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31 March 2026 Tuesday of Holy Week Saint Benjamin, Deacon, MartyrReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Violet. Year: A(II).First readingIsaiah 49:1-6I will make you the light of the nations so that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earthIslands, listen to me,pay attention, remotest peoples.The Lord called me before I was born,from my mother’s womb he pronounced my name.He made my mouth a sharp sword,and hid me in the shadow of his hand.He made me into a sharpened arrow,and concealed me in his quiver.He said to me, ‘You are my servant (Israel)in whom I shall be glorified’;while I was...

Daily Readings from the USCCBReclining at table with his disciples, Jesus was deeply troubled and testified, “Amen, amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” John 13:21Love, betrayal, divine glory, and human weakness permeate today’s Gospel, offering us a contrast of emotions and experiences to ponder. All forms of joys and trials affect our lives. Life is not “a bed of roses,” as the old saying goes. Besides joy, love, and excitement, we are touched by hurt, anger, fear, and anxiety. The same was true of Jesus’ human experience with His disciples...Through no fault of His own,...

In the book “The Way of Beauty,” by David Clayton, he explains that sacred art has a definite purpose in a Christian’s world. He says, “For the Christian, the highest art is that which supports the highest purpose: the worship of God in the sacred liturgy” (4). What is sacred art? Some examples of this form of art take the shape of stained glass windows, tapestries, icons, sculptures, paintings, and architecture. To Christians, this art is not unfamiliar. It might make a lasting impact on us while we sit in pews on Sundays, but how can it affect people outside...

30 March 2026Monday of Holy Week Chapel of Saint John Climacus, Mount Sinai Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Violet. Year: A(II).First readingIsaiah 42:1-7Here is my chosen one in whom my soul delightsHere is my servant whom I uphold,my chosen one in whom my soul delights.I have endowed him with my spiritthat he may bring true justice to the nations.He does not cry out or shout aloud,or make his voice heard in the streets.He does not break the crushed reed,nor quench the wavering flame.Faithfully he brings true justice;he will neither waver, nor be crusheduntil true justice is established on earth,for the...

Daily Readings from the USCCBSix days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. John 12:1–3On Saturday evening, the day before Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus and His disciples enjoyed a meal at the home...

29 March 2026 Palm Sunday Newport Cathedral (St Gwynllyw/St Woolos), UK Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Red. Year: A(II).This gospel is read at the procession with palms before Mass.GospelMatthew 21:1-11Blessings on him who comes in the name of the Lord!When they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, ‘Go into the village facing you, and immediately you will find an ass tied,and a colt with her: untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, “The Lord has need of...

Daily Readings from the USCCBAnd when he entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?” And the crowds replied, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.” Matthew 21:10–11The commemoration of our Lord’s Passion has begun. Today, Mass begins with the reading of Matthew’s account of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Riding on a donkey, Jesus is greeted by a very large crowd who “spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road” (Matthew 21:8). The people welcomed Him with shouts of: “Hosanna to the...

Over 13,000 adults and 8,000 teens will be baptized in France this Easter, setting a new record, the French Bishops' Conference announced on March 25. "How is this happening? What's going on?" Archbishop Olivier de Germay of Lyon, France, didn't try to downplay the mystery. He serves as the point person for the catechumenate for the French Bishops' Conference (CEF). Speaking from Lourdes, he noted the many unknowns still surrounding the surge in teen and adult baptism requests. During the Easter Vigil, on April 4, the Church will celebrate 21,386 adult and teen baptisms. The CEF shared these staggering figures...

By Dr. John Bergsma (intro, first and second readings) and Dr. Brant Pitre (Gospel Reading) This Sunday’s readings might seem bipolar or schizophrenic. We begin Mass with exultant cheering as we relive Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. We end the Readings on a note of solemn silence, unable to process the reality of one of the most egregious abuses of judicial process and power in human history, in which the only innocent man ever to live is executed. What does it all mean? Despite a few mysterious prophetic texts that seemed to intimate this possibility, the idea that the Messiah...

28 March 2026 Saturday of the 5th week of Lent Mission Basilica San Juan Capistrano Church CaliforniaReadings at MassLiturgical Colour: Violet. Year: A(II).First readingEzekiel 37:21-28I will bring them home and make them one nationThe Lord says this: ‘I am going to take the sons of Israel from the nations where they have gone. I shall gather them together from everywhere and bring them home to their own soil. I shall make them into one nation in my own land and on the mountains of Israel, and one king is to be king of them all; they will no longer...

