Catholic Fire

Today the Church honors St. Catherine of Laboure, the humble Daughter of Charity to whom Mary appeared, requesting that the Miraculous Medal be struck so that all who wear it would receive great graces. Saint Catherine Laboure was born in Burgundy, France on May 2, 1806. The ninth of eleven children born to a farm family, she felt a call to the religious life from an early age. Catherine entered the community of the Daughters of Charity, in obedience to a vision of Saint Vincent de Paul, telling her that God wanted her to work with the sick. The Blessed Virgin Mary appeared to St. Catherine Laboure, who was then a 24-year-old novice, three times. On July 18, 1830, the first apparition occurred in the community's motherhouse. St. Catherine saw a lady seated on the right side of the sanctuary. When St. Catherine approached her, the heavenly visitor told her how to act in time of trial and pointed to the altar as the source of all consolation. Promising to entrust St. Catheri...

Here I am at the Casting Nets booth with Chris Stewart. 1. This past weekend I attended the Midwest Catholic Family Conference in Wichita and look who I met up with there -- Chris Stewart and Tony Brandt, whose new book, Casting Nets: Grow Your Faith by Sharing Your Faith was just released! Then, I met up with Tony Brandt, who is proudly displaying the new Casting Nets book. 2. You'll never guess who I met up wth next.  One of my favorite priests whose videos I love posting here at Catholic Fire...  Fr. James Kubicki 3. The best part of attending the conference is hearing the speaker's panel answer questions asked by the audience. And here are a few faces from that group... From Left to Right: Dr. Tim Gray, Fr. James Kubicki, Tim Staples, and Luke Maxwell 4.  I also had the opportunity to listen to Dr. Pia Solenni's talk on St. John Paul II’s Letter to Families, which was very informative and interesting. 5. REM...

A beautiful reflection from Fr. James Kubicki:

Today is the historical feast of Our Lady of Czestochowa (The Black Madonna). The Black Madonna was painted by St. Luke the Evangelist; and it was while painting the picture, Mary told him about the life of Jesus, which he later incorporated into his gospel. The next time we hear of the painting is in 326 A.D. when St. Helen found it in Jerusalem and gave it to her son and had a shrine built for it in Constantinople. During a battle, the picture was placed on the walls of the city, and the enemy army fled. Our Lady saved the city from destruction. The picture was owned by many other people until 1382, when invading Tartars attacked a Prince Ladislaus' fortress, where the painting was located. A Tartar's arrow lodged into through the throat of the Madonna. The Prince transferred the painting to a church in Czestochowa, Poland. In 1430, the church was invaded and a looter struck the painting two times with his sword, but before he could strike it another time, he fell to ...

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:

Fr. James Kubicki provides an inspiring reflection on this glorious feast day which we celebrate today, the Transfiguration of the Lord. Related Posts: St. Pope John Paul II Quote on the Transfiguration of the Lord Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord

Fr. James Kubicki reflects on today's gospel (Matthew 13: 24-30) and recommends ways for us to deal with temptations.

Fr. James Kubicki,SJ, National Director of the Apostleship of Prayer, shares an inspiring message with us about the Sacred Heart of Jesus and Pope John Paul II.

Today is the memorial of St. Francis Xavier (1506-1552), one of the greatest missionaries of all times. The great missionary St. Francis Xavier was from a Basque noble family, like his beloved mentor St. Ignatius Loyola. When Francis met Ignatius in Paris he was a proud, autocratic, ambitious man wanting to accomplish great deeds in the world. For three years Ignatius patiently encouraged Francis to look at his life differently. “What profits a man,” Ignatius asked Francis, “if he gains the whole world and loses his soul?” Francis joined Peter Faber as the first of Ignatius’s companions. Francis Xavier was ordained in 1537. In 1541 King John of Portugal asked Ignatius for priests to send to the missions in India. Despite knowing he would never see his beloved companion again, Ignatius chose Francis Xavier for the mission. Francis left for India, arriving at the city of Goa in 1542. For the next ten years the missionary Francis Xavier traveled from Goa to Cape Comorin in sout...

Are you ready to meet Jesus? Fr. James Kubicki reflects on the Second Coming of Jesus, which we prepare for during the Advent Season.