A Holy Hour is the Roman Catholic devotional tradition of spending an hour in Eucharistic adoration in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament. A plenary indulgence is granted for this practice. I believe that spending time in the presence of the Lord (the Blessed Sacrament) helps develop our love for Him, thus drawing us ever closer into His life. This past week I met with a gentlemen who told me that when life gets tough, he can always find peace in the silence and presence of the Lord—in all Catholic churches. That is a Catholic Blessing for sure!

Mrs. Agnes (Kurt) Dickenson was nominated and has been accepted by Archbishop Leonard P. Blair to receive the Archdiocese of Hartford’s Saint Joseph Medal of Appreciation Award for 2017. The award ceremony comprises a Liturgy of the Word at 3 p.m. on Sunday March 19th at the Cathedral of Saint Joseph and all are invited

On Sunday, December 4 at the 11 a.m. Mass our parish will experience the Roman Bishop’s Ceremonial Ritual of the consecration of our new altar, which was designed and built specifically for St. Catherine of Siena Parish. And you are invited to watch this unusual and most beautiful ritual happen.

Reconciliation: is the great gift of God’s love—His forgiveness and mercy—and ultimately of His restoration of us back into right relationship with Him, providing us with His friendship. Last weekend as Franciscan Mission Father Emmanuel offered his homily on the Lukan Gospel of the Prodigal Son, we heard of the father’s mercy, love and forgiveness for His wayward son—and we also heard the son asking for his father’s forgiveness.

Continued from last week...The Roman Catholic Church has seven (7) Sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ Himself, no council or synod nor committee of the Vatican created these Sacraments. Christ created them in Divine Wisdom because He and God the Father determined that we need them in our flawed human condition. The Sacraments provide us with God's grace so that we may journey toward salvation.

The Roman Catholic Church has seven (7) Sacraments instituted by Jesus Christ Himself, no council or synod nor committee of the Vatican created these Sacraments. Christ created them in Divine Wisdom because He and God the Father determined that we need them in our flawed human condition. The Sacraments provide us with God's grace so that we may journey toward salvation.

Ash Wednesday and Good Friday are obligatory days of fasting and abstinence for Catholics, as are all Fridays during Lent. For members of the Latin Catholic Church, the norms on fasting are obligatory from age 18 until age 59. When fasting, a person is permitted to eat one full meal, two smaller meals may also be taken, but not to equal a full meal (liquids are allowed at any time, but no solid food should be consumed between meals).

Today we hear from the Gospel of Luke, which will be the primary gospel source for the year. And in this Jubilee Year of Mercy proclaimed by Pope Francis, Luke asks us to understand why he decided to write a gospel, "I too have decided, after investigating everything accurately anew, to write it down in an orderly sequence for you…so that you may realize the certainty of the teachings you have received."

In today’s modern culture the title godparent has become an “honorarium”—recognizing someone special in our lives: a favorite aunt, a best bud from college, or an employer or colleague. But the Church’s definition has not changed, nor has the true, Christ-given role and expectations. First there are criteria for someone to be a godparent, and they are (Canon 874):

In this most Merciful year—from 8 December 2015 through 22 November 2016—Pope Francis wants the Catholic Church to highlight the essence of our lived-out Catholic faith, which is mercy and forgiveness combined with compassion and hope, to show the world what it means to be a disciple of Jesus Christ. This “showing” of our Christ-like way is meant not only in a theological or abstract way, but also in a very practical way—a day-in, day-out sort of way—that will change a person’s life or daily existence in a meaningful way, so that they feel the presence and power of Christ in and through others.

This weekend’s first and gospel readings are apocalyptic and are tied to the end of the Church liturgical year, with the New (liturgical) Year (Advent) nearby. Apocalyptic writings are a message of hope, written in symbolic language about Jesus Christ’s victory over sin and evil, and with the Church on earth working out the details, if you will. Apocalyptic writings are not about future—about-to-happen events—but rather are about what has already happened and is now unfolding or taking place around us. Jesus Christ has died and is risen, overcoming sin and evil. This literature teaches us how evil and Christianity “coexists”—and our role in this “battle.”

Pope Francis’ recent visit was a media-love-affair. It seemed like everyone reporting it was "Catholic" and the Holy Father’s message of love and peace was well received. Some commentators focused on this first-ever pontifical speech to a Joint Session of Congress, others attempted to analyze his United Nations address, still more highlighted the pope’s break-a-way-from-security-forces to kiss a child or bless an elderly person that put fear into the hearts of the Secret Service, but the real message was one of Evangelization.

Christ is all about our healing—and nothing is more important to God then the healing of our soul and the creation of a right relationship between us and the Father, so that we may be with Him forever in the Kingdom. The Sacrament of Reconciliation— or Confession in today’s culture— might be considered the least “used” Sacrament of the Catholic Church...

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ was also known as the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, which translates from Latin to "Body of Christ." This feast originated in France in the mid-thirteenth century and was extended to the whole Church by Pope Urban IV in 1264. This feast is celebrated on the Thursday following the Trinity Sunday or, as in the USA, on the Sunday following that feast. CLICK TO READ MORE...

As we enter into Lent we have some pretty obvious changes in the environment of the Church as well as in the sounds. First, the traditional color of Lent in purple and represents both the penitential aspect of the Season and also the extreme Mercy and Forgiveness of God, extended to all of us through the Sacrament of Reconciliation by the Church. CLICK TO READ ENTIRE ARTICLE...

Many of us have lots of questions about “how to pray” and “what we should pray for.” Some might even have questions about their “power to pray” or if God even “listens to me”. Some wonder to whom I should pray: God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, Mary, and Joseph, another saint or nana. First, God does hear our prayers! Prayer is dialogue with God, and He wants to talk with us. CLICK TO LEARN MORE...