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What Horse?
Why do paintings of St. Paul’s conversion show a horse when it’s not in the Bible? The answer may be Medieval.
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Be Like Me!
Everyone’s pet peeves share a dangerous trait. What does yours reveal about you?
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Mass Resources for Kids
Want your kids to participate at Mass? Here are several resources that can help!
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C.E. + P.L. = Party!
On Easter, Mass attendance will soar. We must treat these new faces with charity. The Lord says so.
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Happy Now?
For weeks on end I fantasized about our family’s vacation to a dude ranch in central Florida. But something was missing.
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Jesus Fell
What happens when the sacramental form of Jesus’ Body or his Precious Blood falls to the floor?
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Smells to High Heaven
My mother makes an amazing arroz con pollo (chicken and rice)—a staple in Cuban households. My brother and I looked forward to the savory dish every week partly because beer was among…
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Mass has become Ordinary
Easter and Christmas are times of great exuberance and celebration in the Church! The two seasons are the superstars of the liturgical calendar: “Next to the yearly celebration of the paschal mystery,…
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Explaining Mass to Children
While out on a family jog last month, we found a baby bird literally in the middle of the street and took it home. Only days old, the altricial newborn was barely…
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No Praying for Heat
I’m a news junkie. My phone is set to receive CNN’s news alerts, I read three online newspapers and I watch the NBC and BBC Nightly News. At night, I’ll catch the…
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Mass Explained iPad App
The Mass Explained iPad app is a comprehensive multimedia learning experience focused on the Roman Catholic Mass. It is totally approachable, thoroughly entertaining and currently available in the app store. As the…
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Painting Conversion
One of my favorite paintings is “The Incredulity of Saint Thomas” painted by Caravaggio circa 1601. I first came to learn about this painting while a student at Rhode Island School of…
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Are You a Gatekeeper, Slider or Middleman?
We never step foot in the cryroom for the first few months of our son’s life. Since most of his day was spent sleeping, we didn’t feel it necessary to expose him…
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Sing An Old Song Unto the Lord
This Sunday we will be singing one of the most famous lines of the Bible as part of the Responsorial Psalm: The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.…
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Water, Water Everywhere
This Sunday you’ll be getting a double dose of H2O! In the first reading from Exodus, the Hebrews thirst from wandering the desert and they complain to Moses, their leader. Moses appeals…
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The Nunc dimittis and Mary’s Seven Sorrows
In today’s Gospel, we hear one of the most beautiful canticles in all of Scripture, the Nunc dimittis. Simeon, a righteous and devout man, had been promised that he would not die…
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Take a Stand
The faithful have assembled to celebrate Mass. After vesting, the celebrant, deacon, acolytes and altar servers exit the sacristy and meet the other ministers at the back of the Church. All are…
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Roots of Liturgical Singing
The verb sing appears over 300 times in the Old Testament and almost 40 in the New Testament. The first scriptural reference to singing occurs after the Hebrew people escape Egypt through…
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Hoc Est Corpus
Ever since I was a kid, Halloween has been one of my favorite holidays. No, it had nothing to do with the acquisition of tasty treats, but rather in coming up with…
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Jewish Scripture Reading
The Introductory Rites have prepared the assembly to be nourished by the Word of the Lord. Through various Scripture readings, God speaks directly to his people, and the faithful are brought to…
