A Pilgrim Monk
Cistercians celebrated today the memorial of Blessed Corrado (Conrad) of Bavaria. Born in 1105, Conrad was the son of Henry the Black, Duke of Bavaria....
Tacere et Adorare — Be Still and Adore
Today’s reflection on beseeching reminded me that I wanted to present one of Rome’s loveliest churches for beseeching and for adoring: San Claudio on the...
Da nobis quaesumus
Friday of the Fifth Week of the Year I Mark 7:31–37 Mediators and Intercessors “And they brought to Him one deaf and dumb; and they...
Newman on Friendship and Love
It seems to me that this sermon, preached on the feast of Saint John the Apostle, sheds some light on the way the Venerable Servant...
Saint Colette of Corbie, Reforming Abbess
My beloved Poor Ladies at Bethlehem Monastery in Barhamsville, Virginia gently chided me for forgetting that today is indeed the solemn festival of Saint Colette,...
7 February, Blessed Pius IX
“In human affairs we must be content to do the best we can and then abandon ourselves to Providence, which will heal our human faults...
Eight Days Would Be Enough
The Saints in Our Lives The saints come into our lives, each one with a particular mission. We do not choose the saints to whom...
In Festo S. Agathae, Virginis et Martyris
I would ask all my readers to join me today in praying for a very bright, engaging young woman who has been in poor health...
Saturday Morning Walk and Some Liturgical Notes
Out the front doors of Santa Croce in Gerusalemme and down the street, through the Chinese business section and the park, to Santa Maria Maggiore....
Pilgrimage to Manoppello: The Holy Face
I am profoundly grateful to Mother M. Clare Millea, A.S.C.J. for making possible a pilgrimage to the Sanctuary of the Holy Face of Jesus at...
The Human Face of Divine Mercy
The painting (1488) is by Bartolomeo di Giovanni and was commissioned for the Hospital of the Innocents in Florence. The six-sided altar at the centre...
2 February, The Presentation of the Lord
Malachy 3:1-4 Psalm 23: 7, 8, 9, 10 Hebrews 2: 14-18 Luke 2: 22-40 Susception Day “We receive, O God, your mercy, in the midst...
The Reign of the Bambino
It is customary in Rome, and elsewhere in Italy, to keep the presepe (Nativity scene) up until the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord...
Marcella: The Glory of the Ladies of Rome
Today is not only the feast of Saint John Bosco, the gentle spiritual father of countless children and young people, it is also the feast...
Thank you, Sister Emmanuel!
Thanks to the skill and generosity of Sister M. Emmanuel, A.S.C.J. of Mount Sacred Heart in Hamden, Connecticut, I was able to transport the icon...
An Icon Inspired by Pope John Paul II: The Virgin Mother, Adorer of the Eucharistic Face of Christ
More than one reader asked for a fuller explanation of the icon of the Virgin Mother, Adorer of the Eucharistic Face of Christ. The following...
Update from Don Marco
Dear friends, No internet connection yet! Things take a very long time in Rome. Workers were here for one day last week to begin threading...
A note from Don Marco
Dear friends, I thank Lisa for giving you news of my arrival in Rome. I do not have internet access as yet and so have...
3 January, The Holy Name of Jesus
This will be my last entry until I get settled in at Santa Croce in Gerusalemmme in Rome. I leave tomorrow on the wings of...
Packing for the Eternal City
My dear friends Christopher and Lisa Hoffer–Schaefer and Nadine Casey spent their New Year’s Day afternoon and evening helping me pack. I would never have...