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Pope Francis Discussion

Recovering Our Musical Memory: Ten Mass Settings by R. Jared Staudt on January 8, 2014 ·  We are in urgent need of greater cultural literacy today. Catholics have some of the most profound treasures in human history in its legacy and many of them are not being appreciated. I would like to point to one particular aspect of this legacy, musical settings for the Mass. This follows the great tradition of singing the Mass, which is so prevalent in Catholic history that we could speak of it as normative. Music has a natural power—rooted physically in the power of...

From the AP: Ultra-traditionalist Catholics have openly challenged Pope Francis by disrupting one of his favorite events, a ceremony that he and Jewish leaders led in the Metropolitan Cathedral each year to promote religious harmony on the anniversary of the beginning of the Holocaust.The annual ceremony brings together Catholics, Jews and Protestants to mark Kristallnacht, the Nazi-led mob violence in 1938 when about 1,000 Jewish synagogues were burned and thousands of Jews were forced into concentration camps, launching the genocide that killed 6 million Jews.A small group disrupted Tuesday night’s ceremony by shouting the rosary and the “Our Father”...

What Is All Souls Day (Commemoration of the Faithful Departed)? All Souls Day History, Information, Prayers, Meaning, Traditions, & More All Souls Day Definition and Meaning What is All Souls Day? It is when the Church commemorates and prays for the souls in Purgatory, who are undergoing purification before entering heaven. All Souls Day is November 2nd, the day after All Saints Day. Prayers: All Souls Day PrayersBasic Facts About All Souls Day Liturgical Color(s): Black, White, or VioletType of Holiday: A Special Class; Ranked With Solemnities because it takes precedence over a SundayTime of Year: November 2 (West),...

ANN ARBOR, MI, October 15, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A Catholic priest in Georgia has filed a lawsuit after he was barred from even volunteering to offer Mass at Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base. Father Ray Leonard, who is contracted to serve as base chaplain, and Fred Naylor, one of Father Leonard’s parishioners and a retired veteran with over 22 years of service, launched the suit Monday in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

Lourdes and Fatima: True or False? And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun…Rev. 12, 1We will not dispute the miraculous character of the original appearance of the Mother of God (in Fatima), as we will not cast suspicion on the authenticity of some similar if less striking appearances…Archimandrite Konstantin Zaytsev (1)IntroductionVisions of the Mother of God granted to individuals are characteristic of recent, especially eighteenth-, nineteenth- and twentieth-century, Roman Catholic piety. Some of these visions can be doubted as spiritual delusion, hallucinations, and others as money-making frauds. Thus, the controversial ‘apparition’ in Knock...

Perhaps the most revealing detail in Pope Francis’s lengthy interview, conducted by the Italian Jesuit Antonio Spadaro and published yesterday in English translation in the Jesuit journal America, is the pontiff’s reflection on one of his favorite Roman walks, prior to his election: When I had to come to to Rome, I always stayed in [the neighborhood of the] Via della Scrofa. From there I often visited the Church of St. Louis of France, and I went there to contemplate the painting of “The Calling of St. Matthew” by Caravaggio. That finger of Jesus, pointing at Matthew. That’s me. I...

September 8, 2013 Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time    Reading 1 Wis 9:13-18b Who can know God’s counsel,or who can conceive what the LORD intends?For the deliberations of mortals are timid,and unsure are our plans.For the corruptible body burdens the souland the earthen shelter weighs down the mind that has many concerns.And scarce do we guess the things on earth,and what is within our grasp we find with difficulty;but when things are in heaven, who can search them out?Or who ever knew your counsel, except you had given wisdomand sent your holy spirit from on high?And thus were the paths...

Devout Catholics Have Better Sex, Study Says Group presents data showing those who go to church weekly have most frequent, enjoyable sex By Elizabeth Flock July 17, 2013Devout, married Catholics have the best sex of any demographic group, the Family Research Council said at an event Wednesday, pointing to a collection of studies from the last several decades.The socially conservative Christian group relied heavily on statistics from the University of Chicago's last National Health and Social Life Survey, conducted in 1992, which found the most enjoyable and most frequent sex occurring among married people, those who attended church weekly –...

April 24, 2013   Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter   Reading 1 Acts 12:24—13:5a The word of God continued to spread and grow. After Barnabas and Saul completed their relief mission,they returned to Jerusalem,taking with them John, who is called Mark. Now there were in the Church at Antioch prophets and teachers:Barnabas, Symeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene,Manaen who was a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said,“Set apart for me Barnabas and Saulfor the work to which I have called them.”...

