Cardinal Mercier’s Secret of Sanctity
Désiré-Joseph Cardinal Mercier (1851-1926) was Archbishop of Malines, Belgium from 1906 until his death. Besides the heroic leadership he demonstrated during World War I, Cardinal...
Seven Mysteries of the Holy Spirit
Drawing upon the traditional mysteries of the rosary — Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious, and the new mysteries of Light proposed by Pope John Paul II...
The Servant of God, Padre Leopoldo Pastori
A Missionary-Monk The Year of the Priest will begin on Friday, June 19th, Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It may well spark a...
Dear Father . . .
I am writing to you to express my utter frustration at not being able to leave comments on Vultus Christi. I try and try again....
I asked in prayer for love of Christ
Sixth Sunday of Paschaltide B John 15:9-17 1 John 4:7-10 Acts 10:25-26. 34-35. Photo of a window in the chapel of All Saints Convent, Oxford,...
Into the Invisible
A faithful friend of mine in the Eternal City, an Apostle of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, sent me this text from a booklet by...
Saint Pachomius, Abbot
The antiphon Ad Benedictus this morning, with its lilting seventh mode melody, is an apt portrayal of the manifestation of the Holy Spirit in the...
Spiritual Fecundity
John 15:9-17 Go and Bear Fruit In the Roman Missal the Mass for the feast of Saint Matthias the Apostle begins, not with an antiphon...
For the Sanctity of Priestly Life
The image is Adé Béthune’s Christ the Priest. The vine and branches of John 15:1-8 surround the wood of the Cross. Christ is depicted in...
The Heart of Jesus and the Gift of the Holy Spirit
Fifth Monday of Paschaltide Acts 14:5-18 John 14:21-26 And I Will Love Him I am grateful to the Apostle Saint Jude for the marvelous dialogue...
The Old Man Who Gives You Flowers
And, for Mother’s Day, another touching excerpt from E. Boyd Barrett’s autobiographical A Shepherd Without Sheep: In spite of his rebellion, his confusion of mind,...
Has No One Condemned You?
In A Shepherd Without Sheep (Bruce Publishing, 1956), E. Boyd Barrett, who left the priesthood in stormy circumstances and, after twenty years, was reconciled, and...
I will cure their wounds
I am reading the Italian translation of Sacerdotes di Cristo, texts of Conchita Cabrera de Armida, selected and presented with a theological introduction by Juan...
Towards the Year of the Priest
In his 1986 Holy Thursday Letter to Priests, Pope John Paul II wrote: The Mass was for John Mary Vianney the great joy and comfort...
The Voice of the Shepherd Christ
Readers familiar with the work of Adé Béthune will recognize here her Good Shepherd. Clean lines, simplicity, and strength characterize Adé’s work. She has had...
The Bride They Hold
The bride they hold ought to be the breviary, and the books of Holy Scripture their children. There they should take their pleasure in sharing...
Into the Secret Harbor
Dear readers, do sail gently into one of the most beautiful places on the internet: Secret Harbor. The last two entries on the Divine Office...
In the Company of the Blessed Virgin
The 2002 editio typica of the Missale Romanum contains the following Collect for the memorial of Saint Louis-Marie Grignion de Montfort, Priest. The Collect is...
Ubi mors Domini cotidie celebratur
This morning, to the accompaniment of birdsong at Vigils, a splendid text of Saint Maximus of Turin. Some of you may recognize this altar from...
A Sunday Adoration
I adore Thee who art present here before me. I adore Thee with all the love of my heart. I adore Thee humbly. I adore...