Catholic Fire

  1.  Hooray! I was pleasantly surprised to learn that my book, Learning to Love with the Saints: A Spiritual Memoir just won the Catholic Writers Guild Seal of Approval.   2.  Another sweet surprise this week was this movie .  I went to it not knowing whether I would like it or not, as the original with Charlton Heston has a special place in my heart. Unexpectedly, I was moved by it and recommend it. It is a powerful film on redemption and forgiveness. Sure there is violence, but it is there for a reason. I would advise that only mature teens and adults see this due to the violence. 3. CALLING ALL CATHOLIC COLLEGE STUDENTS. Are you a passionately Catholic college student who loves you faith? Do you seek to evangelize through apologetics and personal witness? Do you attend Christendom College, The University of Dallas, Ave Maria University, Franciscan University of Steubenville, Mount St. Mary’s University or a like minded Catholic institu...

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 ...