Spirituality

Q&A with Mystic Alicja Lenczewska, Part 2 On May 18, as the Congregation of Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception marks the birthday and liturgical memorial of its founder, St. Stanislaus Papczynski, it is fitting to reflect on this. One of the Congregation’s three principal aims is to help th...

The Gospel of St. John, in my humble opinion, offers one of the most important messages you will hear in the entire Bible. If the Catholic world fully embraced this message, the world would be set ablaze. Sadly, though, we do not fully embrace it, due to our pride. We think to ourselves, I know bett...

On February 9th, 2026, seventy-eight-year-old Catholic democracy activist Jimmy Lai was sentenced to 20 years in a Hong Kong prison. His crime: advocating for freedom of speech in China. As his daughter Claire Lai stated, “he will die a martyr behind bars.” Jimmy Lai: a name all lovers of democracy...

I recently picked up the book Joy Within His House: A Cloistered Nun’s Reflections on Following Christ by Sister Mary Magdalene of the Immaculate Conception Prewitt, OP. The book explores life within the cloister, which is a mysterious place for 99.999% of the world’s population. Her revelations are...

St. Peter wrote to a Christian community that was being persecuted for their faith in Christ: Beloved: Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts. Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope, but do it with gentleness and reverence, keeping your conscience cl...

Ascension Sunday presents a paradox:  Jesus leaves His apostles for Heaven, but He assures them He is always with them.  What kind of departure was this? Gospel (Read Mt. 28:16-20) Sunday’s Gospel records the end of Jesus’ forty days of post-Resurrection appearances and teaching.  The account of wha...

One of my tasks while working at the Vatican’s Secretariat of State was to handle letters written to the pope from bishops throughout the world. I would briefly summarize their contents before forwarding them to the Holy Father so that he might decide how to respond. Although the range of concerns e...

The Church has entered into that liturgical time between Ascension and Pentecost, the time of the original novena. As we journey through this time of focused prayer to the Holy Spirit, a new film will be hitting theaters nationwide May 19-20. That They May Be One is a docudrama combining commentarie...

For several decades now, the landscape of women’s religious life in the United States and across the Western world has been marked by noticeable decline. While the number of Catholics continues to climb to historic highs in the Americas, the place of religious vocations continues to progressively sh...

On May 8th the Dominicans celebrate the Patronage of the Blessed Virgin Mary over the Whole Order of Preachers. This is done partially because of a vision St. Dominic had in which the Blessed Mother showed him that the order was held in her safety and care directly beneath her Mantle. This vision is...

Every year on May 14th, the Church celebrates the feast of the Apostle who came late to the party: St. Matthias. Biblically, we know very little about this man, but legend and tradition tell us he was full of zeal. Upon being chosen to be counted among the Twelve, he devoted his life to preaching an...

Mother’s Day in the United States usually finds people celebrating in a big way. Mothers are showered with gifts, and restaurants experience one of their busiest days of the year as families treat Mom to dinner. People in the United States were celebrating Mother’s Day on that May 13, 1917, when our...