Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary

The tiny churchlike building in Cold Spring, Minnesota, is called the Grasshopper Chapel, but that isn’t its real name. When first built in 1877, it was Maria Hilf, which is German for “Mary’s Help.” Even though it’s now officially…

Today earth has sent a priceless gift up to heaven, so that by giving and receiving within the blessed bond of friendship, the human is wedded to the divine, earth to heaven, the depths to the heights. — St. Bernard of Clairvaux

Have you ever been with someone as they passed from this life to the next? As a priest, I have been. I also hear many stories about someone’s last moments before drawing their dying breath. The richness of our Catholic tradition preserves…

As the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary this summer, Catholic Digest recommends a pilgrimage to a remarkable basilica. Just a few miles across the Ohio River from Cincinnati in Covington,…

It’s the middle of August. Summer is quickly coming to an end. Our calendars are busy with back-to-school shopping, sports practices beginning again, moving children to college, and enjoying the last days of relaxation before everything…

Today, we at Catholic Digest celebrate the patronage of Our Lady of the Assumption. Why is that? Not only because of the importance of today’s solemnity — and not just because our editorial office is on the campus of Assumption College (but…

Ah, summertime, and the living is easy. Vacation. A few days at the beach. An afternoon picnic in the park. And … Prayers for the suffering souls in purgatory? Absolutely! No week or two off for them. Purgatory is never a day at the beach.…

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Holy Day of Obligation Vigil Mass Readings: 1 Chronicles 15:3-4, 15-16, 16:1-2 Psalms 132:6-7, 9-10, 13-14 1 Corinthians 15:54B-57 Luke 11:27-28 Readings: Revelation 11:19A, 12:1-6A,…

Luke’s Gospel today (for Mass during the day) beckons us to follow Mary as she eagerly sets out to the beautiful hill country of Judea in service of her cousin Elizabeth. Expectant mothers, both women are filled with the Holy Spirit as they…

Summer offers us the extra time to appreciate God’s creation and presence — in nature, in the universe, and within our churches.  Recently, my family and I traveled to rural southeastern Ohio, far away from the bright city lights where we…