November is the time when the Catholic Church focuses on specific prayers and actions for all souls who are waiting for purification in Purgatory.
At Mass the Church will set aside time for special prayers for the dead and other acts. You too can help relieve the suffering of those in Purgatory. This assistance is known as an indulgence and there are specific acts and prayers that can lift the departed souls out of Purgatory and into Heaven.
Every year on November 1, we celebrate All Saints Day, also known as the Feast of All Saints. As the name implies, this occasion honors all those who have entered heaven and these include the saints who are recognized by the Catholic Church and those who are not.
St. Teresa of Calcutta is well known and well loved for her burning passion for the poorest of the poor. Many admired her for her charity work and her heart for serving others. As we celebrate her feast day on September 5, let us look back to her life and her extraordinary ministry.
The most precious blood of Jesus is a symbol of the ultimate sacrifice. We celebrate the Feast of the Most Precious Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ in July.
The practice of infant baptism in the Catholic Faith has garnered some criticism especially from fundamentalists who believe that baptism should be reserved for adults and older children.
Ever since the New Testament era, the Catholic Church has viewed baptism differently. Here are some of the early teachings on the sacrament of infant baptism.
The Catholic Church encourages us to build a personal relationship with Jesus Christ and live out the gifts of the Holy Spirit through a spiritual movement known as the Charismatic Movement. When the Holy Spirit came to the disciples during Pentecost, he presented gifts that they could use for sharing the good news of salvation and building the Kingdom of God.
The Catholic understanding of the importance of Mary is so deep, rich, beautiful, and Biblically-based. Catholics are blessed to have a fullness of understanding of her role in salvation as well as a personal relationship with her.
The Christmas story is referred to many times throughout the Bible. It captures the beautiful gift that God gave to humankind which is the gift of His only son, Jesus Christ. Christmas reminds us of how Jesus became human in order to save us but it is not just the account of his birth. The Christmas story also lets us see how Christ’s arrival transformed the lives of the people surrounding Him.
To many of us, Christmas Day and December have become irrevocably intertwined but did you know that during the first 300 years of Christianity, the birth of Jesus Christ wasn’t observed in December? In fact, sometimes Christmas Day wasn’t observed on a particular date at all.
There are many Catholic symbols that we can use in our everyday lives to remind us of our faith. Some choose to wear religious items for this purpose and one of the most popular example is the four and five way medal. These devotional medals are beautiful proclamations of our devotion to God.
We pray for Saint Lucy’s intercession in our lives for the preservation of the light of our eyes. She’s the patron saint of the blind and visually impaired.
Saint Juan Diego is the patron saint of indigenous peoples. He is not just recognized as the first Roman Catholic indigenous saint from the Americas, he is well known for having seen an apparition of the Virgin Mary four times. We celebrate his feast day every year on December 9.
The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated every December 8. It is considered a holy day of obligation or patronal feast and some countries even declare it a public holiday. As this date draws near, let us look back to the meaning of this doctrine to better appreciate its significance in our Catholic Faith.
The Apostle’s Creed is perhaps one of the most well-known Catholic creed and is a summary of the apostles’ faith. Sometimes called the Symbol of the Apostles, it is an early statement of Christian belief and has been used by Christians since the fourth century.
As Catholics, do we have any special considerations to keep in mind when naming our child? Are we required to name our child after a saint or can we name them with anything we want? What are the reasons why parents choose the name of saints as Catholic baby names?
As Christian parents how do we develop our child’s faith? We have a responsibility to train our children in the ways of God and one of the first steps is to cultivate their faith.
Faith is an important part of our spiritual journey here on earth so how do we share this with the younger generation?
A papal conclave is important to us members of the Catholic Faith on so many levels. To better understand the historical, cultural and personal significance of a papal conclave we need to know what this process is about.
The topic of Catholics and Halloween is a controversial one. Many people around the world celebrate Halloween with costume parties, scary decorations and trick-or-treating from one house to the next. Should Catholics participate in these traditions? Should we celebrate Halloween?
IVF is one of the many methods used to overcome infertility but this procedure has stirred up many moral and religious debates. What is IVF and what is the the views of the Catholic Church on it?
Saint Maria Faustina is also known as the Apostle of the Divine Mercy. She was canonized as a saint on April 30, 2000.
