Christians are called to be close to their brothers and sisters in the faith, especially to those who are wounded by "injustice, abuse, hatred," Pope Francis said.
One of my great recurring memories of growing up is the family meal. Especially when I was little, and didn’t have evening activities, I was always at the table, while at least some of my five older brothers and sisters were present as well.
"Unleash the Power of the Rosary," a Sept. 27 panel discussion hosted by Paradisus Dei and the Dominican Friars of the Province of St. Joseph, offered a lively discussion about the rosary as a powerful tool for evangelization that connects people to Jesus through Mary and guides them on a journey to the center of Jesus' Sacred Heart.
The most holy rosary takes me on a journey through the Gospel story where the Blessed Mother’s example of holiness is always challenging me to step it up — bringing me closer to Jesus.
It's easy for Catholics to take the rosary for granted. We tend to purchase them as souvenirs, or carry them around with us, or even wear them -- but we forget the immense power that they have when we actually pray them. And that's really too bad, because a devotion to the rosary can be the answer to so many struggles in our 21st-century world.
When I was returning to the Church in my late 20s, I worked as a singer. Frequently, after I finished work very late, I would visit an adoration chapel open all night. I was often the only person there, except for Jesus.
As he congratulated Pope Francis on his 10th anniversary as spiritual leader of the Catholic Church, Supreme Knight Patrick Kelly of the Knights of Columbus invited Catholics to participate in a novena to St. Joseph for the pontiff.
The crowd of people praying in the parking lot of St. John Vianney Church in the Los Angeles suburb of Hacienda Heights late Feb. 20 -- parents with their children, parishioners getting off of work, and even some stray teenagers -- seemed to expand with each joyful mystery of the rosary.
This month, my parents celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary. I’ve always found their October anniversary significant — as though in a special way, in this month we celebrate the Blessed Mother and her rosary, Mary has kept an especially watchful eye over my parents and our family.
