What is the origin and meaning of the Sign of the Cross? The holiest of signs is the Sign of the Cross. As Catholics, we make it so often that perhaps we take it for granted. It is a profound and powerful act that invokes the Trinity, Jesus’ crucifixion, and …

  Introduction to Advent 2023 Invitation to Prayer: Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord. Reflection: The first candle is about to be lit!  Tomorrow is the first Sunday of Advent.  Hopefully, you are participating with an Advent Wreath in your home this season.  In his excellent article, …

What does the Church believe happened to the souls of those who lived before Christ? Many presume that those souls who lived before Jesus had no opportunity to attain heaven, but the Catholic Church teaches that salvation is a gift from God offered to all people. Those who lived before …

The holiday season can be difficult for seniors, especially those living alone and facing the risks of isolation. Here are a few tips on engaging, comforting, and checking up on your aging loved ones this time of year. This expert advice is thanks to St. Margaret Hall, a Carmelite System …

I ran two whole miles yesterday. That doesn’t sound like a lot, so let’s call it 10,560 feet; and I ran them all without stopping. This is huge for me, not because I’ve never been the athletic type, but because, by God’s grace, I’m recognizing more frequently my fear of …

By Katie Yoder Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 15, 2023 / 17:15 pm An Italian priest named Father Charles Vachetta is credited with writing a novena in 1721 to inspire his parishioners during Advent. Today, that novena is known as the “Christmas novena.” The nine-day prayer begins on Dec. 16 and concludes …

In his January 16, 1980, general audience, Pope St. John Paul II noted that the second creation account in Genesis affirms two essential truths about the human person. The first is that the human is the only creature that God “willed for its own sake.” All other created things are …

  1) An Evening with the Priests The Dayton faithful celebrated an evening in October to “get to know” the priest faculty and seminarians at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary & School of Theology. Pictured: L-R seated: Debbie Danis, Justin Hanks, Jack Adam, Carol Adam; L-R: standing: Father Adam Berning, Dr. …

Dec. 14 is the liturgical memorial of Saint John of the Cross, a 16th century Carmelite priest best known for reforming his order together with Saint Teresa of Avila, and for writing the classic spiritual treatise “The Dark Night of the Soul.” Honored as a Doctor of the Church since …

by April Deocariza After Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego in 1531, nearly nine million indigenous people in Mexico converted to the Catholic faith, and she became the patroness of the unborn and the Americas. Nearly 500 years later, Our Lady’s influence and intercession remain, felt even 2,000 …