Category Archives: Holy Places
Holy Places
The holiest places on earth are our own sanctuaries in our Catholic Churches and chapels where the Blessed Sacrament is preserved. There are highly indulgenced shrines as well, which are often the destination of pilgrimages, such as Chartres in France, Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico, Lourdes, Fatima, and so many others. Some shrines, such as that of the North American martyrs in Auriesville, New York, give honor to an event, as this one does for the eight Jesuit martyrs, three of whom shed their blood near this site. The shrine may commemorate a sacred event, apparition, or miracle; or it may house a relic directly related to Our Lord or Our Lady. Some shrines were built to honor a saint, such as Compostella in Spain, which honors St. James the Greater; and Saint Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal, which honors the protector of the Holy Family, the Spouse of Our Lady and Patron of the Universal Church.
A place becomes holy when it is specially linked to God. There can be no greater “link” to God than the place that houses God Himself. That is why the tabernacle is the holiest of all places, the Holy of Holies. Since Our Lady, preeminently, and the saints participate more intimately in the divine life, wherever they have walked on this earth is holy ground. The most highly indulgenced of all shrines is the place where the Holy Family lived, the Holy House of Nazareth. Transported by the angels to Loreto in Italy about seven hundred years ago, the original walls of this modest domicile still stand, and within them, as the inscription reads at the door, Hic Verbum Caro Factum Est (Here the Word Was Made Flesh).
The fact that there are physical miracles still being granted to the ill at these holy places is a wonderful testimony of God’s continued mercy. However what really makes these sanctae loca (holy places) even more holy are the miracles of conversion that take place there. Saint Augustine explains why: “the conversion of a sinner,” he says, “is a greater act of divine omnipotence than the creation of the world.”
Auriesville Pilgrimage for Restoration Mixes Tradition, Vitality
The 2012 annual Pilgrimage for Restoration is scheduled for Friday-Sunday, September 28-30. This will mark the seventeenth time that a merry band of Catholic pilgrims cuts a path from Lake George to Auriesville, New York, doing penance all the way. This year’s theme, in honor of the soon-to-be-canonized Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, is “Restoration of True Devotion to Mary, in the footsteps of Saint Kateri.” Rising very … More →
Which Is the Oldest Church Building in the World?
You will be surprised by the answer. I certainly was. And I agree with the scholar’s choice. CNA reports: Do we know when the first church building was constructed and where it was located? If not, what is the oldest known church building that has survived — if not intact, then at least in ruins? You ask a question about Christian Archeology, a very important … More →
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Cloistered Traditional Dominicans in Cajun Country
My recent trip to New Orleans and its environs was superlative. The talk I gave was graciously received. It was a real joy to see some old friends and meet new ones besides, like the traditional priests and religious in whose company I was privileged to spend a few days. Father Wilfredo Comellas is an old school friend, and now offers the Traditional Mass for … More →
Photos: Scene of Fray Juan Padilla’s Martyrdom
A convert to the faith recently wrote us an appreciative email. A native Kansan, he learned about things Catholic in his home state through our web site, which he reads regularly. Immediately below is a brief excerpt from his email, and further down is a gallery of photos that he took on the spot of Fray Juan Padilla’s martyrdom. I especially recommend reading historical marker … More →
Under Persecution, World Day of Prayer for China May 24, Our Lady Help of Christians
In his Letter to the Church in China, May 27, 2007, Pope Benedict XVI established May 24, the feast day of Our Lady Help of Christians, as a Universal Day of Prayer for the Church in China. A year later he composed the following prayer and asked that it be recited every year on May 24.
1,500th Anniversary of Marian Shrine at Mentorella, Italy, August 29
Zenit reports: Benedict XVI named Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, retired prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, as his special envoy to the Aug. 29 celebration of the 1,500th anniversary of the Marian shrine at Mentorella. The Shrine of Holy Mary of the Graces, which is situated about 30 miles from Rome, is on what is believed to be the site of the conversion of St. … More →
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Catholic Pilgrimage, a Spiritual Journey
The word “pilgrim,” derived from the Latin peregrinum, conveys the idea of wandering over a distance, but it is not just aimless wandering. It is a journey with a purpose, and that purpose is to honor God. Pilgrimage has a long history in the true religion. Once the temple was built at Jerusalem (ca. 957 B.C.), all Jewish men were obliged to present themselves at … More →
King Arthur’s Round Table Found?
According to the UK’s Telegraph,”Researchers exploring the legend of Britain’s most famous Knight believe his stronghold of Camelot was built on the site of a recently discovered Roman amphitheatre in Chester.” If the researchers are correct in their conclusions, the “table” was not a table in the ordinary sense of the word, but a repurposed old Roman amphitheater that could fit over 1000 people. What … More →
3,500,000 Visit Poland’s Jasna Gora Marian Shrine in 2009
From A Catholic Man website: About 3,500,000 pilgrims came to the Jasna Gora Shrine in the year 2009. – 167 national pilgrimages gathered 867,298 people. The biggest pilgrimages were: Radio Maryja Family, Renewal in the Holy Spirit, Farmers, Workers, Motorcyclists, Family of the John Paul II Schools, Anonymous Alcoholics, Children’s Yard Rosary Circles, Electricians, Married Couples and Families, Teachers, Legion of Mary, Postmen, Catholic Action, … More →
Nearly Half a Million Faithful Came to Honor Our Lady of the Pillar
Even the Royal Air Club of Zaragoza sent two planes to drop flowers from the heavens. And two F-18s from the military did a fly over. With the socialist government doing all it can to undermine the Catholic Faith in Spain this is a very encouraging response: the humble children of Sant’ Iago still love the Blessed Mother. Read article here.
Miracle on 115th Street
The Church in the United States has always been predominately Irish as an institution. Even today, with Hispanics obviously bound to become the Catholic majority in the near future, she remains essentially Irish-American in character and spirit.
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Our Lady of Lourdes and “The World Day of the Sick”
ROME (Catholic Online) – On this feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, the Servant of God John Paul II, in the year 1992, instituted the “World Day of the Sick”, calling the faithful to pray for those who are sick and to offer their own sickness and struggle, joined to the sufferings of Christ, on behalf of those in need. Catholic Online presents this marvelous … More →
The Capuchin Cemetery: (Catholic) Faces of Death
I’m back from this two-week trip to Rome, but I haven’t gotten the Eternal City out of my mind. Not by a long shot. Thus, this entry, which has a ghoulish picture in it. I think it’s an appropriate meditation on death for November. In Rome there is a famous church dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, and run by the Capuchins. What is most famous … More →
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