On Dec. 8, 2020, Pope Francis promulgated his Apostolic Letter, Patris Corde (“With a Father’s Heart”), to commemorate the 150th anniversary of the declaration of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church and to proclaim a Year of St. Joseph. Patris Corde is a meditation on the life of …

Those who are familiar with the extended lore of Tolkien’s Middle Earth know of the great wolfhound Huan, the “Hound of Valinor,” who was given the power to speak only three times before his death. Knowing this, you would be sure to pay special attention to whatever extraordinary words came …

“Every family needs a father – a father who shares in his family’s joy and pain, hands down wisdom to his children and offers them firm guidance and love.” – Pope Francis My grandfather, Ben James, was one of a kind. Success-driven, business- oriented and obsessed with sports, he loved …

The comfortable illusion that the turn of a calendar page makes everything new again was shattered for Americans in early January. After a year marked by a global pandemic, civil disruption and millions of lost jobs, 2021 began with an appalling, deadly riot at the seat of our national government. …

La cómoda ilusión de que el cambio de página del calendario hace todo nuevo fue destrozada para los estadounidenses a principios de enero. Después de un año marcado por una pandemia mundial, la interrupción civil y millones de empleos perdidos, 2021 comenzó con un terrible disturbio mortal en la sede …

When did St. Joseph die, and were Mary and Jesus with him? Where is he buried? Joseph, the foster father of Jesus and the Virgin Mary’s husband, has an important role in salvation history. Though we know relatively little about his life, he remains a model of fatherhood and the …

During this time of pandemic, it has been very important to me to persevere in my work as a sacred musician. Not only do our liturgies still need music, but it seems to me that during this time, in which much of our focus has been on bodily survival, the …

What is the origin of beginning Lent with Ash Wednesday? When did the practice of using ashes start? Like other practices in the Church, being signed with ashes on the first day of Lent is an ancient custom that has undergone some development. From Biblical times through the Medieval Age, …

“None can sense more deeply than you artists, ingenious creators of beauty that you are, something of the pathos with which God at the dawn of creation looked upon the work of His hands. A glimmer of that feeling has shone so often in your eyes when — like the …

“In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art,” St. Pope John Paul II writes in his Letter to Artists, issued on Easter Sunday, 1999. As you will read in this issue of The Catholic Telegraph, art and beauty have a unique power to …