Catholic Fire

First, recite the Prayer to the Immaculate Conception.  Then, recite the appropriate prayer of each of the nine days. PRAYER TO THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION O God,  who by the Immaculate Conception  of the Blessed Virgin Mary,  did prepare a worthy dwelling place for Your Son,  we beseech You that, as by the foreseen death of this, Your Son, You did preserve Her from all stain,  so too You would permit us, purified through Her intercession,  to come unto You.  Through the same Lord Jesus Christ,  Your Son, who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit,  God, world without end.  Amen.     Day One O most Holy Virgin, who was pleasing to the Lord and became His mother, immaculate in body and spirit, in faith and in love, look kindly on me as I implore your powerful intercession. O most Holy Mother, who by your blessed Immaculate Conception, from the first moment o...

Photo Copyright Jean M. Heimann 2014 "The priesthood is the love of the heart of Jesus.  When you see a priest, think of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  ~ St. John Mary Vianney Greed doesn't sum up the priesthood. The average priest makes under $35,000 per year. Sexism doesn't sum up the priesthood. Jesus ordained men, but women never had to be priests to be important in the Church. In fact, some of the most important people in Church history have been women. Abuse doesn't sum up the priesthood. There were 9 credible allegations of child abuse in 2013, out of about 40,000 US priests. That percentage is lower than virtually every other profession that serves children. Of course one case of abuse is too many. Inexcusable. But nine don't sum up the character of tens of thousands of good men. One word sums up the priesthood: Love. Not the flawed love of human beings. Priests are humans like the rest of us. I’m talking about the Love that created space and time...

By Jean M. Heimann “Prayer is nothing else than an intimate friendship, a frequent heart-to-heart conversation with Him, Who we know loves us.” ~ St. Teresa of Avila Are you simply going through the motions when you pray or are you on fire for your faith? Sometimes, as Catholics, we get into the rut of performing our spiritual practices out of habit without really thinking about what we’re doing.  We get into a certain routine that has become dull and we don’t know how to put the life back into it. Or we may fear that if we discontinue or alter our routine, God will punish us by distancing himself from us or by allowing bad things to happen in our lives. How can we get back on track and pump up our prayer life? We need to be able to pray with conviction. Our primary reason for prayer should be because we love God, who is our Creator and our Savior.  As such, He deserves our praise and we, in turn, desperately need his grace.  When we pray with conviction, we p...

This Thanksgiving weekend I have been listening to the dulcet and ethereal soprano voices of the Boys of St. Paul’s Choir School on their new album, Christmas in Harvard Square. The only Catholic choir school for boys of its kind in the United States, the Boys of St. Paul’s Choir School, is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its school, which coincides with the Nativity of Christ.  The choir, which has performed at Carnegie Hall and in St. Peter’s Square at a papal audience with Pope Francis, has been under the direction of John Robinson, who hails from the U.K. and came up in the boys choir schools in Cambridge, U.K. The 19-track album, which runs 61: 04 minutes, contains both traditional and contemporary arrangements, including some original arrangements by John Robinson, director of music and at the Choir School and the parish of St. Paul. The album features such traditional favorites as: O Come All Ye Faithful, Hark! The Herald Angels Sing, In the Bleak of Midwinter, and...

The liturgical season of Advent begins on the First Sunday in Advent , November 30, 2014, opening a new year in our Church's Calendar. The word Advent is from the Latin adventus, which means "coming" and is associated with the four weeks of preparation for Christmas. Advent blends together a penitential spirit, very similar to Lent, a liturgical theme of preparation for the Second and Final Coming of the Lord, called the Parousia, and a joyful theme of getting ready for the birth of Christ. Advent is a season of waiting, a season filled with hope. Here are ten tips for making this Advent Season a holier one for you and your family: 1. Take the entire family, as often as possible, to daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, and to the sacrament of Reconciliation. On days when you are unable to attend Mass, read and reflect on the Scriptures for that day. 2. Use an Advent calendar and/or a wreath to mark this time of preparation. Pray Advent prayers with the fami...

