When J.R.R. Tolkien wrote a letter to his son Michael (then in his tweens) giving relationship advice, it being late January of the year 1941 while Michael was recovering from an injury at the hospital in Worchester, he explained at…
The rosary is the scourge of the devil.~ Pope Adrian VI Learn more about the (only!) Dutch pope here: Wikipedia entry about the 16th century Pope Adrian VI The 1908 edition of the Catholic Encyclopedia characterised the task that faced him: “To…
If you have ever read C.S. Lewis’ “Mere Christianity”, even just in parts, you may remember the light, almost jovial style of it. Small wonder: “Mere Christianity” is a collection of radio talks turned book format. In it, C.S. Lewis…
Happy Feast Day of St. Teresa of Ávila, who was the first female to be declared Doctor of the Church. As one can imagine, she did not live life for herself, at all, after she had been shown her place…
It is October 4th today, and always a special day for us here because it is the feast of the saint most dear to us. Happy Feast of St. Francis of Assisi to y’all! In honor of the first saint…
The month of October is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. During her last apparition at Fatima on October 13, 1917, Mary specifically referred to herself as “The Lady of the Rosary.” If you are not in the habit of…
Halfway between the birthday of Our Lady on September 8th and the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15th, I’d like to introduce the Seven Sorrows of Our Lady chaplet, and explain how to pray it. Since September…
The month of September is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows, Mater Dolorosa: On September 15th, we celebrate the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. Our Lady of Sorrows From very early on, Mary was keenly aware that the Son…
Why penance? If I confess my sins and am properly contrite in heart, is that not enough to atone for my sins? Why penance, then? What additional good does penance, self-imposed or otherwise, do to the penitent if a change…
There are sorrowful sets of seven to concentrate on when we align our penance with the suffering of Christ, and there are also joyous sets of seven. Joyous sets of seven invite us to reflect, not so much of our…
