Have You Heard About the Chrism Mass?

Have You Heard About the Chrism Mass?

The words “Messiah” and “Christ” mean “anointed.” To be a Christian is to share in Jesus’s own anointing in the Holy Spirit. The sacraments draw us into this reality through the anointings with oil at Baptism, Confirmation, Anointing of the Sick, and Holy...
What Is Palm Sunday?

What Is Palm Sunday?

There are certain moments of the Church’s calendar that stand out for their symbolism: the manger at Christmas, ashes on the forehead to start Lent, and the branches of Palm Sunday.  Palm Sunday begins the most solemn week of the year: Holy Week. As we walk with...
What is Holy Week All About?

What is Holy Week All About?

Holy Week is the final week of Lent, leading up to our celebration of Easter. This time of preparation reaches its climax during Holy Week, the holiest and most intense period of the Church’s worship in the liturgical year. Following Jesus step by step represents the...
What Are Ember Days?

What Are Ember Days?

Ember Days are among the oldest traditions of the Church’s calendar. The Romans marked the beginning of new seasons with particular times of celebration and prayer. Even more pertinently for us, the cycle of Jewish feasts sanctified the year and marked the harvest...
7 Tips for a Happy Lent

7 Tips for a Happy Lent

We all say too often, “that went by so fast,” or ask, “where did the time go?” The same will happen to Lent unless we make some firm decisions on how to use these forty days well. Here are seven tips for making the most of Lent, and bringing more joy into these coming...
Why Lent?

Why Lent?

If we don’t want to take Lent for granted then it might help us to think about why we celebrate it all. Although in English, the word “Lent” comes from the Germanic word for “spring.” Other languages, especially the Romance languages and Latin, describe the season as...