Saints Joachim (sometimes spelled “Joaquin,” pronounced “wal-keem”) and Anne, are the parents of the Virgin Mary.  There are no mentions of them in the Bible or Gospels, what we know comes from Catholic legend and the Gospel of James, which is an unsanctioned, apocryphal writing from the second century AD.  We do know from scholarship that the Gospel of James was not written by James, the Brother of Jesus, despite its claim to be so authored. (Read more…)

For many years the fraternal organization, the Knights of Columbus, has done so much to promote and defend the teachings of the Catholic Church.  The Knights stress the importance of the family, and articulate and defend the rights of the unborn, the sanctity of the marriage bond, and other issues important to us as Catholics.  Some time ago, in a message to the Knights of Columbus Supreme Convention, Pope Francis thanked the Knights for their efforts to defend the role of religion and praised the order for its commitment to educate people in the faith and in a strong sense of civic responsibility. (Read more…)

As we are starting summer many of us will have an opportunity to take a break from school or work and make time for leisure activities.  As we make plans for leisure activities and travel, I will strongly encourage all of us to keep our focus on God.  The time for Mass and prayer should be included in our plans.

When attending Mass, especially during the summer months, I would ask all of us to exercise prudence and judgment in how we act and in what we wear.  (Read more…)

This coming Thursday we celebrate the Fourth of July, Independence Day.  On this day, we call to mind the birth of our nation. As Catholics, we are called to truly cherish in a very special way the many freedoms we enjoy in this country, freedoms not available to many people in other parts of the world.  Our bishops have called on us to reaffirm our commitment to appreciate and guard our freedoms, especially our right to religious liberty.  (Read more…)

Today is the great Feast of Corpus Christi, when the Church with joy celebrates the Real Presence of Jesus Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.

In 1247, the Feast of Corpus Christi was celebrated in France for the first time.  It gained widespread acceptance throughout the Church after 1300.  The Feast is generally considered to reflect the Holy Thursday Mass, but without its sorrowful connection to the Passion.

An outdoor procession has been an integral part of Corpus Christi since its beginning, and may have originated from the procession of the Blessed Sacrament to the Altar of Repose that is conducted on Holy Thursday.  (Read more…)

I came across this article to share with you:

It was Theodore Hesbergh who said: “The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother.”  In some ways this insight almost seems too simple.  After all, don’t we expect a lot of other things of fathers – namely, that they would provide, protect, and nurture?  Yet when we consider that marriage is the foundation of the family, then it follows that children need this solid foundation more than anything else a parent can give them.  (Read more…)