St John Lateran’s Basilica in Rome is the “Mater et Caput”, ‘Mother and head’, of all churches in Rome and the world. This fact is solemnised by the relief that adorns the entrance to the Basilica. The name “Lateran” is derived from the fact that this Basilica was constructed on the territory that belonged to […]
On the Solemnity of All Saints the Church presents all those men and women who have lived their Christian lives to an heroic level and now are enjoying the eternal beatitude in heaven. It is, one might say, a roll call of the Church’s heroes! In this Solemnity, the Church places before us all those […]
November is the month when we remember the Holy Souls in purgatory. The Church calls on us to pray and offer ‘suffrages’ or prayers for the Holy Souls who have died in God’s grace but require final purification before entering Heaven. Over the centuries, countless Saints have called on the faithful to pray for these […]
Today’s society makes the 31 October a big feast. However, there are two types of feast on this day which emphasises the clash of the two primordial “principalities” – between good and evil. On the one hand, the Church celebrates the Vigil of the Feast of All Saints where we rejoice with those who imitated […]
As the 31st October approaches we see little devils, witches, skeletons, pumpkin lanterns and such things filling the shops. To some it seems ‘harmful fun’, to others, a ‘commercial exercise,’ but what should the Catholics view of the festivities of Halloween be? Halloween is thought to have originated from the Celtic festival of Sambain which […]
The month of October is especially dedicated to the Holy Rosary. This tradition originates from Pope St Pius V who wanted to dedicate a feast to Our Lady of the Holy Rosary following the victory at the Battle of Lepanto against the Turkish fleet on the 7th October 1571. Conscious of the great power of […]
Pope Innocent XI instituted the feast of the Holy Name of Mary on the 12th September to thank Our Lady for the victory of the famous battle of Vienna against the Ottoman Empire on the 11th September 1683. On this day, Europe found itself on the brink of distruction. The Ottoman forces had invaded Vienna […]
Prayer to Mary, Queen of Heaven by Pope Pius XII From the depths of this vale of tears where sorrowing humanity makes weary progress, through the surges of this sea of ours, endlessly buffeted by the winds of passion, we raise our eyes to you, O most beloved Mother Mary, to be comforted by the […]
The Rosary is the favourite prayer of Popes and saints alike. It is therefore not surprising that we find a very powerful image that symbolises the power of the Rosary in Michelangelo’s Last Judgement in the Sistine Chapel, which is the Main Chapel of the Popes. Looking closely at the detail we can see two […]
Prayer To The Blessed Virgin Mary on the Solemnity of the Assumption By Pope Pius XII On the Occasion of the Proclamation of the Dogma of the Assumption Pope Pius XII dedicated this beautiful prayer to Our Blessed Mother. O, Immaculate Virgin Mother of God and Mother of Men, we believe with all the […]