As it says in the Old Testament, “many hands make light work.” More than 60 students lived up to those words when they came to St. Bernard Catholic Academy in Mill Basin on Thursday, Sept. 28, to do their part to ensure that the Diocesan Eucharistic Revival is a success.
As we celebrate Mother’s Day and honor all the many attributes of motherhood and those special women in our life, we also must remember the greatest mother of them all, the Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the songs that have been sung in praise of all she signifies as the mother of our Lord.
Pope Francis will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary during a penitential prayer service in St. Peter’s Basilica March 25, the Vatican said.
As Ukrainians turn to their faith amid the ongoing tragedy of Russia’s invasion of their nation, many who follow both the Orthodox and Catholic traditions will look to an unusual icon of Mary as a symbol of the solace they seek.
Our Holy Father, Pope Francis, offered us a reflection on the Coronavirus pandemic in his book, “Let Us Dream; A Path to The Future.” As he began the book, Pope Francis said, “The question is whether you are gong to come through this crisis and if so, how? The basic rule of a crisis is that you do not come out of it the same.
May Crowning is a traditional Catholic ritual held during the month of May. The tradition honors Mary and the “Queen of May.”
Children often look high and low to spot their Elf on Shelf dolls during this time of year, but one entrepreneur took the concept to the next level. Erica Campbell, owner and designer of the “Be a Heart” brand and mother to an 11-month-old girl, created Mary on the Mantel to provide comfort to kids and teach them about their faith.
A diocesan tradition dating back to 1922 commenced Oct. 27 when more than 2,400 locals from more than 50 parishes embarked on a daylong pilgrimage to visit the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C.
WHAT A WAY to start the new year! As a Church, we are privileged to begin by honoring Mary, the Mother of God, while still basking in the fresh light of Christmas. We have honored the Christ Child – and indeed continue to do so – but for a brief moment we turn our gaze to His Mother and ours, while her loving gaze never leaves His precious little body. This is at the heart of the mystery of Mary which we contemplate today.
My dear brothers and sisters in the Lord, I read an interesting article on icons some years ago. It is important to understand these images that come from the Eastern tradition and contain in themselves its whole theology. For example, the clothing of Jesus and Mary shows the colors red and blue, but they are reversed in that Jesus usually has a red tunic and a blue mantle while Our Lady usually has a blue dress and a red mantle. Why, you might ask? Red symbolizes divinity, while blue is a symbol of humanity. In this way, it can be said that Jesus is God made man, while Our Lady instead is a human creature who has been in a certain sense divinized.
