciples the single most sundering question: “Who do people say that I am?” Followed by that most amazing response from Peter: “You are the Christ,... Read more -
A Long View of Vatican II
Catholics of my generation – the generation that came of age during the pontificate of Pope John Paul II – find it almost impossible to imagine the way the world was on October 11, 1962, the day the Second Vatican Council opened. My generation knows only the post-Conciliar Church with... Read more -
St. Jerome and ‘Spiritus Paraclitus’ Are More Relevant Than Ever
Sept. 15 marked the 100th anniversary of the publication of Pope Benedict XV’s encyclical Spiritus Paraclitus(The [Holy] Spirit, the Comforter). The Holy Father released the document to celebrate the 1,500th anniversary of the death of St. Jerome, who first translated the Bible into... Read more