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Dec
26

The 12 Days of Christmas start on Christmas Day and last until the evening of the 5th January – also known as Twelfth Night.

Twelfth Night Twelfth Night was a big time of celebration with people holding large parties. During these parties, often the roles in society were reversed with the servants being served by the rich people. This dated back to medieval and Tudor times when Twelfth Night marked the end of ‘winter’ which had started on 31st October with All Hallows Eve (Halloween). At the start of Twelfth Night the Twelfth Night cake was eaten. This was a rich cake made with eggs and butter, fruit, nuts and spices. The modern Italian Panettone is the cake we currently have that’s most like the old Read More»

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Dec
26

The 12 Days of Christmas – Day 12 (5th January also known as Epiphany Eve): St. John Neumann who was the first Bishop in American. He lived in the 19th century.

The 12 Days of Christmas start on Christmas Day and last until the evening of the 5th January – also known as Twelfth Night. The 12 Days have been celebrated in Europe since before the middle ages and were a time of celebration. The 12 Days each traditionally celebrate a feast day for a saint and/or have different celebrations: Day 1 (25th December): Christmas Day – celebrating the Birth of Jesus Day 2 (26th December also known as Boxing Day): St Stephen’s Day. He was the first Christian martyr (someone who dies for their faith). It’s also the day when the Christmas Carol ‘Good Read More»

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Dec
05

Why is Mary called the Immaculate Conception?

The doctrine of the Immaculate Conception teaches that Mary, the mother of Christ, was conceived without sin and her conception was thus immaculate. Mary’s sinless conception is the reason why Catholics refer to Mary as “full of grace”. The Feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated by Catholics on December 8th each year. Misconsception: Many people confuse the Immaculate Conception with the “virgin birth”; the belief that Mary gave birth to Jesus while remaining a virgin. They are not the same thing. Read More»

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Dec
03

Vatican Announces Year of St Joseph and Plenary Indulgence

Surprise! We’re in the Year of St Joseph. The special year, announced by the Holy Father on Tuesday, goes from December 8, 2020, until December 8, 2021. The announcement came on the same day as an Apostolic Letter, Patris corde, was released by Pope Francis to mark the 150th anniversary of the proclamation of St. Joseph as Patron of the Universal Church. The painting of St. Joseph in church Bazilika svatého Petra a Pavla na Vyšehrade by S. G. Rudl (1895) Patris corde means “With a Father’s Heart”. The letter describes St. Joseph as a beloved father, a tender and loving father, Read More»

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Nov
30

Sign up for The Road to Bethlehem this Advent on FORMED.org

This Advent join us for a journey on The Road to Bethlehem, an opt-in digital discipleship program designed to guide you through this important season of preparation.   The Road to Bethlehem includes: daily Advent reflections by Dr. Tim Gray; weekly videos, audio talks, and book excerpts on FORMED related to the weekly theme; email reminders every morning; Brother Francis Advent reflections for kids; and a weekly action item to help you put the Advent message into practice. Advent starts November 29. Sign up today for free! FORMED.org/Advent Not yet on FORMED?  Visit http://signup.formed.org/. Enter our parish’s zip code or Read More»

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