Catholic Fire

Fr. Robert Barron provides a wonderful tribute to Cardinal Francis George, who died on April 17, 2015. At the age of 78, he was a man of enormous accomplishment and influence. Through his determination, pastoral devotion, deep intelligence, and kindness of heart, he mediated the Holy Spirit. The entire Church owes him a debt of gratitude for reminding us who we are and what our mission is. Related:   Remembering Cardinal George: Chicago’s Archbishop celebrates 50 years of priestly ordination Photo source

Today we remember St. Joseph Calasanz , a diocesan priest who opened the first free public school in Rome, the patron of Catholic schools. Other men who joined Father Joseph in his work became members of a community he founded, the Piarist Order. Fr. James Kubicki shares more about this saint:

Related Post: Fifteen Favorite Quotes From St. John Mary Vianney

The Little Sisters of the Poor are an international Roman Catholic Congregation of women Religious founded in 1839 by St. Jeanne Jugan. They operate homes in 31 countries, where they provide loving care for over 13,000 needy elderly persons. Although the Little Sisters' homes perform a religious ministry of caring for the elderly poor, they do not fall within the government's narrow exemption for "religious employers." Accordingly, beginning on January 1, the Little Sisters will face IRS fines unless they violate their religion by hiring an insurer to provide their employees with contraceptives, sterilization, and abortion-inducing drugs. I am continuing to pray for the defunding of Obamacare and its horrific HHS mandate, which threatens to punish so many innocent people -- like these Sisters, who care for the poor and elderly and the people they serve. This is so wrong. I agree with Helen Alvare who states:  It’s beyond ridiculous for any government to bel...

Today, September 9, is the memorial of St. Peter Claver, a Jesuit priest who dedicated his life to the service of African slaves. The son of a Catalonian farmer, Peter was born in Verdu, Spain in 1581. He obtained his first degrees at the University of Barcelona. At the age of twenty, he entered the Jesuit novitiate and was ordained in 1615. While Peter was studying philosophy at Majorca, he met St. Alphonsus Rodriguez, the door-keeper of the college, who learned from God the future mission of his young friend. St. Alphonsus, therefore, encouraged Peter to travel to South America to work with the African slaves. Peter obeyed, and in 1610 landed at Cartagena, where for forty-four years he was the “Apostle of the African slaves.” Cartagena became the chief slave-mart of the New World, where many thousands of African slaves were landed after crossing the ocean amid inhuman conditions, and then penned like animals in yards. A thousand slaves landed there each month.  There were ...

Bishop Christopher Coyne tells you Everything You Wanted To Know About Catholic Liturgy (but were afraid to ask).

Former Hollywood actress Mother Dolores Hart remembers her former co-star, Elvis Presley, on the 36th anniversary of his death. Presley died Aug. 16, 1977. Related Posts: The Ear of the Heart: An Actress' Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows Documentary about actress turned nun nominated for Oscar Benedictine nun set to make splash at this years Oscar ceremony

Limit Break, a web series, reports: In this episode we meet Friar Didacus and Friar Gabriel, two brothers who skateboard and were called to religious life. The brothers skated for 7 years as teenagers, but felt their vocation was religious life. They were prepared to abandon their passion for skateboarding to live a life of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience as Friars of the Immaculate. Six years after becoming Friars and having not skated, they were given obedience to obtain a skateboard and go to the skatepark once a week - to "preach the gospel at all times, when necessary, use words" as Saint Francis stated. Friar Gabriel explains that God has so many ways of using peoples talents to give Him glory. Skateboarding allows the Friars to help others see the compatibility of exercising the body as well as the soul. Friar Didacus reflects that if he had always tried to live in a state of grace growing up, he would have been far better at skating and enjoyed it much more- bec...

Father Patrick Dowling Being called the “Missouri Miracle” – a 19-year-old girl survives being hit by a drunk driver and many say it’s thanks to a mystery priest. A community is now searching for a man who appeared to be dressed like a Catholic priest. He prayed with the young girl at the scene of the crash as her vital signs were failing. Read more Was he a messenger of God or simply a holy man doing his duty? We now know who the mystery priest is. He has been identified as Father Patrick Dowling, of the Diocese of Jefferson City. CNA reports: “I thank God and the amazingly competent rescue workers,” Fr. Dowling stated today in a comment on CNA's original article on the Aug. 4 incident. “I thank them for making me welcome in such a highly charged situation and allowing me to minister as a priest.” Katie Lentz was trapped in her older-model Mercedes, which had been struck by another vehicle which passed into her lane. That car's driver has been charged with...

July 11 is the feast of St. Benedict of Nursia, the twin brother of St. Scholastica, the patron of Europe, and the founder of Western monasticism. Biography Tradition teaches that St. Benedict lived from 480 to 547, though we cannot be sure that these dates are historically accurate. His biographer, St. Gregory the Great, pope from 590 to 604, does not record the dates of his birth and death, though he refers to a Rule written by Benedict. Scholars debate the dating of the Rule though they seem to agree that it was written in the second third of the sixth century. Saint Gregory wrote about St. Benedict in his Second Book of Dialogues , but his account of the life and miracles of Benedict cannot be regarded as a biography in the modern sense of the term. Gregory's purpose in writing Benedict's life was to edify and to inspire, not to seek out the particulars of his daily life. Gregory sought to show that saints of God, particularly St. Benedict, were still operative in...

Today is the feast of St. Maria Goretti (1890-1902), a peasant girl who was stabbed fourteen times, while fighting off a rapist. She died forgiving her killer. Maria Goretti was born on October 16, 1890, in Coranaldo in the province of Ancona in Italy, the third of seven children of Assunta and Luigi Goretti. When Maria was six, her father, realizing he could not support his growing family on the barren countryside, took them south, toward Rome, to a village near Anzio, believing that in the rich, warm farmlands of the Mediterranean he would find a more prosperous living and a make a better life for his family. In order to make ends meet, Maria’s father entered into partnership with a man called Serenelli, and shared a house with him and his two sons, one of whom was called Alessandro. Luigi was a hard worker, but suffering from malaria, typhus, meningitis and pneumonia, he died in 1900, leaving his family peniless. Maria, now a child of ten, was doing the work of a grown woman, w...

 Bl. Pier Giorgio Frassati Prayer for the Courage to be Great Heavenly Father, Give me the courage to strive for the highest goals, to flee every temptation to be mediocre. Enable me to aspire to greatness, as Pier Giorgio did, and to open my heart with joy to Your call to holiness. Free me from the fear of failure. I want to be, Lord, firmly and forever united to You. Grant me the graces I ask You through Pier Giorgio's intercession, by the merits of Our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen." Prayer to Walk the Path of the Beatitudes "O Father, you gave to the young Pier Giorgio Frassati the joy of meeting Christ and of living his faith in the service of the poor and the sick; through his intercession may we, too, walk the path of the beatitudes and follow the example of his generosity, spreading the spirit of the Gospel in society. Through Christ our Lord, Amen." +Cardinal Giovanni Saldarini, Archbishop of Turin Related Post: Blessed Pier Giorgio ...

The month of July is devoted to the Precious Blood. The Feast of the Precious Blood, established by Pope Pius IX in 1849, is celebrated each year on the first Sunday of July. Fr. James Kubicki, S.J. explains this Catholic tradition: