Giving Deacons Their Due It can be easy to take little notice of a deacon in the Catholic Church unless he comes plainly into view. You know, “Oh, look. Deacon Joe is going to do the homily, today.” Other than that, it’s fairly safe to say that we Catholics don’t necessarily think about our deacons all that much. Sure, we …

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Is the Annunciation an isolated incident, something that happened to our Blessed Mother Mary and that we acknowledge once a year in celebration? Or is the message of the Archangel Gabriel and the response given by the young virgin to whom he brought it intended to speak to us even today?

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It’ll soon be that time of year when people all over will gather around their televisions to watch that classic movie, The Quiet Man. But we’ll talk about St. Patrick and things Irish another day. Today we’re going to focus on a feast day that tends to be especially dear to our Italian brothers and sisters, but which we all have a reason to celebrate. It’s the feast day of the original “quiet man”—St. Joseph, spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary and foster father to the Son of God. The month of March is traditionally dedicated to Saint Joseph with his feast day falling on March 19th.

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Any man who’s a father looks at himself in the mirror every once in a while and wonders, “How did God ever decide that I was up to this job?” Now, imagine being St. Joseph. He probably didn’t come across his reflection all that often, and it’s a good thing. He woke up every morning knowing that he was responsible for the well-being of both the Son of God and the Mother of God. If he had a mirror, he would have spent so much time staring at it in disbelief people may have mistaken him for a narcissist.

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Some people say that everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day. But wouldn’t it be great if everyone were like St. Patrick on St. Patrick’s Day? If instead of, “Hey! Let’s find a bar and have a few beers!” we’d say, “Hey! Let’s find a bar, buy a round for some people and talk to them about Christ and His Church.”

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“Laetare” comes from a line in the Latin liturgy for the Fourth Sunday of Lent, "Laetare Jerusalem" which means, “Rejoice, Jerusalem!” Since the fourth Sunday falls toward the middle of Lent, it’s a day set aside as “Laetare Sunday” to remember the joy that is coming on Easter Sunday. Once upon a time, the pope would bless golden roses at this time of year, which were sent to Catholic heads of state; that’s where the tradition of rose vestments seems to have originated. Many a priest wishes they had gone for the gold, but they didn’t. Sorry, guys.

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We all know the current Francis of Rome. But before him, there was a “Frances” of Rome. She was an uptown girl of noble birth—a holy girl, wholly unimpressed by her position. She wanted to devote her life to Jesus Christ.

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Seven Common Misconceptions About Lent Whether you’ve been a Christian for 40 years or 40 minutes, there’s probably something you’re confused about when it comes to the season of Lent. Don’t worry. It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Your own pastor may have to check with the bishop once in a while to make sure he’s got everything straight for …

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This is a special week for all of us at Aquinas and More. January 28 is the feast day of one of our namesakes—St. Thomas Aquinas.

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You know those spontaneous class clown type kids who always acted first and then asked questions later, either in the principal’s office, the school nurse’s office or even the emergency room? Well, Saint Philip Neri may well have been one of those kids had he not been meant for more saintly things in later life.

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