On Wednesday, November 11th, we celebrate Veterans’ Day – a time when we pause to reflect and pray for all the dedicated men and women who served our country – especially those who have died. This weekend at all Masses we will be observing Veterans’ Day through special Prayers of the Faithful and a special blessing for our Veterans.

During this time of continued unrest in our world, we think of those who have left family to protect the freedom we have. (Read more…)

This Sunday begins National Vocation Awareness Week here in the United States. It is an opportunity to remind ourselves of the need to pray for vocations to the priesthood, permanent deacons, religious life, and married life. People do not just decide to become priests or religious, it is the result of feeling drawn to the life and the work. It is born from a growing faith and love of Christ and the Church and the conviction that service to the Church through this vocation will not only bring joy but also better the lives of others who are drawn to Christ. (Read more…)

Catholics throughout the world are invited to recommit themselves to the Church’s missionary activity through prayer and sacrifice by observing World Mission Sunday on October 18th. Instituted for the whole Church by Pope Pius XI in 1926, it is traditionally celebrated on the next-to-last Sunday each October.

Today, let us join our brothers and sisters around the world who gather at the Lord’s Table to celebrate, with great joy, our common vocation as missionaries. Our prayers and concrete gestures of solidarity will help build local churches across the globe. (Read more…)

This month, we celebrate Respect Life. As Catholics, we are encouraged to promote the dignity of all human life from conception until natural death. We are called to promote the Gospel of Life, and protect and cherish the lives of the elderly, the physically and mentally challenged, and the unborn. We should never forget that God is the Creator of all life, and all life is precious in His sight.

Pope Francis strongly criticized a “throwaway culture” that places too little value on human life. (Read more…)

This month, October, is dedicated to one kind of prayer in particular, the Holy Rosary. I can’t think of a better kind of devotion. So, let’s make it a part of our lives. I know, it’s not the most exciting form of prayer. A friend of mine who prayed it regularly said it made him drowsy. St. Theresa of Lisieux used to have a hard time staying awake during her morning prayers, and she came to understand that maybe that’s not so terrible. (Read more…)