Catholic Fire

St. Augustine preaching before King Ethelbert On May 27th, we honor St. Augustine of Canterbury, an Italian Benedictine monk who became the first Archbishop of Canterbury in the year 598. He is not be confused with the earlier St. Augustine of Hippo, the famous author of the Confessions and City of God . St. Augustine of Canterbury (sometimes referred to as “Saint Augustine the Lesser”)  founded the famous See of Canterbury and preached the Catholic faith to the country's Anglo-Saxon pagans during the late sixth and early seventh centuries. The Catholic faith had already been accepted among England's original Celtic inhabitants, in earlier times; but from the mid-fifth century on, the country was controlled by Anglo-Saxon invaders who did not accept Christianity, and were not converted by the small number of isolated Celtic Christians. Thus, England largely had to be evangelized anew. Augustine was the prior of a monastery in Rome when Pope Gregory the Great chose ...

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

Pope Francis has asked all religious to "wake up the world." The monks of St. Benedict's Abbey invite you to consider a vocation to the monastic life, and join them in serving the Church as witnesses to a sleeping world.

The saint of the day for February 21 is St. Peter Damian, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, who was one of the Church's greatest reformers in the Middle Ages. Peter was the youngest child born to a large family in Ravenna, Italy in 1007. His parents both died when he was young and he was placed in the care of one of his brothers, who treated him like a slave. His oldest brother, a priest in Ravenna, rescued him and sent him away to study. Peter was brilliant and excelled in his studies (theology and cannon law), later returning to Ravena as a professor. Unable to endure the scandals and distractions of university life, he joined a group of Benedictine monks living in northern Italy. There he became a prior at the young age of 36: a position he held unto his death. While at the hermitage, Peter performed austere penances to the extent that he developed near permanent insomnia and was forced to modify them. Although living in the cloister, Peter kept close watch on the Church ...

Benedictine monks in Norcia, Italy, celebrate their first year of beer production. It looks like a good way to evangelize!

CHANTED BY THE BENEDICTINE MONKS OF SAN DOMINGO de SILOS, SPAIN This Video Consists of 3 Chants: 1. Give peace, O Lord, to them that patiently wait for Thee, that Thy prophets may be found faithful: hear the prayers of Thy servant, and of Thy people Israel:I rejoiced at the things that were said to me: we shall go into the house of the Lord. V.: Glory be to the Father . . . -- Give peace, O Lord etc.(introit- in mode 1, from the 'Liber Usualis' No. 1056a) --- 2. and AFTER is Alleluia AT 4:53 - they sing- Dies sanctificatus illuxit nobis: (A hallowed day has dawned for us:) venite gentes, et adorate Dominum; (come all, and adore the Lord;) qui hodie descendit, lux magna super terram. (for today has descended a great light on the earth.Alleluia) -Christmas 3rd week ---- 3. FOLLOWED BY the 'Salve Regina' or 'Hail Holy Queen' at 6:48 to end. ~ Via Catholiques1.

Night Prayer (Prayers at the End of the Day) is the final church service (or Office) of the day in the Christian tradition of canonical hours. Benedictine Monks at Le Barroux,France chanting THE END of Compline, -Salve Regina, Final Benediction and Angelus-(traditional-Full Communion with Holy See) For the translation of this prayer from Latin to English, go here. ~ My thanks to Catholiques for this beautiful video.

You have not chosen Me: but I have chosen you; and have appointed you, that you should go and should bring forth fruit; and your fruit should remain: that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you. ~ John 15:16

Te Deum Laudamus (Chanted by the Benedictine Monks Abbaye Saint-Maurice- Clervaux, Luxembourg 1998). The mp3 for this chant is here. Video via Catholiques. Today's feast honors all the saints of the Church, known and unknown, whose virtues and efforts in this life are considered to have earned them an eternal reward with God. On this day, Catholics are asked to reflect on holiness and sainthood and to celebrate the holiness of men and women who gave their lives in faithfulness and service to God, and whose witness continues to inspire us today. According to tradition, Catholics did honor Christian martyrs on May 13. Pope Boniface IV created Feast of All Martyrs in 615. Pope Gregory IV changed the date to November 1 to put in the place of pagan festivities in 844. He also moved it on the practical grounds that Rome in summer could not accommodate the great number of pilgrims who flocked to it. In 741, the feast was used to celebrate everyone in Heaven. The name of the day changed t...