Feb. 3 Tuesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time; Opt Mem of St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr; St. Ansgar, Bishop , Opt. Mem.
The Universal Calendar offers two saints, Blaise and Ansgar, for separate celebration as Optional Memorial. St. Blaise (or Blase) (d. 320) enjoyed widespread veneration in the Eastern and Western Churches due to many cures attributed to him. According to tradition, he was Bishop of Sebaste in Armenia and was martyred under Licinius. On this day … Read more
St. Dominic of Silos
St. Dominic of Silos Feast date: Dec 20 Saint Dominic was born in 1000 in Cañas, Navarre, Spain. He was born a peasant, and as a youth worked as a shepherd until he entered the Benedictine monastery in Navarre. When Dominic refused to hand over the monastery lands at the King of Navarre’s demands, he was forced … Read more
DR Congo: Terrorists kill civilians at Church-run hospital in North Kivu
Around 20 people are believed killed in a terrorist attack at a hospital run by religious sisters in the North Kivu village of Byambwe, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with missionaries denouncing the “shameful silence” of the international community. Read all
Catholic skier uses her Olympic experience to serve others
The devout Catholic homesteading mother and grandmother is using what she learned as an Olympian to help young people and women find success in sport, live a healthy lifestyle and stay connected to God.
Feb. 2 Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, Feast
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord which occurs forty days after the birth of Jesus and is also known as Candlemas Day, since the blessing and procession of candles is included in today’s liturgy. See the Prayer Section for the full rite of the Procession and Blessing of Candles … Read more
St. Gregory Thaumaturgus
Feast date: Nov 17 St. Gregory was born to a distinguished pagan family at Neocaesarea, Pontus in 213, and studied law there. In about 233, he and his brother, Athenodorus, accompanied his sister, who was joining her husband in Caesarea, Palestine, while they continued on to Beirut to continue their law studies. They met Origen along the way, … Read more
Blessed Pope Urban V
Blessed Pope Urban V Feast date: Dec 19 Blessed Pope Urban V was born Guillaume de Grimoard at Grisac in Languedoc, 1310. He studied canon law and theology in Avignon and became a Benedictine monk. He was named abbot of his monastery in 1352, and served as a papal diplomat and was eventually sent as … Read more
Silence Heals
Silence is very difficult to find and cultivate in our culture. The fact that we can be reached or connected to others 24/7 through smartphones leaves us in a constant state of unease. We don’t acknowledge this agitation. Instead, when we start feeling the anxiety or itch to “connect,” we simply grab our phones to … Read more
Feb. 1 Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sunday
From the Gospel for the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A: Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be … Read more