The patron saint of philosophers, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, has provided us with an entry in most English-language dictionaries. Specifically, it was one circumstance of her martyrdom — the attempted use of a wheel of torture — that makes possible … Continue reading
As far as impurity is concerned, this saint may have been the worst sinner ever to repent. She was a prostitute. Her iniquity was so perverse that she joined herself to a group of pilgrims going to the Holy Land, … Continue reading
Did you know that there is a very special Archdiocese in these United States of America that does not have any geographical boundaries? It has its own Archbishop based in Washington, D. C., but he is not the Bishop of … Continue reading
It is an interesting thing to consider why certain words of the New Testament were kept in Hebrew or Aramaic by the inspired authors rather than translating them into Greek, if indeed they were translatable. Our Lord’s cry from the … Continue reading
The Sunday that began this week is called Low Sunday. It is also called Quasi Modo Sunday, after the Latin words of the Introit, and yes, this is the same as the given name of the “Hunchback of Notre Dame,” who … Continue reading
Here’s a little Catholic Americana for you. Today’s saint is Saint John of Capistrano, who gives his name to the old Franciscan Mission San Juan Capistrano in Orange County, California — associated with the memory of the “Father of California,” … Continue reading
The twelve days of Christmas take us from the Nativity to the Epiphany. The first to adore the Christ Child were His Mother and Saint Joseph. After them and with them, although unseen, were the angels: Let all the angels … Continue reading
When I was studying under Brother Francis and Brother Hugh we used to play a numbers game. Beginning with “One” we would proceed to “Two, Three, Four, etc,” naming everything we could about the Faith that had to do with … Continue reading
Did you know that the great author of The Life of Saint Catherine of Siena, Sigrid Undset, is the only Catholic to have been depicted on a Norwegian banknote? See picture of the banknote here (scroll down) http://www.andrewcusack.com/2013/08/12/some-norwegian-catholics/ The following is … Continue reading
Saint Augustine famously said cantare amantis est, that is, “singing belongs to one who loves” (s. 336, 1 – PL 38, 1472). (Josef Pieper wrote a book on this, and Robert Hickson gave a talk on it.) Apparently, the Doctor … Continue reading
There was no shooting star, but Christendom needed a calendar readjustment the day Saint Teresa of Avila died. Legends and astronomical facts abound about shooting stars accompanying the death or birth of certain great historical personages, or that heralded major … Continue reading
CNS report: First, a couple of schools. Then, several U.S. parishes. Now … a fine craft beer? Many things have been named after St. Damien de Veuster of Molokai, but none was more surprising than a recent discovery at a … Continue reading
On Monday, the 16th of April, I posted as a News item the story of Father Thomas Byles who died while ministering to the Catholics and others about to die on the sinking Titanic. Today’s Catholic News Agency website has … Continue reading
This arrived today, from a friend: “100 years ago today, the last Mass was said on the Titanic, which happened to be Low Sunday, tomorrow’s Mass.” The Encyclopedia Titanica has an entry on Father Byles, the priest who offered the … Continue reading
Today is the feast of the Holy Innocents, once known in the Anglophone world as Childermas. This curious word is an elision of “Mass of the Children,” that is, the liturgical commemoration of those little boys of Bethlehem who were … Continue reading
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