Catholic Fire

The saint of the day for January 18 is St. Prisca, who is also known as Priscilla. She was a child martyr of the early Roman Church. Born to Christian parents of a noble family, Prisca was raised during the reign of the Roman emperor Claudius. While Claudius did not persecute Christians with the same fervor as other Roman emperors, Christians still did not practice their faith openly. In fact, Prisca's parents went to great lengths to conceal their faith, and thus they were not suspected of being Christians. Prisca, however, did not feel the need to take precaution. The young girl openly professed her dedication to Christ, and eventually, she was reported to the emperor. Claudius had her arrested, and commanded her to make a sacrifice to Apollo, the pagan god of the sun. According to the legend, Prisca refused, and was tortured for disobeying. Then, suddenly, a bright, yellow light shone about her, and she appeared to be a little star. Claudius ordered that Prisca be tak...

(Romereports.com)  Every year a delegation from Finland's Lutheran Church comes to Rome to celebrate the life of St. Henry of Uppsala, the country's patron saint. The Pope thanked the group for its visit and highlighted the week for Christian Unity, which begins on January 18th. BENEDICT XVI “To advance in the ways of ecumenical communion, thus demands that we become ever more united in prayer, ever more committed to the pursuit of holiness, and ever more engaged in the areas of theological research and cooperation in the service of a just and fraternal society”. As a gift, the delegation gave the Pope a painting done by an artist who is quite popular in his native Finland. The Pope said he hopes these ecumenical meetings held in Rome can further strengthen the relationship among all Christians in Finland.

The United States Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta briefly met Benedict XVI on Wednesday, during the third leg of his week-long European visit, his last as defense secretary.   Panetta sat in the front row during a general audience, then patiently waited for the chance to meet the Pope. The two exchanged words for approximately 30 seconds, then the Pope gave Panetta a small gift. The man in charge of the US military is also a devout Catholic. Born to Italian immigrants from Calabria, Panetta had previously met John Paul II at the Vatican. This is was his first encounter with Benedict XVI. Having already stopped in Lisbon and Madrid, Panetta arrived in Rome on Tuesday. He is expected to meet with government leaders, including the Italian president and the premier. The last leg of his trip will take him to London, before returning to the United States.

St. Anthony of the Desert (c. 251–356), a religious hermit and monk, is known as the founder of monasticism. His rule of order was one of the first to create guidelines for monastic living. He became a monk at age 20 and withdrew into total solitude on a desert mountain near the Nile River. Saint Anthony’s only food was bread and water, which he never tasted before sunset, and sometimes only once in two, three, or four days. He wore sackcloth and sheepskin, and he often knelt in prayer from sunset to sunrise. Here, in the desert, he overcame extreme temptations of the devil, and emerged about 20 years later from total seclusion to instruct nearby hermits in the ways of monasticism. He demonstrated the power of Christ to touch lives by healing the sick, providing spiritual guidance, casting out demons, and preaching. Many were attracted to monasticism by his example. Athanasius's Life of St. Anthony perpetuated his story and inspired waves of monks who civilized and evangeliz...

When hundreds of thousands of people descend upon the nation’s capital for the March for Life this year, they will be met with exciting changes aimed at young people and cultural renewal, said the event’s leader. “I think it’s really a spiritual battle,” March for Life president Jeanne Monahan told CNA on Jan. 15. “This march does have a huge impact on actually saving lives.” Forty years after the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision legalized abortion throughout America, the March for Life is looking forward to continuing this impact with Monahan, who took over as head of the organization last year. “The rally will have a really different spirit this year,” said Monahan, explaining that it will be much shorter, only about an hour, compared to several hours in the past. In addition, she said, the rally will have a very different feel than in previous years, which have featured upwards of 50 legislators and other speakers. Instead, Monahan noted, the rally this year will spotl...

