Pompeo Batoni (1708-1787) is the painter who depicted the most famous image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. He was born in Lucca in 1708 and his father was a skilled goldsmith who imposed the family trade on his son. As a youth, Batoni displayed his ability in the engraving and decoration of precious metals […]
The practice of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was spread due to Jesus’ private revelations to St Margaret Mary Alacoque, a nun of the Paray le Monial Convent in Paris, and was propagated by her confessor the Jesuit, Fr Claude de la Combiere (1641-1682). The feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated for […]
The Feast of Corpus Christi is celebrated in the Catholic Church on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday or, in some places, it is transferred to the Sunday. The feast was instituted to honour the Lord’s presence in the Blessed Sacrament. There were 2 separate miracles that lead to the institution of the feast in […]
In this month of June, in which we are preparing to celebrate the feast of Corpus Christi, we will delve into the explanation of the Disputation of the Blessed Sacrament (1509) by Raphael that was realized in one of what is commonly recognised as Pope Julius II apartments in the Vatican: the room of the […]
To rediscover and recover our faith it is necessary to start from the very foundations which are expressed in the Symbol of the Faith, which is the Creed. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that from the very origins of Christianity “the apostolic Church expressed and handed on her faith in brief formulae normative […]
Dear friends, we have finally arrived at the month of May which is considered the Marian Month par excellence! We would like to start our meditation with the very words of the Virgin of Revelation: “The Hail Mary’s that you say with faith and love are like golden arrows to the heart of Jesus.” Therefore, […]
The account of Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles is filled with powerful imagery. The Holy Spirit overcomes the confines of the Upper Room where the Apostles are gathered and, with the sound of wind and the appearance of tongues of fire, descends on each of them. The effects are instant. The Church is […]
Today’s liturgy gives us the opportunity to meditate on three key words: Ascension, go and heaven. These words can help us to contemplate the mystery of the Ascension of the Lord. First and formost, there is the word, “Ascension”. Both the first and second readings from today’s Solemnity speak of the Lord’s Ascension: “[…] […]
Our devotion to Mary and our Marian devotions. The month of May is the Marian month par excellence, rich with feasts dedicated to Our Blessed Mother. It is a time when there are frequent pilgrimages to shrines and there is a deep desire to pray to Our Lady in a special way. It is also […]
In our meditation for the month of May we would like to share the beautiful words that Pope Francis spoke at St Mary Majors Basilica, Rome on the 4th May 2013. The Holy Father reminds us that the Virgin Mary watches over us and helps us to mature. Mary is the model for every mother, […]