Prayer

The Pope looking at a statue

Pope Francis’ Prayer to Mary

Under your protection, we seek refuge, Holy Mother of God. Do not disdain the entreaties of we who are in trial, but deliver us from every danger, O glorious and blessed Virgin.

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St. Anthony of Padua

St. Anthony and the Albigensian Heresy

St. Anthony of Padua (1195-1231) was a Franciscan friar who spent a number of years as a traveling preacher.
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Dr. Buffy writes about being a widow

From Widow’s Grief to New Life

Mired in grief over the loss of her husband, this college professor found a kindred spirit in another widow: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton.
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Way of the Cross

The Way of the Cross…on Your Block!

The Holy Spirit inspired me to combine spiritual meditation with physical exercise by envisioning the Stations of the Cross in my neighborhood. I walk approximately 10 blocks with stops at places that suggest the 14 locations associated with the Passion ...
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Kids praying | Photo by Carlos Magno on Unsplash

Franciscan Inspirations: The Power of Novenas

The Latin word novena means “nine.” Novenas are a form of prayer in which a person, individually or with a group, prays for some special intention for nine days.
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A statue of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Native American to be canonized, is seen at Our Lady of the Island Shrine in Manorville, N.Y., March 25, 2021. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz)

In the Footsteps of Saint Kateri

Saint Kateri Tekakwitha repeats the example of the saints: Holiness thrives on the cross, anywhere.
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Angel carries Jesus

The Loneliness of Gethsemane

Truth finds us in different ways. Sometimes we learn what something means not in a classroom, but in a hospital. Several years ago, I was visiting a man dying of cancer in a hospital room. He was dying well, though ...
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