Catholic Fire

1. Saturday is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe -- - one of my favorite Marian feast days. Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the Americas, brings hope into our lives. She covers us in the folds of her heavenly mantle and cradles us. She is the Mother who tenderly consoles us and protects us from evil. She is the one who carries Divine Life within her and crushed the head of the wicked serpent. She brings us life and love; hope and healing. She brought conversion to Mexico and will renew the Americas again if we pray for her intercession. She is the Mother of Mercy. Here is a beautiful reflection for this Feast Day from Father Stephen Morris with some intercessions to help us during this Jubilee Year of Mercy. Here is a story of my family's personal miracle through the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe. 2. On December 8, we celebrated two significant events in the Catholic Church on the same day – the beginning of the Jubilee Year of Mercy and the Solemnity of ...

Here are five great gifts for Christmas: 1. The Kiss of Jesus: How Mother Teresa and the Saints Helped Me to Discover the Beauty of the Cross b y Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle In this candid, astonishing autobiographical account, this soft-spoken, delicate, and devout Catholic media celebrity reveals the shocking struggles she has tackled in life. She became engaged to a drug addict who held her against her will, threatening harm to her family. She faced miscarriages, abuse, serious illness, divorce, financial difficulties, custody battles, and single motherhood – all with great inner strength and tremendous courage. Through God’s providence, she met Mother Teresa, the spiritual guide who shepherded her through some of these trials and helped her heal. 2 . True Radiance  Finding Grace in the Second Half of Life  by Lisa Mladinich True Radiance is a beautiful book written for women  in the second half of their lives, which is intended to: guide them to grat...

Books! Gifts for Women: Rooted in Love: Our Calling as Catholic Women by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious: Celebrating the Gift of Catholic Womanhood   by Pat Gohn Catholic Mom’s Café: 5-Minute Retreats for Every Day of the Yea r by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle A Book of Saints for Catholic Mom s: 52 Companions for Your Heart, Mind, Body, and Sou l    by Lisa M. Hendey Gifts for Children: Angels for Kids by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle (a beautiful and comprehensive book for 7-12 year olds) Gifts for Men: The Miracle of Father Kaupan  by  Roy Wenzel and Travis Heying For any Adult: The Miraculous Medal by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle The Ear of the Heart: An Actress' Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows   by Mother Dolores Hart The Miracle of Father Kaupan by Roy Wenzel and Travis Heying  

Dr. Alveda King, niece of Martin Luther King Jr., shares her thoughts about the elections and some tips for holiday giving. Great video!

Nuns smell success in fresh batches of snickerdoodles CLEVELAND -- The kitchen inside the convent of the Sisters of the Holy Spirit smells like heaven coated in cinnamon sugar. The nuns are busy this time of year, with the help of a few spry seniors, producing miracles at the rate of 48 to a sheet, 10 racks at a time. With prayer, practiced hands and pounds and pounds of butter, their work yields a bounty that could strengthen their ministry to the elderly for years to come. Behold, a snickerdoodle is born. MORE

and How to Live it is up at Living Catholicism this week . Jay has organized a wide array of wonderful posts there. Here are just a few of my favorites there: The Mary Moments Carnival is posted at Behold Your Mother . This week they present posts about The Saints and Mary . It's a good collection of posts on Our Lady. Mothers of Many Saints challenges you in Being Pro-Life Outside of the Ballot Box . Besides voting pro-life, how else do you live your pro-life beliefs? Evangelization is what we really need to end abortion and this post explains why. CatholicLand! 's post What Dreams May Come pulls the best paragraphs from the conversion story of Serbia notorious abortionist. If you haven't read this, read it. It is a powerful account. A Catholic View is amused because Kmiec says he will change his pro-Obama position if the Pope tells him to do so . Kmiec is a Catholic who is prominently supporting president-elect Obama. This post points out that the Pope has already bee...

I recently had the pleasure of reading a galley copy of Hear My Voice by Jonathan Stampf. In Hear My Voice , Stampf presents us with a children’s translation of Gospel readings for the Catholic Mass for the 2009 liturgical year. The hardcover book is beautifully illustrated by the award – winning, graphic designer Robert Conrad. Rosemarie Duckman, veteran Catholic teacher for 20+ years and a dedicated, retired Catholic elementary school principal, Rosemarie Duckman, edited and reviewed the book. Hear My Voice effectively conveys to children the message of the gospel, enabling the child to fully and actively participate in the Mass by presenting the entire gospel reading and at the same time providing a clear, simple message in larger type, explaining the gospel to the child in a language that he can easily understand, without speaking down to him. The beautifully colored illustrations and the clear message are sure to attract and hold the child’s attention not only during private stu...