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.”
Rome’s Traditionalist Personal Parish: Santa Trinita dei Pellegrini
For most of my stay here in Rome, I have been worshipping at a church that the Holy Father gave to The Fraternity of Saint Peter as a “personal parish,” i.e., a church with all the privileges and duties of a parish, but with no territorial boundaries. In granting this church to the Fraternity, the Holy Father set an example for his brother bishops, to … More →
Tradition in the Heart of Rome: Chiesa di Gesu e Maria
This past Sunday, I went to Mass at the Church of Jesus and Mary: Chiesa di Gesu e Maria. This Church, built by a rich cardinal in the 1600′s, is on the Via Del Corso, a main street in Rome, and one that has quick access to many historical landmarks, both pagan and Christian. Walking into the church, I was struck with the impression that … More →
Posted in Columns, Holy Places 1 Comment
From The Laptops in Rome
Here in the Eternal City, I’ve been seeing many of the holy places, and attending Mass every day in the traditional rite. What follows are some notes and impressions of an American pilgrim in Rome, blessed with wonderful opportunities here, and many new friends who are helping me to find my way around.
The Pilgrimage for Restoration: In the Footsteps of the Martyrs
In his Canterbury Tales, Geoffrey Chaucer presents a series of charming stories told by his colorful medieval characters. These holy and not-so-holy fourteenth-century pilgrims were on their merry way to the shrine of St. Thomas á Becket, long before the days when modern transit made pilgrimages an easy-going affair. But roughing it for Christ is not a thing of the past. There are even Americans … More →
The Miraculous Stairway of Saint Joseph
A century ago, a very remarkable miracle took place in this country, that just now seems to be making the headlines. The people who witnessed it were very excited and jubilant indeed, but surprisingly little mention is made of it in any written form — and then only briefly; to me this is the mystery of the miracle.
The Servant of God, Father Nelson Baker
In these days of Big Brother taking from the pockets of his tax-paying citizens to support millions on the government dole, it is delightful to consider the true charity of the subject of our story, Father Nelson Baker. This tireless priest, whose faith in Our Lady never wavered — not for a moment — accomplished more in his long life of ninety-five years than a … More →
Posted in Articles, Catholic America, Holy Places, Lives of the Saints 19 Comments
Our Lady of Walsingham
We American Catholics tend to regard the “Mother Country” of England as totally Protestant. Given our own colonial history, this is an understandable misconception. Before the dreadful occurrences of the 15th century, collectively known as the Protestant “Reformation”, all of the former Roman Empire in the west was Catholic Christian, under the authority of the Holy Father in Rome.
The Holy House of Loreto
The Holy Land had seen its last and truly unsuccessful Crusade in 1291. The last of the Christian soldiers withdrew from Nazareth the same year leaving behind the holiest of houses — unprotected.