Today we commemorate Blessed Juana María Condesa Lluch (1862-1916), Foundress of the Congregation of the Handmaids of the Immaculate Conception , Protectress of Workers. She was born in Valencia, Spain, on March 30, 1862, into a wealthy Christian family. She received a well-rounded human and Christian formation from her parents. She was deeply devoted to the Eucharist and to the Blessed Mother, opening her eyes and heart to the needs of those around her and nourishing a deep the desire to help the neediest. She had a deep prayer life and already as an adolescent, felt that God was calling her to live in deep communion with Him. Those who knew her saw that she "lived the ordinary in an extraordinary way". Her joy, self-giving and humility enabled her to touch a multitude of hearts. She was especially sensitive to the plight of the exploited factory workers who, with the rapid growth of industrialization in the 19th century, were forced to leave the countryside to seek wo...

After St. Brigid, St. Ita (who was named Deirdre) is the most famous woman saint in Ireland. Her birth of noble Christian parents, Kennfoelad, a Déisí tribe chieftain and Necta his princess wife, is said to have taken place around 470 in Drum, County Waterford, Ireland. From her baptism on, Deirdre was filled with the Holy Spirit. All marveled at her childhood purity and Christian virtues. She was prudent, generous, kind toward everyone, and gentle. As she grew, it  became apparent that she wished to devote her life to God. At the age of 16, Deirdre refused an offer of marriage, as she desired to consecrate her virginity to God. Her father refused to let her do this, until an angel reassured him that she would become an advocate for souls. With her father's approval, Deirdre went to an elderly priest she had known from childhood and publicly professed her religious vows. She took the name Ita at this time. Ita then left her father’s house and set out with com...

Did you know that  January 13-19   is National Vocations Awareness Week ? Bishop Kevin Farrell of Dallas writes about it here.   What is our responsibility as Catholics during this week? We are reminded to: 1. Petition God to move the hearts of youth in your parish to respond to God’s call and to pray for the perseverance of vocations to the priesthood and religious life. We must pray everyday for our young people to find and live their vocations.  Prayer is the key to assisting our youth to hear the “whisper” of God’s call and to have the courage to respond to God’s call in gratitude.  A parish vocation prayer team can foster prayer in three ways:  in the community, as individuals, and within families. 2. Encourage  young people with the proper qualities to consider the religious life as a vocation. Let's try to remember to do both of this not just during this week, but on a daily or regular basis. Here is Catholic Fire's spe...

Have you heard of the new short film, Crescendo ? Winner of 16 International film awards, including the Best Short Film at the Hollywood Film Festival, Crescendo was produced by Eduardo Verástegui, Jason Jones, Leo Severino, and Alejandro Monteverde – the team that brought us Bella. Set in the 18th-century Holy Roman Empire, Crescendo tells part of the true life story of a famous historical figure. Here is the trailer: Crescendo features faces you may know, like former Miss USA and Bella star Ali Landry, and faces Americans may not know but Internationals will, including Swiss pop star and German Idol judge Patrick Nuo. MovieToMovement, which owns the film license, is hoping to help 100 pregnancy care centers raise a total of $1 million in one night: February 28. Read the entire story.

Here's the video of the Paris march to defend marriage as the union of one man, one woman and to protest President Francois Hollande's “marriage for all” proposal. H/T: Kev

Over one million people reportedly took to the streets in France on Jan. 13 in opposition to President Francois Hollande's “marriage for all” proposal. Figures show between 1.3 and 1.5 million protested against their president's plans to pass same-sex marriage, according Bruno Dary, the former military governor of the city of Paris. Numbers from other media outlets range from an estimated 340,000 to 800,000 attendees. Set to go before France's parliament Jan. 29, the draft law proposes to redefine marriage as a union “contracted between two persons of different sex or of the same sex.” Read more

