Catholic Fire

(Vatican Radio) Celebrating his first Mass in the United States on Wednesday, Pope Francis declared a new saint of the United States.  Fr. Junipero Serra, a Spanish Franciscan priest known for starting nine missions in the 18th century in what is today the US state of California, was raised to the glory of the altars during a solemn open-air Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception, in the US capital, Washington.  Several cardinals and bishops, all in white vestments, joined him at the altar on a state erected specially for the canonization, while many more sat in front of the altar. The Pope who is in the US, following his visit to Cuba Sept. 19-22, was accorded a state welcome Wednesday morning, at the Whitehouse in Washington by President Barack Obama, after which he met US bishops in St. Matthew's Cathedral. The canonization rite at the start of the evening Mass included a biography of Fr. Serra and the chanting of the Litany of the Sa...

We love you, Holy Father, and we are praying for you! Catholic World News - September 22, 2015 Bells tolled in Catholic churches across America on Tuesday afternoon, September 22, as Pope Francis arrived for his first-ever visit to the US. The papal flight touched down at Andrews Joint Base outside Washington, DC, shortly before 4 pm. The Pontiff was greeted by President Obama and his family, and-- after a brief informal meeting-- escorted to a Fiat wagon that would take him to the apostolic nunciature, where he will spend the night. There was no formal ceremony at the airport; neither the Pope nor the President made public remarks. An official welcome will be held at the White House on Wednesday morning. Pictures speak louder than words, so below I am sharing some videos of our Holy Father as he arrives in the USA. In the first video, Pope Francis, fresh off his trip to Cuba, arrives by airplane at Andrews Air Force Base outside of Washington on Tuesday to begin his f...

Poor Clares -- Ireland Poor Clares -- USA Ours is a hidden life, a humble life, a holy, and thus, a happy life, as we run in the footsteps of our Mother, St. Clare of Assisi, who knew that all true joy is the fruit of the Cross. http://www.poor-clares.org/

Zenit: What the Pope Said to Women in US

Singers Try to Hit the Right Pitch To Win a Spot in the Ballpark Choir By 10:30 a.m. yesterday, Theresa Ellsworth was in the hot seat. That's what people in the basement lobby of St. Matthew's Cathedral were calling the chair right outside the audition room. All morning, Catholic after Catholic filed in -- one every five minutes -- for the chance to sing a few hymn verses, demonstrate vocal range, be thanked and then be sent home to await word. They were all hoping to have snagged one of the 250 spots in the choir that will sing at Pope Benedict XVI 's Mass on April 17 at the new Nationals stadium. With more than 550 people from local parish choirs signed up to audition, the vibe was far more intense than simply performing a Sunday morning song at church. It was more like "Vatican Idol." MORE

I AM THE UNITED STATES I was born on July 4, 1776, and the Declaration of Independence is my birth certificate. The bloodlines of the world run in my veins, because I offered freedom to the oppressed. I am the United States. I am 185,000,000 living souls, and the ghost of millions who have died for me. I am Nathan Hale and Paul Revere. I stood at Lexington and fired the shot heard around the world. I am Washington, Jefferson, and Patrick Henry. I am Paul Jones, the Green Mountain boys, and Davy Crockett. I am Lee, Grant, and Abe Lincoln. I am the Brooklyn Bridge, the wheat lands of Kansas, and the granite hills of Vermont. I am the coal fields of the Virginias and Pennsylvania; the fertile lands of the West; the Golden Gate and the Grand Canyon. I am Independence Hall, the Monitor and the Merrimac. I am big. I sprawl from the Atlantic to the Pacific, three million square miles throbbing with industry. I am more than 5,000,000 farms; I am forest, field, mountain and dessert. I am quiet...