Saints
Padre Pio
Today is the memorial of Padre Pio of Pietrelcina (1887 – 1968). Padre Pio was a Capuchin Franciscan who was loved by thousands, perhaps even millions of people. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in June 2002. A deeply spiritual friar, Padre Pio offered Masses regularly that went on for three hours or [...]
Our father among the Saints . . .
John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople . . . Today is the feast day of John Chrysostom, Doctor of the Church. The name Chrysostom translates from Greek as “golden mouth” or “golden throat,” a reference to his incredible preaching. (this mosaic is from Hagia Sophia, tenth century) Mistranslation has occasionally suggested that some of St. John’s [...]
Happy Birthday Mary!
Today is the feast day that commemorates the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Joachim & Anne (the grandparents of Jesus have their own feast day, July 26th). Obviously Mary played a crucial and essential role in salvation history. With her fiat, that is, her saying yes to God, she ushered into our world [...]
Pope St. Gregory the Great
Today is the feast day of St. Gregory the Great, Pope & Doctor of the Church. During a trip to Italy this Spring, two of my deacon brothers and I joined Monsignor Tom Fucinaro at St. Peter’s for Mass. (from left Deacon Doug Marsh, Deacon Tom Valasek, myself and Msgr. Fucinaro) His body is entombed [...]
He came to testify to the light
There was a man named John who was sent from God. He came to testify to the light. He was not the light, but came to testify to the light (Jn 1:6-8). Today’s feast day is the obligatory memorial of the beheading of the glorious forerunner and precursor, John the Baptizer. As is my custom, [...]
Role models galore
More saints are packed into this rich week of not-so-Ordinary Time: Today is the feast of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary Tomorrow is the feast of St. Rose of Lima Wednesday is the feast of St. Bartholomew Thursday is the feast of St. Louis Saturday is the feast of St. Monica Wow — [...]
Not so "Ordinary Time"
Although we are in the middle of Ordinary Time (liturgically speaking), there are a number of important feasts for the next week or so. I’ll be saying a word or two about some of them: Today – Friday, August 19 – St. John Eudes – founded a “non-order” – a group of priests and postulants [...]
