St. Matthew and Our Lady of Perpetual Help
(Photo: Our Lady of Perpetual Help, on display in the Church Iglesia Del Perpetuo Socorro by pater Jesus Faus (1953-1959) Tomorrow is the Feast Day of St. Matthew, one of the Twelve Apostles called by Christ to follow Him and to whom the first Gospel is attributed. As with many saints, there are stories of […]
Hero of the Sacred Mountain
Featured above is the Holy Altar in Sotto il Monte, St John XXIII Do not walk through time without leaving worthy evidence of your passage.— St John XXIII The “Hero of the Sacred Mountain,” or as more affectionately called by the faithful of his time, “good Pope John” — was born Angelo Roncalli on November […]
Jesus, I Trust In You
Photo above is of the Shrine of Divine Mercy in Basilica of Santo Spirito, Rome, Italy My Jesus, it is truly easy to become holy; it just takes a little good will! And if He finds this minimum of good will in a soul, He quickly gives Himself to her. And nothing can stop Him, […]
St. Clare of Assisi – Feast Day August 11
“Have caution in not allowing yourself to be struck down by adversity nor becoming vain by prosperity.” – St. Clare Born on July 16, 1194, to Favorino Sciffi, Count of Sasso-Rosso and his wife Ortolana. Traditional accounts say that Clare’s father was a wealthy representative of an ancient Roman family, who owned a large palace […]
A Life of Radical Love — Pointing the Way to Christ — Always…
“Intense love does not measure, it just gives.” –Mother Teresa September 4, 2016 — Inside the Vatican Pilgrimages — Canonization of Mother Teresa As we remember and reflect on the experiences while on pilgrimage through Italy in 2016 for the canonization ceremony of Mother Teresa, what strikes us most is her steadfast, persevering, unwavering reminders […]
Sorrow and Joy
(Photo above: Flight to Egypt fresco in Basilica di Sant Agostino) The Church dedicates the month of September to Our Lady of Sorrows. This devotion recalls the Blessed Virgin Mary’s spiritual martyrdom in virtue of her perfect union with the Passion of Christ. This was her role in salvation history, and what merited her place […]
The Calling of Saint Matthew and a Man who Would Become Pope
(Photo: The Calling of St. Matthew painted by Caravaggio, Church of Saint Louis of the French, Rome, Italy) “Jesus therefore sees the tax collector, and since he sees by having mercy and by choosing, he says to him, “follow me.”-Homily by Saint Bede Vidit ego Jesus publicanum, et quia miserando atque eligendo vidit, ait illi, […]
Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
The Story of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (as prepared by FranciscanMedia) As we share this story of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (celebrated on September 8) we share with you images of the Blessed Virgin Mary, from our pilgrimages through the countries of Italy, Germany and Russia. The Church has […]
More Reflections on the Life of Bl. John Henry Newman
In anticipation of the canonization of Bl. John Henry Newman and our presence in Rome for that event, Dr. Robert Moynihan wrote the following Editorial in the latest issue of Inside the Vatican magazine: Peter, Paul, Newman and Rome Peter holds the primacy of authority in the Church. He died in Rome, as did Paul. […]
Understanding Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches, Part Two: Early History continued…
Next in the series… the impact of the conversion of Constantine, the beginning of the Byzantine Church and the centuries leading up to the Great Schism of 1054. Citations (including links to Amazon to purchase your own copy of these works) Appleyard, George; “Light of the East, A Guide to Eastern Catholicism for Western Catholics”, […]