News

Mar
08

Lent Restrictions

According to canon 1252 of the Code of Canon Law, all Latin-rite Catholics are required observe the laws of abstinence starting at the age of 14. There is no upper age limit on abstinence after which the person is automatically excused, but those who need to eat meat for a medical reason may be dispensed from the abstinence requirement. In the United States, the fasting requirement begins at age 18 and continues “until the beginning of their 60th year” (CIC, Canon 1252). At that age, a person is automatically excused from the requirement to fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, but, if health permits, Read More»

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Mar
01

The month of March is dedicated to St. Joseph.

We don’t know much about him except what is mentioned in the Gospels. Joseph was the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the foster-father of Jesus. Holy Scripture proclaims him as a “just man,” and the Church has turned to Joseph for his patronage and protection. Pope Leo XIII in his encyclical Quamquam Pluries (On the Devotion to St. Joseph) in 1889 explains why we place so much trust in this saint: “Thus in giving Joseph the Blessed Virgin as spouse, God appointed him to be not only her life’s companion, the witness of her maidenhood, the protector of her honor, Read More»

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Dec
25

Merry Christmas

People in the United States are fascinated by the song “The 12 Days of Christmas.” Every year it’s played over and over again on the radio. It’s googled countless times. And it’s often listed as one of the top Christmas songs. You’re probably well familiar with the song, but do you know the Catholic roots? What are the 12 Days of Christmas? While secular culture begins Christmas after Thanksgiving (and sometimes even earlier!), for Catholics the Christmas season doesn’t begin until Christmas Eve. The time of preparation before Christmas is called Advent. Catholics celebrate the Christmas season from Jesus’ birth, Read More»

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