One of the most impressive elements of Our Lady of Guadalupe’s December 12 feast is the dramatic representation of her apparitions to St. Juan Diego. I...
Church holidays
I can still smell the shoe box full of fresh cut grass. This was no ordinary grass. It was part of the treats we set out every January 5 for the Magi to feed...
There are surprisingly few official rules about decorating churches, much to the chagrin of those who have been crowded out by Christmas poinsettias or...
In a season filled with red Santa suits and green Christmas trees, the purple and pink candles of the Advent wreath can seem incongruous with many Catholic...
For some Americans, the end of October is a time for dressing up in your most creative costume and eating mountains of fun-sized candy bars. A time for...
Halloween: What a great holiday! It beats the heck out of Arbor Day six ways to Sunday. Around this time every year, I’m asked by Christian parents about the...
Since the early Middle Ages, all Christians have used the same method for determining the date of Easter, though they arrive at a different result. Described...
c. 2015 Religion News Service For Catholics, Episcopalians and some Lutherans, March 17 is the Feast Day of St. Patrick. For the rest of us, it’s St...
A table in my living room has become a kind of shrine. On it rest photos of people special to me: my grandmother, my parents, my best friend. All have passed...
Every year, like clockwork, my dogs receive a blessing on October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. The warranty on the blessing doesn’t wear out, but I...
