Oh When The Saints

Come Marching In. Today is All Saints Day. I can’t help it, when I think All Saints then I hear music and suddenly I’m transported to a place I’ve only seen in my dreams – New Orleans. More on that later.

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The Spinning Sun of Fatima

Of all the visions and miracles attributed to Our Lady, Fatima is by far my favorite. Don’t ask me why, it just is. For those unfamiliar, the visions of Our Lady of Fatima began on May 13, 1917 in the city of Fatima, Portugal. Our Lady appeared to three children over the course of six consecutive months, on the 13th day of each month.

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Our Lady of the Rosary

Sometimes history and faith intertwine and the perspective of the faithful cannot be separated from the events of the day. The Holy League existed. They won a decisive victory over the Ottoman Fleet at the Battle of Lepanto in the Gulf of Patras on October 7, 1571. Of that there is no doubt.

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Celebrating a Saint with Tacos

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Francis of Assisi. He is the patron saint of animals and the environment. Many churches hold a special mass outdoors so children can bring their beloved pets to church for a blessing. Often churches ask the faithful to bring animal food or blankets that can be collected and donated to a local animal shelter.

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Guardian Angels and A Fried Scallop Feast

A belief in guardian angels isn’t exclusive to Christians. Guardian Angels can be found throughout all antiquities. Babylonians and Assyrians testified to the existence of Guardian Angels through the art that once decorated palaces. Bible doctrine on the subject is clear. Yet one does not have to embrace a religious foundation to believe in angels, especially Guardian Angels.

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Our Feast of the Archangels

Today the Church honors the Holy Archangels. While the Church acknowledges that there are seven Archangels, only three are mentioned by name in Scripture; Gabriel, Michael and Raphael. Of the three, only Michael is specifically called an Archangel.

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Ember Days and Lobster

Today is National Lobster Day. Let’s talk about the gold standard of the seafood industry for a moment. When settlers first landed in America, lobsters were in such abundance that they actually washed up on shore in piles nearly two-feet high. They were thought of as the cockroaches of the sea.

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Autumn Ember Days and Grilled Salmon

Ember Days are among the most confusing of Catholic practices. Ember Days are by their very nature an extension of our agrarian roots. Yet most Catholics today are unfamiliar with the term Ember Days let alone how to observe them.

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Ember Days Wednesday and the Autumn Equinox

Can you feel the changes in the air? Today is the Autumn Equinox, the first day of fall in the northern hemisphere. For us, summer is officially over. While some celebrate the Autumn Equinox all day, an Equinox is not a day-long event.

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Life’s Questions and Roasted Garlic Spaghetti

Are you a fan of history? I am – the past fascinates me. Not just the events themselves, but the human element behind it. The whys and hows and eventual outcome. Every deed, no matter how seemingly unimportant at the time, are like a pebble tossed onto the waters. The ripples span out in ways we might not yet fully understand.

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Our Lady of Sorrow

The title of Our Lady of Sorrows was given to our Blessed Mother to focus on her intense suffering of unimaginable grief during the passion and death of her son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Traditionally, Mary’s suffering was not limited to the events surrounding the crucifixion.

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Celebrating Faith and Food

Within the Christian calendar, and in particular the Roman Catholic Liturgical Year, September 14th is a day of veneration of the Holy Cross. This day goes by various names among the faithful. The Exaltation of the Holy Cross (within the Eastern Rite), The Triumph of the Cross (Roman Rite) or simply Holy Cross Day (Angelic and Lutheran communities).

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Celebrating the Nativity of Mary

Today we celebrate a life lived that was once largely hidden from view. Mary’s theological and historical significance had remained somewhat veiled until the Council of Ephesus in 431 formally declared her to the world as the Mother of God. That is not to say until the Council of Ephesus, we did not know our Blessed Mother. The Council simply acknowledged the title God had already bestowed to her.

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Saint Teresa of Calcutta and a Simple Fire-Grilled Pizza

The Bible tells us that we (all of human kind) are created in the image of God. Yet people get image, as in outward appearances, confused with who we are inside. It is the human spirit that is the image of God.

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Take a Pause for A Day in History

On May 8, 1945 the world embraced V-E Day (Victory in Europe) and while the Nazis had formally accepted defeat, the war itself was not yet over. Death and destruction continued to rage on in the East. And America turned all its attention to defeating Japan.

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