We Are God's Cats. Let's Be His Dogs.

Thu, 23 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

I have a theory: God gave us cats to show us the stupid ways we act toward him, and God gave us dogs to demonstrate how he really wants us to treat him.

My whole life long, I have been a cat perso...

Confession

Wed, 08 May 2013 05:00:00 GMT

For those of us who want to become saints, the Church tells us to “frequent the sacraments.”

What does this really mean, though? There are, after all, seven. Should we become r...

What Is The New Evangelization?

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 05:00:00 GMT

We were having dinner with several other Catholics last summer, when my wife Jennifer posed the question, “What’s the first thing you think when you hear the phrase new evangelization?”

...

Not Just For Priests & Nuns Anymore

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 05:00:00 GMT

In 1979, I was just settling into a study-abroad program in Spain. My emotions were swirling. Euphoria over the exotic surroundings, anxiety about classes, and a dash of occasional homesickness left my head spinning at the end of each day.

Welcome Pope Francis!

Thu, 14 Mar 2013 05:00:00 GMT

As soon as his name was announced on Wednesday, March 13, the world scrambled to learn who Jorge Cardinal...

Benedict XVI: Faithful Servant, Courageous Pope

Fri, 01 Mar 2013 05:00:00 GMT

On February 11, 2013, Pope Benedict XVI humbly announced his resignation as the Bishop of Rome. In thanksgiving for the many blessings and years of our...

20 Ways to Teach Children to Pray

Wed, 27 Feb 2013 05:00:00 GMT

The single most powerful thing Catholic parents can do for their children is teach them to pray. Depending on the child, this may be an easy or difficult task. By teaching your children to pray, you give them the opportunity for a close relationsh...

God Bless the Pope!

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 05:00:00 GMT

My heart broke when I heard the news of Benedict XVI’s abdication. Not for the Church, which will be fine, but because I will miss him so. I always tell people I identify completely with the

A Summer Prayer and Blessing

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 05:00:00 GMT

A Summer Prayer
Long warm days...
The pace of life slows...
A time for picnics and rest in the shade...
Lord, help me to rest awhile
in the cooling shade of your p...

Live as people of the covenant

Wed, 28 Mar 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Some years ago, traveling in Guatemala, I was asked by the Sisters of St. Joseph to take some young people on an outing. Piling as many as could fit into an old Volkswagen Beetle, we had a wonderful afternoon. When the heat and humidity became unb...

When God Feels Far Away

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

Jennifer is a convert to Catholicism. Until recently, she loved saying the Rosary and attending weekly Eucharistic Adoration. Lately, though, prayer has become dull. Jennifer feels antsy during Adoration. She’s wondering what happened.&l...

The New Catholic Digest Is Here

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 05:00:00 GMT

The new Catholic Digest is hitting mailboxes this week—have you received your copy yet?

...

Praying with the Marianists

Wed, 14 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT

During the chaos of the French Revolution, when Catholicism was under attack, a resourceful priest named Father William Joseph Chaminade found a clever way to bring Mass to the people. Disguised as a tinker, he woul...

New prayers, same Mass

Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Changing the prayers of the Mass is not something Catholics take lightly. Parishes throughout the English-speaking world are now in the process of coming to grips with a new translation of those very prayers. In 2009, after se...

Our Lady of the Rosary

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Our Lady of the Rosary
Feast Day: October 7th

When the Holy League fleet of Christian allied forces (the Papacy, Spain, the Republic of Venice, Knights Hospit...

St. Thérèse of Lisieux

Mon, 03 Oct 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. Thérèse of Lisieux
Feast Day: October 1st

The youngest daughter of a watchmaker, Thér&...

St. Jerome

Wed, 28 Sep 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. Jerome

Feast Day: September 30

An enthusiastic college student who enjoyed visiting “the tombs of the ma...

Saint Matthew

Mon, 19 Sep 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. Matthew
Feast Day: September 21st

Matthew, Levi, Son of Alpheus, tax-collector. Regardless of his name, Matthew’s occupation meant ...

Saint Peter Claver

Thu, 08 Sep 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. Peter Claver
Feast Day: September 9th

The horror of human cargo being unpacked from the suffocating hell of slav...

St. Augustine

Tue, 30 Aug 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. Augustine

Feast Day: August 28

One of the great figures of Western civilization, St. Augustine played many roles d...

New 9/11 memorial parks

Wed, 24 Aug 2011 05:00:00 GMT

In the 10 years since the terrorist attacks, communities in New York, Virginia, and Pennsylvania have raised funds and built memorial parks to honor the legacy of the nearly 3,000 people who perished when four passenger airplanes were hijacked by ...

St. Rose of Lima

Mon, 22 Aug 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. Rose of Lima

Feast Day: August 23rd

A child so strikingly beautiful she was renamed “Rose” after a maid saw her and said in a...

St. Thomas, Apostle

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. Thomas, Apostle
Feast Day: July 3rd

Since the early Church, there has been a tradition that Thomas is the “Apostle of India.&a...

