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…)

This Friday, August 6th, we celebrate the feast of The Transfiguration of the Lord. All three Synoptic Gospels tell the story of the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-9; Luke 9:28-36). With remarkable agreement, all three place the event shortly after Peter’s confession of faith that Jesus is the Messiah and Jesus’ first prediction of his passion and death.  Peter’s eagerness to erect tents or booths on the spot suggests it occurred during the week-long Jewish Feast of Booths in the fall. (Read more…)

On Monday, July 26th, we celebrate the Feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne. Joachim and Anne were the parents of Jesus’ mother, Mary. We don’t know many details about their lives because they are never mentioned in the New Testament. Everything we know about them comes down through tradition — the stories people told about them.

We believe that they were respected members of the Jewish community and that they wanted to become parents so much that Joachim went into the desert to fast and pray that God would hear their prayer. (Read more…)

Many of us have friends, relatives, siblings, co-workers, or neighbors who are Catholic but who do not come to Mass on a regular basis. They may fall away from the active practice of the faith for a time but some eventually come back and begin participating in the life of the Church. As disciples, we are challenged to assist those who are considering a return to the Church. They need our guidance; they need our support; they need our encouragement; they need our prayers. (Read more…)

On Friday, July 16th, we celebrate the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Hermits lived on Mount Carmel near the Fountain of Elijah in northern Israel in the 12th century. They had a chapel dedicated to Our Lady. By the 13th century they became known as “Brothers of Our Lady of Mount Carmel.” They soon celebrated a special Mass and Office in honor of Mary. In 1726, it became a celebration of the universal Church under the title of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. (Read more…)

Today 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…)