June 25 -- Solemnity of the Immaculate Heart of Mary As early as 1643, St. John Eudes and his followers observed 8 February as the feast of the Heart of Mary.[4] In 1799 Pius VI, then in captivity in Florence, granted the Bishop of Palermo the feast of the Most Pure Heart of Mary for some of the churches in his diocese.... Continue Reading →
24 June, Friday — Heart of a Shepherd
June 24 -- Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus The devotion to the Sacred Heart (also known as the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Sacratissimum Cor Iesu in Latin) is one of the most widely practiced and well-known Roman Catholic devotions, taking Jesus Christ's physical heart as the representation of his divine love for humanity. This devotion is predominantly used in... Continue Reading →
23 June, Thursday — Table of Precedence
June 23 – Solemnity of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist John the Baptist (d.30) was the cousin of Jesus Christ. His father, Zachary, was a priest of the order of Abia whose job in the Temple was to burn incense; and of Elizabeth, a descendant of Aaron. As Zachary was ministering in the... Continue Reading →
19 June, Sunday — Blessings with our bread
June 19 -- Corpus Christi The Feast of Corpus Christi (Latin for ‘Body of Christ’) is a Catholic liturgical solemnity celebrating the real presence of the body and blood of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in the elements of the Eucharist -- known as transubstantiation. Two months earlier, the Eucharist is observed on Maundy Thursday in a sombre atmosphere leading to Good Friday. The liturgy on that day also... Continue Reading →
12 June, Sunday – Why the Trinity Matters
June 12 – Trinity Sunday Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Wikipedia Pro 8:22-31Rm 5:1-5Jn 16:12-15 "But... Continue Reading →
25 March, Friday — Sacrifices
25 Mar – Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord The annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary by Gabriel the Archangel, that she was to be the Mother of God (Luke 1), the Word being made flesh through the power of the Holy Spirit. The feast probably originated about the time of the Council of Ephesus... Continue Reading →
19 March, Saturday — “Father Figure…”
19 Mar – Solemnity of St. Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary Joseph is a descendant of the house of David. A layman and a carpenter, he was the earthly spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and foster and adoptive father of Jesus Christ. He was a visionary who was visited by angels, and... Continue Reading →
1 January, Saturday — ‘Memory’-gram before Instagram
1 Jan – Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God The Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God is celebrated on Jan 1, the Octave Day of Christmas (i.e. 8th day after Christmas). It is a celebration of Mary’s motherhood of Jesus. The title ‘Mother of God’ is a western derivation from the Greek term... Continue Reading →
25 December, Saturday — Come bearing a Gift
Dec 25 – Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord Christmas Day -- Mass at Dawn The name ‘Christmas’ was derived from Old English: ‘Cristes Maesse’ -- Christ’s Mass. It is a celebration of the anniversary of the birth of our Lord. In the earliest days of the Church, there was no such feast; the... Continue Reading →
8 December, Wednesday — Total and Absolute
Dec 8 – Solmenity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary On this and the following eight days, the Church celebrates, with particular solemnity, the immaculate conception of the ever-blessed Virgin Mary who, from all eternity, was chosen to be the daughter of the heavenly Father, the spouse of the Holy Ghost, the... Continue Reading →