St. Benedict, abbot

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. Thomas, abbot
Feast day: July 11th

Born in Nursia in Italy, Benedict was sent to Rome to be educat...

St. Camillus de Lellis, priest

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. Camillus de Lellis, priest
Feast day: July 18th

Born in Abruzzi in central Italy, Camillus became a Venetian soldier like his father. When his aged father...

St. Peter and St. Paul, Apostles

Tue, 28 Jun 2011 05:00:00 GMT

These two apostles, both martyred in Rome according to early tradition, have been honored from the earliest days.

Simon, a Galilean, was a married fish...

Saint Thomas More

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. Thomas More
Feast Day: June 22

An exceptional lawyer who embraced a philosophy of compassion and equality, Thomas More was a Londoner and devo...

Saint Boniface

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. Boniface
Feast Day: June 5

Armed with a papal letter and the formidable seal of the leader of the Franks, Boniface the scholar dauntlessly declared war on...

Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Sister Margaret Mary Alacoque
Feast Day: June 6

Praying lying prostrate with her face to the ground, Sister Margaret hoped that her Holy Hour would enable her...

Feast of the Holy Trinity

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Feast of the Holy Trinity
June 7

In 1680, after finishing a sermon before a crowd of thousands in an enormous Vienna square, Augustinian preacher Abraham Sant...

Saint Joan of Arc

Wed, 01 Jun 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Saint Joan of Arc
Feast Day: May 30

Fearlessly charging into battle beneath a white and gold banner emblazoned with holy icons, Joan of Arc holds a remarkable...

Saint Rita

Mon, 23 May 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Saint Rita
Feast Day: May 22

A native of Italy born in 1381, Rita wanted to be a nun at a young age. Instead, her parents arran...

St. Philip

Mon, 09 May 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. Philip
Feast Day: May 3

Thought to have been a shy but focused individual, it was Philip that Christ turns towards right before the miraculous feeding of the multitude, asking, &l...

St. Damien Joseph de Veuster

Sun, 08 May 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. Damien Joseph de Veuster
Feast Day: May 10

Born in Belgium, at age 19 he entered the Congregation of the Fathers of the Sacred Hea...

Remembering Pope John Paul II

Mon, 02 May 2011 05:00:00 GMT

“Watch the doors!” The voice of the frustrated subway conductor bellowed out of the speakers, but the thick crowds trying to push their way on to the train paid no attention. “If you don’t clear the doors ...

St. James the Lesser

Mon, 02 May 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. James the Lesser
Feast Day: May 3

James the Lesser, meaning younger, is traditionally celebrated as being the author of a letter in the New Te...

Saint Catherine of Siena

Thu, 28 Apr 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. Catherine of Siena
Feast Day: April 29

Though at the time He said nothing to her, six-year-old Catherine would never forget the encounter she had of Our Lord in 1353. She beheld a vis...

Saint Mark

Tue, 26 Apr 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. Mark
Feast Day: April 25

Represented by the winged lion, St. Mark the Evangelist has been an exceptionally popular subject for Venetian artists, ever since his remains were relocated ...

Saint George

Wed, 20 Apr 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Saint George
Feast Day: April 23

Wielding a honed sword or battle spear, the numerous images of armor clad Saint George fearlessly standing over a writhing dragon has echoed ...

Is it a sin to work on Sunday?

Mon, 18 Apr 2011 05:00:00 GMT

I recently heard a priest say that we should only do things like visit the sick or elderly and not do unnecessary work on Sundays. I can’t visit the sick or elderly every Sunday, and I feel better doing something rather than ju...

Saint Stanislaus of Cracow

Mon, 11 Apr 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. Stanislaus of Cracow

Feast Day: April 11

Descended from Polish nobility in 1030, Stanislaus received a formal educ...

The Annunciation of the Lord

Fri, 25 Mar 2011 05:00:00 GMT

The Annunciation of the Lord

March 25

Though not accepted by the Church as scripture, the apocryphal gospel of James ...

Saint Joseph

Fri, 18 Mar 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. Joseph

Feast Day: March 19

Though not accepted by the Church as scripture, the apocryphal gospel of James (written...

Saint Patrick

Mon, 14 Mar 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Saint Patrick

Feast Day: March 17

Irish raiders kidnapped Patrick from his family&r...

Saint Katharine Drexel

Tue, 15 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT

St. Katharine Drexel
Feast day: March 3

Born to a wealthy Philadelphia banking family, Katharine and her two sisters were taught by her father and stepmother to lo...

Our Lady of Lourdes

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Our Lady of Lourdes
Feast Day: February 11

While many miracles have taken places in Lourdes, France, where Mary appeared to a 14-year old girl named Bernadette in 1858, one of the account...

Saints Cyril and Methodius

Thu, 10 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Saints Cyril and Methodius

Feast Day: February 14

Celebrated as the “apostles of the southern Sl...

Saint Jerome Emiliani

Mon, 07 Feb 2011 05:00:00 GMT

Saint Jerome Emiliani
Feast Day: February 8

Venetian Commander of the Castelnuovo Fortress in northern Italy, Girolamo Emiliani (1481-1537) was captured when the town fell to...