Behind the Catholic Counter

Reflection on the gospel for the Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost (Pre-Vatican II calendar). Taken from The Liturgical Year by Dom Gueranger. This is the second time during the year that holy Church offers this Gospel to our consideration; we cannot be surprised at this, for the fathers selected by her as its interpreters tell us,on bothof these occasions that the afflicted mother who follows …

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Every Christian and non-Christian alike knows that Our Lord carried the cross through Jerusalem, and if you've ever said the Stations of the Cross then you probably know that Simon of Cyrene was coerced into helping Him for part of the way. What you might not know is that the True Cross would one-day be carried through the streets again on the back of the Holy Roman Emperor.

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Cat calendars are cute and have their place but how about something that can help you as a Catholic? Here are four reasons you should get a Catholic calendar for your wall. (Maybe put it up next to the cat calendar.)

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Since the early middle ages, the Church in the West has celebrated the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows in mid-September, a devotion to the suffering and spiritual martyrdom of the Blessed Mother of Our Lord. The name Our Lady of Sorrows was first used by the Servites, or the Friar Servants of Mary, an order that was founded in 1233.

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"On September 8, the Church celebrates the birth of the Immaculately Conceived Mary - a miraculous birth giving her the graces necessary to become the Mother of God"

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Today is the memorial of Pope Saint Gregory the Great! Born in Rome around the year 540 A.D., Gregory lived up to the meaning behind his name, leading a life of dedication to God and showing diligence in following His commands.

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Today is the First Friday of the month, which is a devotion that many Catholics around the world follow. History of First Friday First Friday devotions among Catholics are related to devotion to the Sacred Heart of Christ. First Friday practices date to the last decades of the 17th century, when Jesus appeared to St. Margaret Mary and spoke to …

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St. Augustine is one of the greatest and most influential Church Fathers.  His writings have shaped both Catholic and Protestant theology and his greatest work The Confessions is one of the most widely translated, published and read books after the Bible.  Much is known about his life but here are ten facts you might not know about him.  If you …

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St. Augustine and His Mother St. Monica Today we celebrate the feast of St. Monica, the virtuous mother of the great convert Augustine of Hippo, who was saved through the prayers and persistence of his mother. Tomorrow the Church remembers St. Augustine himself. These two saints give much hope to many people – those who are praying for a family …

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Pope St. Pius X, whose feast day is celebrated today, is a lightning rod of the liturgical reform. The group founded by Bishop Marcel Lefebvre adopted him as the patron of their society, The Society of Pius X. This selection is one of the most ironic choices I can think of for a group that, apart from theological problems with …

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