Daily Readings from the USCCBMany of the Jews who had come to Mary and seen what Jesus had done began to believe in him. But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. So the chief priests and the Pharisees convened the Sanhedrin and said, “What are we going to do? This man is performing many signs. If we leave him alone, all will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our land and our nation.” John 11:45–48Tomorrow we begin Holy Week with Palm Sunday, commemorating Jesus’ triumphant entry...

On 18 March, Cardinal Parolin addressed a plenary meeting of the French bishops by letter, delivering a message, or series of messages, from Pope Leo. The letter called on the bishops to defend Catholic schools and not to forget the care due to priests guilty of abuse, and it also addressed the question of the Traditional Mass: ‘Dear brothers, you intend to address the delicate subject of the Liturgy, to which the Holy Father pays particular attention, in the context of the growth of communities attached to the Vetus Ordo. It is concerning that a painful wound continues to persist...

In 2023, LA welcomed 3,462 catechumens and candidates — both children and adults who had never been baptized, plus those who had been baptized but had never completed the other sacraments — into the Church at Easter. Then in 2024, there were 3,596. In 2025, a significant bump of a combined 5,587 entered. For Easter 2026, the archdiocese expects an even more staggering increase: 8,598 catechumens and candidates. So what’s behind the surge in conversions? Some point to a reawakening born from the personal desolation experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic…Many find it to be a sign of spiritual hunger caused...

27 March 2026 Friday of the 5th week of Lent St. John of Damascus, Dedham, MA Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Violet. Year: A(II).First readingJeremiah 20:10-13He has delivered the soul of the needy from the hands of evil menJeremiah said:I hear so many disparaging me,‘“Terror from every side!”Denounce him! Let us denounce him!’All those who used to be my friendswatched for my downfall,‘Perhaps he will be seduced into error.Then we will master himand take our revenge!’But the Lord is at my side, a mighty hero;my opponents will stumble, mastered,confounded by their failure;everlasting, unforgettable disgrace will be theirs.But you, O Lord...

Daily Readings from the USCCBThe Jews picked up rocks to stone Jesus. Jesus answered them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father. For which of these are you trying to stone me?” The Jews answered him, “We are not stoning you for a good work but for blasphemy. You, a man, are making yourself God.” John 10:31–33The reason these Jews were so angry that they “picked up rocks to stone Jesus” was because He had just declared, “The Father and I are one” (John 10:30), a statement they understood as blasphemy. Through His words and works, Jesus...

People are joining the Roman Catholic Church in surprising numbers. This Easter the Archdiocese of Detroit will receive 1,428 new Catholics into the church, its highest number in 21 years. The Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston will have its most in 15 years. In the Diocese of Des Moines, the count is jumping 51 percent from last year, from 265 people to 400. “The Times gathered data from two dozen dioceses, like Los Angeles and Phoenix, as well as Gallup, N.M., and Allentown, Pa… Each reported a significant jump. For Jesse Araujo, 19, in Pahrump, Nev., the biggest influence…was listening to Catholic...

26 March 2026 Thursday of the 5th week of Lent Shrine of St Margaret Clitherow, Shambles, Yorkshire Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: Violet. Year: A(II).First readingGenesis 17:3-9Abraham, the father of a multitude of nationsAbram bowed to the ground and God said this to him, ‘Here now is my covenant with you: you shall become the father of a multitude of nations. You shall no longer be called Abram; your name shall be Abraham, for I make you father of a multitude of nations. I will make you most fruitful. I will make you into nations, and your issue shall be...

Daily Readings from the USCCB“Abraham your father rejoiced to see my day; he saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.” So they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area. John 8:56–59What was it that infuriated the Jews so much that they “picked up stones to throw at” Jesus? As we have reflected upon the past few days,...

A Catholic bishop in Belgium has announced plans to ordain married men to the priesthood by 2028, despite the Roman Catholic Church’s requirement of clerical celibacy.Bishop Johan Bonny of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antwerp recently released a pastoral letter claiming that “the consensus on this question is almost total” among Church leaders.“The question is no longer whether the Church can ordain married men as priests but when it will do so, and who will do it,” wrote Bonny. “Any delay comes across as an excuse.”The bishop said he “will make every effort to ordain married men as priests for...

25 March 2026The Annunciation of the Lord Solemnity St. Dismas Catholic Church, Waukegan, IL Readings at MassLiturgical Colour: White. Year: A(II).First readingIsaiah 7:10-14,8:10The maiden is with childThe Lord spoke to Ahaz and said, ‘Ask the Lord your God for a sign for yourself coming either from the depths of Sheol or from the heights above.’ ‘No,’ Ahaz answered ‘I will not put the Lord to the test.’ Then Isaiah said:‘Listen now, House of David:are you not satisfied with trying the patience of menwithout trying the patience of my God, too?The Lord himself, therefore,will give you a sign.It is this: the...