Blog of the Archdiocese of Washington
Joseph and Mary have ascended to Jerusalem to fulfill two ancient mandates: the Rite of Purification for a woman after childbirth and the Rite of Presentation of their firstborn male child, Jesus. These rites set the stage for a dramatic moment in Biblical history, a moment missed by almost everyone. We shall explore this dramatic …
Continue reading “A Dramatic Moment That Almost Everyone Missed”
From Sri Lanka comes the following article: Priests at St Lucia’s Cathedral in Colombo are insisting that young women cover their heads while at Mass. The move is part of a drive to have churchgoers dress appropriately during religious ceremonies. Many Catholics have complained that churchgoers in Colombo turn up for services in short skirts, halter …
Continue reading “Veils Again – Colombo Cathedral Mandates the Use of Veil For Women”
There’s an old song that says, Sign me up for the Christian Jubilee! Write my name on the roll!….I want to be ready when Jesus comes! But, tragically there are some in Europe who are formally renouncing their faith through a process they call “de-baptism.” In effect they write to the parish where they were …
I have often heard that Muslims hold our Blessed Mother Mary in high regard. This reverence may stop short of devotion but there is said to be a respect for her in the Muslim tradition. Now, I first learned this from the great Archbishop, Fulton Sheen in his book, The World’s First Love. I read …
Continue reading “Mary and the Muslim World: Is She the Key to Evangelization?”
Today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Innocents, all those young boys in and around Bethlehem, two and under, whom Herod had massacred in order to kill Jesus Christ. We know not their number or their names but the Church lists them as among her martyrs. Some have disputed that they should be called …
Continue reading “The Role of Fear in Abortion – A Meditation on the Feast of the Holy Innocents”
There is an old saying that the Lord didn’t just come to get us out of trouble, he came to get into trouble with us. More of that, in a moment. A uniquely human glory and gift – This Christmas we celebrate that God is not content for us to experience his love for us …
In the ancient Church, and until rather recently, we genuflected at the two references to the incarnation in the Mass: at the Creed and at the Last Gospel (John 1). Why did we do this? It was explained to me that the mystery was so deep that one could only fall in silent reverence. There …
Is the number of Catholics really dropping? Is the bottom really falling out of Catholic Mass attendance? If you are a regular reader of this blog you know that I have written several articles and cited several studies that detail an increasingly grave situation for the Church (e.g. HERE). Most of us are familiar with a …