Inspired by Truth, Enlightening Minds for the Church in Canada and Throughout the World
Inspired by Truth, Enlightening Minds for the Church in Canada and Throughout the World
My soul doth magnify the Lord. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded: the lowliness of his handmaiden: For behold, from henceforth: all generations shall call me blessed. Saint Jeanne d’Arc (+1431), ‘la Pucelle’, or the virgin-maid of Orleans, is hailed as patroness of France, their saviour, as the[…]
HOMILY OF POPE JOHN PAUL II TO COMMEMORATE THE SERVANT OF GOD PAUL VI Thursday, 6 August 1998 The memory of my venerable Predecessor, the Servant of God Paul VI who died here in Castel Gandolfo some 20 years ago, lives on throughout the Church. Time has not weakened his remembrance; on the contrary, the[…]
Today, May 29th, is the optional memorial of Pope Saint Paul VI, celebrated on the anniversary of his ordination in 1920. This year, ironically, this is also the universal Solemnity of the Ascension, which Paul VI’s controversial liturgical reforms allowed to be moved to the following Sunday, when it is held here in Canada. We’ve[…]
William of Gellone (ca. 755 – 812) had two phases to his life: He began as a warrior knight of the Carolingian era in France, and he was related to Charlemagne himself, perhaps a cousin, the nephew of Charles Martel, who was Charlemagne’s grandfather (some of the lineage is historically obscure). Like Martel, the ‘Hammer’,[…]
This 27th of May is the feast day of the Capuchin Blessed Joseph of Igualada, a beardless Capuchin, which for some of us in the Order can be understood as a sign of relief, for you don’t have to wear a beard to be a holy Capuchin. What counts is where the heart is. José[…]
There are two Saints Augustine – the bishop of Hippo, and author of the Confessions and numerous other theological masterpieces, and, today’s saint, Augustine, the first bishop of Canterbury, (+604), often pronounced in England, ‘Austin’. Both were Roman citizens, for there was but one civilization and one ‘world’ in those days, united by the Faith.[…]
(At the very beginning of his pontificate, Pope Saint John Paul II made a pilgrimage to the church of Santa Maria in Vallicella, commonly called the ‘Chiesa Nuova’, which was constructed under the auspices of Saint Philip Neri in founding the Oratory, and still stands as the Oratory’s original and principal church. Here is the[…]
We celebrate today one of the most joyful and idiosyncratic – the two are not unrelated – of saints, Philip Neri, (+1595), the founder of the Congregation of the Oratory named after him. Born and raised in the great city of Florence, which has produced a whole host of luminaries from Dante to da Vinci[…]
There are many saints in the Church’s history – there are, by one estimate, about 6000 at least quasi-officially canonized – too many ever to be celebrated liturgically in the 365 days of the year. There were the saints of the ‘old’ calendar, the usus antiquior, which was in turn revised – reformed, if you[…]
On the 24th of May 2024 the Church celebrates the feast of Mary, the Help of Christians. Its latin name is Sancta Maria Auxilium Christianorum. It was St John Chrysostom who made use of this title, way back to the year 345. Other historical connotations which are intimately connected with this feast can be found[…]