Painting: Michaelangelo's Prophet Isaiah Dear friends, We are all familiar with Isaiah's well known prophecy of Christmas: “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a Virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son and his name shall be called Emmanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) However, Isaiah made another (lesser known) prophecy of Christmas: "Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a Manchild" (Isa 66:7) This verse is the basis for the Catholic teaching that Mary experienced no pain when she delivered Christ at Bethlehem. The Roman Catechism teaches that Christ passed through her...

Why Catholics Believe in the Immaculate ConceptionDAVID M. BRISTOWWhy do Catholics believe in the Immaculate Conception? The belief means that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was preserved without sin for her entire life. It was Mary's closeness to Christ that made her receive God's "fullness of grace" to be sinless. Without God's grace, it would have been impossible for Mary to be sinless, and she too would be like the rest of humanity. However, because of her decision to say, "yes" in giving birth to Christ, she was given a special privilege by having no sin touch her. Catholics believe...

Currently in the Liturgies of daily Mass we have been reading the Book of Revelation. It is commonly read at the end of the liturgical year, for it bespeaks the end of, and passing qualities of all things of this world.It is also a book of glory, depicting the ultimate victory of our Lord Jesus Christ, after a great period of conflict between the doomed kingdom of this world, and the victorious Kingdom of Christ. In this context the Book of Revelation is not a mere tour guide to the last days, but is a book of glory reminding us...

Mid East Prophecy Update - October 21st, 2012 Pastor JD talks about how that something significant may happen in the weeks ahead, prior to, and or after, this years elections.

Living the Year of Faith: How Pope Benedict Wants You to Begin By Dr. Jeff Mirus | October 17, 2012 1:02 PM The Holy Spirit has urged me to read the inaugural documents for the Year of Faith. Of course while one should seek the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in all things, one should never claim the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for anything. Those of us who are prone to expose all too clearly our own faults and weaknesses have a special need to heed this advice so as not to give the Holy Spirit a bad name.But...

August 19, 2012 Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time   Reading 1 Prv 9:1-6 Wisdom has built her house,she has set up her seven columns;she has dressed her meat, mixed her wine,yes, she has spread her table.She has sent out her maidens; she callsfrom the heights out over the city:"Let whoever is simple turn in here;To the one who lacks understanding, she says,Come, eat of my food,and drink of the wine I have mixed!Forsake foolishness that you may live;advance in the way of understanding." Responsorial Psalm Ps 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7 R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.I will bless...

Our Lady of Good Success Date: very early 17th c., first approved 1611 Place: Quito, Ecuador Visionary: Venerable Mother Mariana de Jesus Torres The story of Our Lady of Good Success is a most fascinating one -- and incredibly important and timely, as many of the prophecies of our Lady and our Lord given to Mariana pertain explicitly to the 20th c. and thereafter. Mother Mariana was a Spanish Conceptionist nun, blessed with the charismata of discernment and prophecy, who ran a convent in Quito, Ecuador. First, Our Lady told her to make a life-sized statue of her holding the...

The Act of Perfect Contrition  The act of contrition as it is found in the Small Catechism of the Catholic Religion by Bishop John Neumann of the Congregation of the most holy Redeemer, Fourth Bishop of Philadelphia, Imprimatur by the Most Rev. James Gibbons, Archbishop of Baltimore, given 24 July 1884:  "O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins, because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all-good and deserving of all my love. I...

On the Giving and Receiving of Holy Communion: Some norms to recall.By: Msgr. Charles Pope Recently here in the Archdiocese of Washington there was an issue regarding the denial of Holy Communion to a certain individual, which caused no little debate among the faithful. I am NOT going to reopen that case here, and ask all readers to please recall that, no matter what you may think, you do not have all the facts, and I do not wish to rehearse the (partial) specifics of the whole affair.That said, a number of us priests asked for a review of...

May 31, 2012 Feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary   Reading 1 Zep 3:14-18a Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!Sing joyfully, O Israel!Be glad and exult with all your heart,O daughter Jerusalem!The LORD has removed the judgment against you,he has turned away your enemies;The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,you have no further misfortune to fear.On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!The LORD, your God, is in your midst,a mighty savior;He will rejoice over you with gladness,and renew you in his love,He will sing joyfully because...