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Today, November 27, is the Feast of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. Devotion to and wearing of the Miraculous Medal is second to the Rosary in popularity among traditional Catholic devotions. History In 1830, the Blessed Virgin Mary revealed the design of the Miraculous Medal to St. Catherine Laboure in an apparition. In Paris, on June 6, 1830, the Lord appeared to the young (age 24) Daughter of Charity novice Catherine at Mass, and again on the nights of July 18-19 when she was summoned to the chapel by a beautiful "child clothed in white" to converse with the Virgin Mary. Catherine was told prophecies and charged with "a mission" that manifested itself on November 27 in an early morning (5:30am) appearance of the Blessed Virgin who was "clothed in white" standing on a globe and "a serpent." Rays of light issued forth from rings on her fingers and Catherine was told to commission a medal of what she was seeing. Then, tur...

Thanking God today for all of you, my dear readers. May you and your loved ones have a beautiful and blessed Thanksgiving! Jean

Fr. Barron interprets this parable from Matthew 22 :

The amazing Pat Gohn graciously invited me to her popular Among Women podcast. We discussed the saints and virtues which are profiled in my new book Seven Saints for Seven Virtue s . You can listen HERE . Seven Saints for Seven Virtues is available at  Amazon , Barnes & Nobles , Franciscan Media, and at Catholic bookstores. You can read my review of Pat Gohn's beautiful book Blessed, Beautiful and Bodacious HERE. Related Posts: Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious (video) It was wonderful to be there, but it's great to be back!

Today the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Andrew Dung-Lac, priest and martyr, and companions, martyrs. There are 117 martyrs in this group and although they died at different times, they were all canonized by Pope John Paul II on June 19, 1988. Of the group, 96 were Vietnamese, 11 were Spaniards, and 10 were French. There were 8 bishops, 50 priests and 59 lay Catholics in the group. Of the priests, 11 were Dominicans, 10 belonged to the Paris Mission Society, and the rest were diocesan priests plus one seminarian. Certain individual martyrs were mentioned by name in the process of canonization: Andrew Dung-Lac, a diocesan priest; Thomas Tran-Van-Thien, a seminarian; Emmanuel Le-Van-Pung, father of a family; the Dominican bishops Jerome Hermosilla and Valentine Berrio-Ochoa; and John Theophane Venard. ~Excerpted from Saints of the Roman Calendar by Enzo Lodi St. Andrew Dung-Lac's name was originally Dung An Trân, and he was born about 1795 in a poor and pagan family i...

Happy Sunday! Meet Jasmine Marie, aka Jazzy, who supervises all my work, whether it be cooking or writing, she is right there beside me. Welcome to Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival! We are a group of Catholic bloggers who gather weekly to share our best posts with each other. Be sure to visit RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing to check out the great posts from other bloggers participating in Sunday Snippets this week. My best posts for this week include: St. Cecilia: Patron of Poets and Musicians St. Catherine of Alexandria: Patroness of Single Women The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Papal Quote of the day: Holiness Who was St. Bernward? Humanum 2014: A New Affirmation of Marriage Novena to Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal begins today St. Agnes of Assisi: Co-founder of the Poor Clares Papal Quote of the Day: Call to Conversion for Christians of Appearances Saint Rose Philippine Duchesne: The "Woman-Who-Prays-Always...

Today the Church celebrates the memorial of St. Cecilia, virgin and martyr. St. Cecilia, patroness of musicians, is one of the most famous and most venerated of Roman martyrs. It is believed that St. Cecilia was born in the 2nd or 3rd century A.D., although the dates of her birth and martyrdom are unknown. Tradition tells us that Cecilia was a Roman girl of a patrician family who had been brought up as a Christian. She fasted often and wore a coarse garment beneath her rich clothing. Although she had consecrated her virginity to God, her father betrothed her to a young pagan named Valerian. When the wedding day arrived, Cecilia sat apart from her guests, repeating psalms and praying. After the ceremony, when the guests had departed and she was alone with her husband, Cecilia made known her great desire to remain a virgin, saying that she already had a lover, an angel of God who was very jealous. Valerian, shaken by fear, anger, and suspicion, said to her: “Show me this ange...