Arts and crafts retailer Hobby Lobby has found a way to adjust its employee healthcare plan to delay potentially crippling fines for refusing to comply with the federal contraception mandate. By shifting its insurance plan year, the company will gain time in its battle against the federal contraception mandate, which would have taken effect for it on Jan. 1, 2013. The company will now “shift the plan year for its employee health insurance, thus postponing the effective date of the mandate for several months,” announced attorney Peter M. Dobelbower in a Jan. 10 statement. “Hobby Lobby does not provide coverage for abortion-inducing drugs in its healthcare plan,” Dobelbower said, adding that the retailer “will continue to vigorously defend its religious liberty and oppose the mandate and any penalties.” Read more

January 14, 2013. (Romereports.com) The prince of Monaco, Albert II met with Benedict XVI at the Vatican.  This marks their third meeting, but the first with the prince's wife, Charlenne. The princess followed protocol by wearing a white dress, which is technically  allowed for the Catholic wives of monarchs.   'Bienvenue'. The three of them talked for about 15 minutes, during which the Pope mentioned Charlenne's professional career as a swimmer. As a gift, the prince of Monaco gave the Pope a codex written by late Cardinal Jerome Grimaldi as well as an image of the Cardinal, who in fact was a family member of the prince. 'De votre famille...' Benedict XVI gave the royal couple two sketches of St. Peter's Basilica, which prince Albert seemed to be quite impressed with. "Ravisson" After their brief meeting the prince wished Benedict XVI a good year full of health. This state meeting, is the first of its kind in which the Pope'...

Fr. Barron does a wonderful job of identifying and analyzing the Christian themes in this movie.

Today's saint of the day for January 14 is St. Sava , founder of the Khilandrai Monastery on Mount Athos, and first Archbishop and patron saint of Serbia. Originally Prince Rastko Nemanjic, he was the first Patriarch of Serbia (1219-1233) and is an important Saint in the Serbian Orthodox Church. In his youth (around 1192) St. Sava escaped from home to join the Orthodox monastic colony on Mount Athos and was given the name Sava. He first traveled to a Russian monastery and then moved to a Greek monastery, Vatoped. At the end of 1197 his father, King Stefan Nemanja, joined him. In 1198 the former prince and king restored the abandoned monastery Hilandar, which was at that time the center of Serbian Christian monastic life. St. Sava's father took the monastic vows under the name Simeon, and died in Hilandar on February 13, 1200. He is also canonized, as Saint Simeon. After his father's death, Sava retreated to an ascetic monastery in Kareya which he built himself...

January 12, 2013. (Romereports.com) A woman's decision to have an abortion, by force or free will, can be mired in pain and guilt. It can also have consequences long after the ordeal is over. While the Catholic Church is firm in its pro-life stance, it has also made inroads reaching out to women and men that have suffered through trauma as a result of an abortion. Front and center in that mission is Vicki Thorn, an American laywoman and founder of the Project Rachel Ministry. VICKI THORN Founder, Project Rachel “This is a piece that sort of flies under the wire if you will. It's not political, it's not designed to be political. The people who are involved are there to be absolutely safe for women and men to come to. No judgment, no condemnation, no anger, we're simply here to companion them to healing.” The ministry began about 28 years ago in Milwaukee. But it has quickly spread across the United States and into nearly 160 Catholic dioceses. The group pr...

Today is the feast of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, one of my favorite saints. She is the founder of the Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame, who were my teachers in both elementary and high school. I remember viewing a film on her life and praying for her canonization when I was in grade school. She sailed from France to Canada about the same time my French ancestors did, so I feel as if I share a special bond with her. St. Marguerite Bourgeoys has been described as a woman of dreams and action, despite her frail health. She was a woman of grace and courage, known for her obedience to God and for her perseverance in carrying out His desires despite the many obstacles and hardships she faced. Born in Troyes, France in 1620 to devout parents, Marguerite was the sixth of twelve children. Her mother died when Marguerite was just 19 and she became the surrogate mother to her siblings. The following year, through the inspiration of the Blessed Virgin Mary, she consecrated h...