It may seem insignificant to some, but praying the rosary every day is huge in the eyes of God, Pope Francis told an association of laywomen dedicated to the Holy Family and prayer.
Faith
A record number of attendees gathered at the Jan. 1-5 SEEK24 conference in downtown St. Louis, with excitement already mounting for the 2025 conference.
In the Sistine Chapel, where popes are elected, Pope Francis baptized 16 infants, who, he said, “give us the witness of how to receive the faith: with innocence and with an open heart.”
The first canonized saint born in the U.S. is nearing her 250th birthday — and she’s more relevant than ever, said the executive director of her national shrine.
In a special way during Advent, we unite ourselves in prayer with the sentiments of the Blessed Mother who in silent waiting carried the hidden Savior within her womb for nine months. Mary in turn intercedes for us, as faith, hope, and joy are born again in our hearts as we wait expectantly for the birth of her Son.
One of the most anticipated holidays in America is Thanksgiving. The fourth Thursday of November every year (and its accompanying weekend) is eagerly anticipated, not only because it is a holiday set aside for a day called Thanksgiving Day, but also because it gives the opportunity for many people to rest and be with family or friends for a long weekend.
Meeting pilgrims from the Archdiocese of Ozamiz, Philippines, Nov. 17, Pope Francis said their visits to shrines in Europe dedicated to Mary should remind them that “being followers of Jesus always involves listening to his word, meditating on it in our hearts and then bringing that word to others” as Mary did when she visited her cousin Elizabeth.
“A Christian who is discontented, sad, dissatisfied, or worse still, resentful or rancorous, is not credible” and will not attract anyone to a relationship with Jesus and a life of faith, Pope Francis said Nov. 15 at his weekly general audience.
Fortitude is the virtue of courage and strength. It enables us to endure adversity without giving in to despair. With fortitude we learn how to persevere despite difficult life situations. When life becomes difficult and we are faced with choices, it is the virtue of fortitude that helps us to withstand adversity without making wrong choices. It gives us the strength to choose the right course of action, regardless of the cost or the consequences that our decision may bring to our lives or our situation.
In 2007, on the Feast of the Chair of Peter, Pope Benedict XVI gifted us with his first Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation. The title in Latin, Sacramentum Caritatis, in English, The Sacrament of Charity, or as I prefer, The Sacrament of Love.