On November 25, we celebrate the memorial of St. Catherine of Alexandria (292 - 310), virgin and martyr. Catherine was beautiful, brilliant, and extremely wealthy at the age of eighteen when she debated the Emperor Maximin (311-313) and harshly criticized him for his persecution of Christians who refused to worship pagan gods. Astounded by her wisdom, Maximin ordered her to be kept confined, and summoned fifty of his most learned philosophers, promising them great rewards if they could get Catherine to abandon her Christian faith. However, her arguments were so convincing that all fifty of the philosophers were converted to Christianity. Outraged by this, Maximin ordered all of them to be burned alive. Then the Emperor attempted to win Catherine by flattery and by promises, but his efforts proved equally fruitless. Next, he had her thrown into a dungeon, without food and water. He ordered her whipped with rods, scourged with leaden nodules, and then left to languish eleven days...

Advent is only one week away! Are you ready? Have you purchased your Advent Magnificat Companion? Starting today and running through next Thursday-Thanksgiving Day- I will be running a drawing for a giveaway of three electronic Magnificats for use on your computer, cell phone,or Ipad. To enter, just send your name and address to jean.heimann@gmail.com with the subject title Advent Magnificat Companion.  Winners will be notified on Friday, November 28. Description A perfect way to live Advent to the full this year. This Companion features original meditations on the Gospel reading of each day by nineteen gifted authors. Each issue of the Advent Companion is never the same as the last and contains these one-of-a-kind extras that you won’t find anywhere else: - a variety of beautiful blessings and essays - an Advent Penance Service - specially-commissioned poetry - a unique feature: the Advent Stations

Today, November 21, is the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.   The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary celebrates the fact that the parents of Our Lady brought her to the Temple and handed her over to live there for a long period as a virgin consecrated to the Temple, contemplating God exclusively.  Also known as the Dedication of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the feast originated in the East, where it is called the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos Into the Temple. History of the Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary The Protoevangelium of James (7-8), and the writing entitled "De nativit. Mariae" (7-8), state that Joachim and Anna, faithful to a vow they had made, presented the child Mary in the Temple when she was three years old; that the child herself mounted the Temple steps, and that she made her vow of virginity on this occasion. St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Germanus of Constantinople adopt this report; it is also followed b...

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"The call to holiness is not just for bishops, priests or religious ... No. We are all called to become saints! So often, we are tempted to think that holiness is granted only to those who have the opportunity to break away from the ordinary tasks, to devote themselves to prayer. But it is not so! Some people think that holiness is closing your eyes and putting on a pious face... No! That is not holiness! Holiness is something greater, more profound that God gifts us. Indeed, it is by living with love and offering Christian witness in our daily tasks that we are called to become saints." ~ Pope Francis speaking in his General Audience on Wednesday, November 19, 2014

Br. Joseph Ryan takes you on a brief tour of St. Benedict's Abbey in Atchison, KS. For more information, see their website: http://www.kansasmonks.org

The saint of the day for November 20 is St. Bernward, who was the thirteenth Bishop of Hildesheim, Germany. He was also an architect, painter, sculptor, and metal smith. Born in 1022, he came from a noble Saxon family. His grandfather was Athelbero, Count Palatine of Saxony. Having lost his parents at a young age, he was entrusted to the care of his uncle, Bishop Volkmar of Utrecht. He was educated at the cathedral school at Heidelberg, where he made rapid progress in Christian piety as well as in the sciences and in the liberal and mechanical arts. He became very proficient in mathematics, painting, architecture, and primarily in the manufacture of ecclesiastical vessels and ornaments of silver and gold. He completed his studies at Mainz, where he was ordained as a priest by Archbishop Willigis, Chancellor of the Empire (975-1011).  In 987, he was appointed as chaplain of the imperial court, and was shortly afterwards selected by the Empress-Regent Theophano to tutor her six...

The Vatican is currently sponsoring (November 17 - 19) an international and interreligious colloquium on the  complementarity of man and woman, entitled Humanum, which includes leaders and scholars from many religions across the globe, to examine and propose anew the beauty of the relationship between the man and the woman, in order to support and reinvigorate marriage and family life for the flourishing of human society. The organizers have released six extraordinary videos on marriage. Filmed around the world and containing interviews with people like Fr. Robert Barron, Dr. Peter Kreeft, and N.T. Wright, the short films evocatively display timeless truths about men, women, and the family’s role in humanity. The videos can be found on YouTube and are useful tools to those involved in the marriage and family ministry. They are just beautiful! Here is the latest video in the series:

(Recite this prayer for nine consecutive days.) O Immaculate Virgin Mary, Mother of Our Lord Jesus and our Mother, penetrated with the most lively confidence in your all-powerful and never-failing intercession, manifested so often through the Miraculous Medal, we your loving and trustful children implore you to obtain for us the graces and favors we ask during this novena, if they be beneficial to our immortal souls, and the souls for whom we pray. (Here mention your petition) You know, O Mary, how often our souls have been the sanctuaries of your Son who hates iniquity. Obtain for us then a deep hatred of sin and that purity of heart which will attach us to God alone so that our every thought, word and deed may tend to His greater glory. Obtain for us also a spirit of prayer and self-denial that we may recover by penance what we have lost by sin and at length attain to that blessed abode where you are the Queen of angels and of men. Amen.

November 19, is the feast of Saint Agnes of Assisi (Catarina di Favarone) according to the Franciscan calendar.  She is the younger of sister of Saint Clare of Assisi, and Abbess of the Poor Ladies of Assisi, and co-foundress of the Poor Clares.  Born in Assisi, Catarina was the youngest daughter of Count Favorino Scifi and Countess Hortulana (now Blessed). Catarina was later named Agnes by St. Francis of Assisi when she became a nun. Catarina was a beautiful girl who was gentle, prayerful, and kind. On March 18, 1212, Clare renounced her inheritance and family and founded the Poor Clares, the Franciscan cloistered Order. Catarina joined her sixteen days later at the Benedictine cloister of St. Angelo in Panso, where they received their initial training. Her father, Count Favorino, sent knights to carry her away.  They tried to drag her out of the monastery, kicking and striking her, but all of a sudden her body became so heavy that several of the men could n...

The beauty of marriage between man and woman and its importance transcends divisions and beliefs. That's what several participants of the Humanum conference have seen on its first day. SR. PRUDENCE ALLEN Religious Sisters of Mercy (USA) "There are a few people, many people in this interfaith dynamic at the conference which is incredible where you can see the witness to marriage and the beauty and power of marriage in all the different religious traditions. How it's good, it's true, it's unifying, it's one, it's beautiful.” In his address, Cardinal Müller explained that the complementarity of man and woman is important both in human relationships and in the relationship with God. CARD. GERHARD MÜLLER Prefect, Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith "Their union reveals how each one are a mutual help to walk towards the Creator, God, who is beginning and end of the world and of mankind.” Lord Jonathan Sacks, the former Chief Rabbi of the ...

"There is a second call" [to] "those who live by appearances, Christians of appearances." "Appearances are these Christians shroud: they are dead." [And the Lord] "calls them to conversion". "Am I one of these Christians of appearances? Am I alive inside, do I have a spiritual life? Do I hear the Holy Spirit, do I listen to the Holy Spirit, do I  move forward, or ...? But, if everything looks good, I have nothing to reproach myself about: I have a good family, people do not gossip about me, I have everything I need, I married in church ...I am 'in the grace of God', I am alright. Appearances! Christians of appearance ... they are dead! Instead [we must] seek something alive within ourselves, and with memory and vigilance, reinvigorate this so we can move forward. Convert: from appearances to reality. From being neither hot nor cold to fervor". ~ Pope Francis in his homily on conversion at Mass at Santa Marta on November ...

November 18th is the optional memorial of St. Rose Philippine Duchesne. Saint Rose was born on August 29, 1769 at Grenoble, France to a family of wealth and political connections. When she was eight years old, she heard a Jesuit missionary speak of his missionary work in America, which sparked a strong desire within her to evangelize. She was educated at home until she was 12 years old, when she was sent to the convent of the Visitation nuns in Grenoble to continue her studies. She joined them when she was 19 without the permission or knowledge of her family. Her convent closed quite abruptly during the Reign of Terror of the French Revolution. She spent the next ten years living as a laywoman, but continued to live as if she were still with her Order. She established a school for poor children, cared for the sick and hid priests from the Revolutionaries. When the Reign of Terror ended, she reclaimed her convent and attempted to reestablish it with a small group of sisters. How...

