Archive
Becoming Pilgrims of Hope
Father Jeffrey Kirby Comments Off on Becoming Pilgrims of Hope
Some biographers of Pope St. John Paul II have said he was a pessimist by nature and temperament. If true, we’d be hard-pressed to find any indications of such pessimism in the life and pastoral ministry of the saintly pope. He often spoke of “a new springtime” of the Church and lived in constant hope Read More
Thanksgiving as a Way of Life
Father Carmen Mele Comments Off on Thanksgiving as a Way of Life
Seminaries were not immune to the turmoil in society and the Church during the 1970s. Seminarians, increasingly beginning formation at older ages, brought radical ideas from universities and workplaces. Some wanted to change the world from the top down. They became impatient with a Church that seemed to pander to members whose practice of faith Read More
All Souls’ Day
Father Ronald Patrick Raab Comments Off on All Souls’ Day
In November, I cherish the creative Holy Cross religious buried in our community cemetery at the University of Notre Dame. On All Souls’ Day, I walk among graves and push away oak leaves with my feet to read the names on headstones. The concrete crosses marking the lives and deaths of Holy Cross members are Read More
Reviewing Regulations on Mass Offerings
Father John Chrysostom Kozlowski Comments Off on Reviewing Regulations on Mass Offerings
We pray for many people during the celebration of Mass. During the prayer of the faithful, we pray for public authorities, even by name if appropriate, as well as other groups, and during the Eucharistic prayer, we specifically name the pope and the local bishop, as well as commend to the Lord, in a general Read More
Mass for Professional Groups
D.D. Emmons Comments Off on Mass for Professional Groups
The Church has long offered Masses that recognize special occasions and special needs. Among such Masses are those for professional groups, traditionally popularized by names of a color: Red Mass (lawyers and politicians), Blue Mass (first responders), White Mass (healthcare community) and Gold Mass (scientists). At both the national and local level, these professional organizations Read More
Renewing Priestly Vows
Father Scott Detisch Comments Off on Renewing Priestly Vows
“Nothing in all of creation is so like God as stillness.” — Meister Eckhart The ritual of ordination for a priest (as well as a deacon) begins with Election of the Candidates. The deacon calls the candidate forward by name to which the candidate responds, “Present.” He then goes before the bishop and makes a Read More
Unpacking Kingship
Patricia Sharbaugh Comments Off on Unpacking Kingship
Before Mass begins, we sit quietly in the pews, praying, looking around, seeing the familiar faces of people we pray with each week, seeing unfamiliar faces scattered here and there, and taking in the symbols of Christianity. The church’s architecture, the altar, the stained-glass windows, the kneelers, the artwork and the smell of incense all Read More
Funeral Mass or Memorial Mass
Father Gerald Dennis Gill Comments Off on Funeral Mass or Memorial Mass
Today when people speak or write about the rites for the deceased, they frequently use a variety of titles or names for these rites and often interchange them, even when the Mass is offered for the person who has died. This begs the question, is there a proper title or name for the rites for Read More