Saint Anne, Our Heavenly Grandmother

So often in our Christian Faith, we forget about the human side of Christ’s divine life. He was born to Mary, just as Mary was born to Saint Anne. Saint Anne was the Lord’s maternal Grandmother, and is considered our Heavenly Grandmother, too.

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Here’s to All the Grandma Types

In 2001, Alice Solomon, a syndicated newspaper columnist, published her first book. Love, Sex and the Single Gorgeous Grandma: Reflections on Being Single over 50 was an extension of her column A Guide for Gorgeous Grandmas for the Metro West Daily News. Alice Solomon is the founder of Gorgeous Grandma Day.

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Mary Magdalene and Simple Goodness

July 22 marks the Feast of Saint Mary Magdalene. She is no longer saddled with the mistaken identity of Prostitute. Hers is a story of torment, forgiveness and is key in understanding Christ.

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Our Lady of Carmel and Friday’s Taco Feast

The Carmelite Order and dedication to the Virgin Mary has a long history among the Faithful. The Oral Tradition of the Catholic Church traces the Carmelite Order to the Prophet Elijah on Mount Carmel in what is now Palestine.

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If It’s Friday This Must Be . . .

A fabulous day for fish! In our house, Fridays are fabulous as well as meatless. Every Friday is like a Friday of Lent. Partially due to faith and old school teachings, but also because eating fish is good for you.

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One Feast Day For Two Saints

On June 29th the Church celebrates the Feast Day of Saints Peter and Paul. As early as the year 258, there is evidence supporting the celebration of the solemnities of both saints together. While the two knew of one another, you really couldn’t classify them as friends or even associates.

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Summertime and the Catfish Are Jumping

Oh my, that Catfish looks more like a shark with whiskers. With nearly 3,000 known species, catfish are one of the most divers groups of vertebrates on the planet.

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The Nativity of John the Baptist

Few Nativities, or birthdays are celebrated within the liturgical year. The feast days of Saints are celebrated on the day of their death, their birth into eternal life in heaven. While there are exceptions to the death date, only three Nativities are celebrated in the liturgical year.

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A Most Sacred Friday

Today is the Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost. Pentecost Sunday occurs fifty days after Easter Sunday. And Easter Sunday happens on the first Sunday of a full moon after March 21, the spring equinox. Oh so complicated. In simple terms; Sacred Heart is 19 days after Pentecost.

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Corpus Christi and the Beauty of Eggs

Today is the first Thursday after Trinity Sunday, sixty days beyond Easter. Within the Catholic Church, today is the Feast of Corpus Christi. This day solemnly commemorates the institution of the Holy Eucharist. Among Roman Catholics, Anglican and Western Orthodox faiths, it is the celebration of the physical presence of the Body and Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ in the elements of the Eucharist.

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Trinity Sunday and Yucatan Goodness

Tomorrow is Memorial Day – and the start of another awesome Grilling Season. Before we get to all that awesome foods plucked from our grills, let’s take a moment to talk about today.

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Ember Days Classic Coq au Vin

Today is the third and final Ember Days of Summer. Ember Days can be traced back to the early days of the Church in Rome. The argument often heard by Catholics is that Ember Days are based not on faith and scripture but on paganism. That it isn’t “Christian”.

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Moo to Ember Days of Summer

Today is Ember Days Friday of Summer. It is the first Friday following Pentecost Sunday. Summer Embers Days are meant to remind us to give thanks for God’s blessings of Nature and to appreciate those who toil the land. There is a great place of honor for those who labor in the fields, tend to the flocks and care for the land.

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Ember Wednesday of Summer

Today is the first Wednesday following Pentecost Sunday. On the Catholic Calendars of old, it would have been a day of fasting and prayer as Ember Days of Pentecost, or Ember Days of Summer. Four times a year, particular Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays were once distinct days of devotion in the early Church.

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Pentecost Sunday Supper

Pentecost, like Easter, is a moveable feast. Pentecost is dependent upon Easter. While Easter falls on the first Sunday after the March Equinox of March 21, Pentecost Sunday occurs fifty days after Easter Sunday. Confused? Don’t be.

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