"For most of us, the family provides the principal place where we can begin to 'breathe' values and ideals, as well to realize our full capacity for virtue and charity. At the same time, as we know, families are places of tensions: between egoism and altruism, reason and passion, immediate desires and long-range goals. But families also provide frameworks for resolving such tensions." - Pope Francis, in his address to the Colloquium on  “The Complementarity of Man and Woman in Marriage," November 17, 2014

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis on Monday confirmed he will be attending the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia next year. “I wish to confirm according to the wishes of the Lord, that in September of 2015, I will go to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families,” said Pope Francis.  “Thank you for your prayers with which you accompany my service to the Church. Bless you from my heart.” The Holy Father speaking at the beginning of a Colloquium on Complementarity of Man and Woman happening in Rome which was sponsored by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The World Meeting of Families takes place September 22-27, 2015, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA), and has as its theme “Love is Our Mission: The Family fully alive.”

While so many of us are entertained and fascinated by the lifestyles of royalty and their romantic adventures in movies, St. Elizabeth was a genuine princess, who served as an exemplary model of the heroic virtues of charity and humility. The authentic biography of her life, devoid of the legends and the rumors, is a true love story. Born in Bratislava, Hungary in 1207, Princess Elizabeth was the daughter of King Andrew of Hungary and his wife Gertrude. Her aunt was St. Hedwig and her great niece was St. Elizabeth of Portugal. Elizabeth was betrothed at the age of four to Prince Herman of Thuringia (in central Germany) and grew up in his father's court. In 1216, Hermann, who Elizabeth was to marry, died; after this she then became engaged to Ludwig, the second son. The couple married when she was fourteen and he was twenty - one.  She loved him and bore him three children. They were very happy together and deeply devoted to one another. Ludwig was protective of his wife and...

The First Snow has arrived! The view from my front door. ♪ It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!♫ Welcome to Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival! We are a group of Catholic bloggers who gather weekly to share our best posts with each other. Be sure to visit RAnn at This, That and the Other Thing to check out the great posts from other bloggers participating in Sunday Snippets this week. My posts for this week include: Book Review: Praying Made Me Catholic St. Albert the Great: Patron of Students, Scientists, and Medical Technicians Novena to Christ the King Grieving Father sings to his dying newborn son after the death of his wife Seven Quick Takes: Why I love Fall St. Lawrence O'Toole: Pious Peacemaker Novena to St. Cecilia starts today Pilgrimage to celebrate the 500th anniversary of St. Teresa of Avila's birth unveiled American Bishops publish a new online version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church St. Francis Xa...

By Justin S. Steele, Imprimatur: Most Rev. Michael O. Jackels, released April 5, 2013, 260 pages, Light of Christ Press, Available in paperback ($14.95.) from Light of Christ Press . Justin S. Steele graduated in 2012 with a Masters degree in Theology from Newman University in Wichita, KS. He serves as a full-time Youth Minister. He and his wife have four children and one on the way. Reviewed by JEAN M. HEIMANN, M. A. Theology, author of Seven Saints for Seven Virtues , freelance writer, psychologist, and oblate with the Community of St. John. Praying Made Me Catholic: With the Biblical and Historical Reasons Why I Must Remain Catholic  is Justin S. Steele’s captivating conversion story. Raised as a non-denominational Christian, Steele was taught many Protestant and Seventh-day Adventist misconceptions about the Catholic Church, which distorted his perceptions of Catholicism. However, that did not prevent him from learning the truth. Thirteen family moves (due to dad’s w...

By Jean M. Heimann Today, November 15, the Church celebrates St. Albert the Great, "the light of Germany", uniquely named the “Universal Doctor” because of his vast knowledge and writings. He was the greatest German philosopher and theologian of the Middle Ages. A Dominican priest and the Bishop of Regensburg, Germany, he was the first of the medieval academics to apply Aristotle’s philosophy to Christian thought. Albert was born in Lauingen on the Danube, near Ulm, Germany in 1206 to a knight from a noble family. As a young man, he studied at the University of Padua and there he met Blessed Jordan of Saxony, the Dominican who made the rounds of the universities of Europe, attracting the best young men of the universities into the Dominicans. At age 16, Albert entered the Dominican Order and was ordained a priest in 1228. He was then sent to teach in Cologne, where he was renown for his lectures on the Sentences of Peter Lombard. After several teaching assignments i...