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The 8 days of Christmas? A look at the Christmas octave
By Kevin J. Jones Denver, Colo., Dec 25, 2024 / 04:00 am The Catholic calendar has several ways to divide the Christmas season. The Church’s Western liturgical tradition sees Christmas as an octave, an eight-day celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. The octave of Christmas begins on Christmas itself, the feast of …
The History of ‘The Twelve Days of Christmas’
The song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” is an English Christmas carol. From 1558 until 1829, Roman Catholics in England were not permitted to practice their faith openly. Someone during that era wrote this carol as a catechism song for young Catholics. It has two levels of meaning: the surface …
Advent Reflections 2024
Christmas Day Invitation to Prayer: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” Reflection: Today we celebrate the birth of Christ, historically, in our lives today, and when we shut our eyes for the last time to greet the Saviour.Often. in …
Book Review: Here I am/Light of the Sacraments
Each week, as we pray the Nicene Creed together at Sunday Mass, we declare our belief in the one God who made all things—visible and invisible. In the human person, the visible body and the invisible soul are intrinsically linked. What is good for one is good for the other …
Out and About in the Archdiocese for December 2024
1) All Saints Day at Royalmont Academy in Mason celebrated All Saints Day with costumes and presentations in grades PreK through eighth. May the example of these saints inspire our students. As the school’s chaplain, Father Jesus, reminds them: we are all saints in the making! 2) SUA and St. …
The hidden message in ancient ‘O Antiphons’ of Advent
By Katie Yoder Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 4, 2022 / 07:00 am An emeritus Texas bishop is highlighting an Advent message hidden in the O Antiphons — prayers that are recited or chanted in an ancient tradition leading up to Christmas. “Composed in the sixth or seventh century, the seven O …
Saints and Miracles
When someone asks for the intercession of a candidate for sainthood, such as healing from illness, if the prayer is answered, how can it be proven that the miracle was through that saint’s intercession? The Church believes that those in Heaven, because they are close to Christ, can intercede for …
