“He chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless before him in love.” Ephesians 1:4
On December 8 we celebrate Mary’s Immaculate Conception, one of the highlights of the Advent season.
Before “the foundation of the world”—before God created anything—he had Mary in mind to become the mother of […]
“The heavens declare the glory of God; the sky proclaims its builder’s craft.” – Psalm 19:2 (NAB)
One night around twenty-two hundred years ago, somewhere near Alexandria, Egypt, the writer of the book of Wisdom lay back on his lawn, his head cushioned on his arms, and stared awestruck at the starry heavens. We have probably […]
Click below for short profiles of the saints throughout the year! These “Voices of the Saints” radio spots are heard frequently on the EWTN network.
St. Genevieve (January 3)
St. Aelred of Rievaulx (January 12)
St. Anthony of Egypt (January 17)
Bl. Henry Suso (January 25)
St. Angela Merici (January 27)
St. Paul Miki and Companions (February 6)
St. Claude la Columbière […]
Two decades ago I was invited to give the keynote talk at a Christian writers’ conference. One day the organizer of the event called and asked me to give him a title for the talk on the spot. Without thinking I said that I wanted to talk about “Writing with Passion,” but I had […]
“Pray constantly.” (1 Thessalonians 5:17.)
After visiting monasteries in the East, St. John Cassian (ca. 360–433), founded two monasteries in the West at Marseilles—one for men and another for women. His foundations were cenobia, community schools that formed candidates for a disciplined Christian life. To instruct his monks and nuns, Cassian wrote two significant books. […]
Although a priest and never married, St. John Bosco (1815–1888) was a naturally gifted parent. For nearly a half-century of ministry in Turin, Italy, Don Bosco was a wonderful dad to hundreds of homeless boys. (“Don” is the Italian term of address for a priest). Today family-life professionals still regard him as an exemplar […]
At our wedding in 1964, Fr. John Hugo, the celebrant, read this instruction from the Rite of Christian Marriage to Mary Lou and me. Little did we realize it then, but this message set the stage for our life of serving each other, caring for our children, and reaching out to others.
When the Rite […]
“How blessed are the poor in spirit; the kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”
— Matthew 5:3
“Be merry, really merry. The life of a true Christian should be a perpetual jubilee, a prelude to the festivals of eternity.”
— St. Théophane Vénard (1829–1861)
Bl. Pier-Giorgio Frassati (1901–1925) has become a hero for contemporary Catholics. We recognize […]
Last week, I hosted a webinar through Ave Maria Press based on my new book, The Heart of Catholicism. My goal was to present a vivid picture of what it means to be a Catholic.
I described seven critical practices that shape Catholics:
Develop a personal relationship with Jesus
Celebrate the Sacraments
Observe the Liturgical Seasons
Pray and read […]
What can you do if you believe that depressive feelings keep you from living a productive life? You could look forward to a time when medicine and psychology may discover a real cure for your illness. That may be a long way off. In the meantime, you could look back several centuries to imitate […]
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