St. John Paul II instituted the Luminous Mysteries of the rosary, or the "Mysteries of Light," in his October 2002 letter on the rosary. In his document, the pope asks that they be recited especially on Thursdays.
The one, holy, catholic and apostolic church is a communion of particular churches, each united in faith and headed by a bishop in communion with the bishop of Rome, but the expression “particular church” may also be taken in another sense, to refer to an organically united communion of particular churches which shares a distinct canonical, theological, liturgical and spiritual heritage.
Not long ago, I was sorting through some of my Dad’s old papers and I came across a candy wrapper and a Father’s Day card tucked into an envelope that bore a March 2001 postmark from Rome. Seeing it brought back happy memories of a sabbatical I spent living and working in Rome for several spring months.
There comes a moment when something clicks. At a book club or a Bible study. In a carpool circle or a coffee shop. A connection is made, and a gathering turns into a group, taking on a life of its own.
The elderly gentleman seemed a bit bewildered as he hovered at the threshold of the Birthright of Fredericksburg office. Director Rosemary O’Grady was just opening the office and invited him in. Sensing some confusion and hesitancy in him, she suspected that the visitor was probably in the wrong place. Actually, he was right where he wanted to be, and he had a story to tell.
For all practical purposes or at least most, the Supreme Court likely has already decided the most important abortion-related case to come before it in nearly half a century. But the decision is known only to a tiny handful of tight-lipped people, while the rest of us won’t find out for more than three months.
We are now far enough into Lent to remember how hard it is to keep the lofty promises one made to oneself on Ash Wednesday.
With diocesan schools closed for the next two weeks, the continued spread of COVID-19 and all the news coverage, many parents are wondering how best to talk to their children about the new coronavirus.
The Italian government has declared the entire country a "red zone" for the coronavirus epidemic, asking everyone to stay home. But people may leave their homes to buy groceries, go to the pharmacy and go to work "if necessary." What is "necessary" was not strictly defined, so the six members of the Catholic News Service Rome Bureau just tried to be smart, safe and socially responsible.
Accept the challenge
The fourth Sunday of Lent is Laetare Sunday, the Sunday of “rejoicing.” (In Latin, “Laetare” means “to rejoice.”) We have reached the midpoint of Lent, and soon we will celebrate Easter. To show our joy, priests may wear rose vestments instead of violet, and altars may be decorated with flowers.