Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Dear friends in Christ, I am starting a movement - Dare to Be: Radical Christians. It is a movement inviting all Christians to live their lives as radical. It is a call out of going through the motions. We must live in this world, why not love with the love of Christ, and bring as many with us as possible. I  want to ask you to join me in the movement. Each day I will be posting a reflection on something. For example: Dare to be..Joyful. Calling each of us to be joyful in our work, that we may spread the joy of Christ everywhere. Or Dare to be...forgiving. Viewing each person as a son or daughter of God, recognize we are all imperfect, and being a forgiving person so that we can grow further in love. Below I posted a facebook link and a blog link. Follow the blog for daily reflections. Stayed connected by liking us on facebook! https://www.facebook.com/DareToBeRadical http://daretoberadical.blogspot.com/ I invite you to join me in the movement to be set apart and fight again

 Saturday, 17 March, is St Patrick's Day and Ireland's National Day. One of Miss Cunningham's pupils in Rutland St School in the heart of Dublin half a century ago tells how St Patrick came to Ireland twice, the second time to stay there. You will notice that in this Brown Bag Production, done a few years ago, the pope who gave St Patrick permission to go to Ireland as a bishop bears a remarkable resemblance to a much more recent pope! Mary, the young girl telling the story, has Patrick being kidnapped in France. I'm more inclined to think he was from Wales, much nearer to Ireland. But we don't know. Scholars can't identify 'Bannavem Taburniae', Patrick's native place as mentioned in the opening paragraph of his Confession . Young Mary sees Patrick's reluctant willingness to return to Ireland as a missionary. There is no doubt about the truth of this because the saint writes about his struggle in his Confession, the authenticity of which no

Pugin’s Church becomes Official Shrine of St Augustine Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark has formally established Pugin’s church of St Augustine in Ramsgate as a shrine of ‘the Apostle of the English’. In an official decree the Archbishop grants the shrine canonical privileges and designates it as a place of pilgrimage. The establishment of this new pilgrimage site fills a five hundred year gap created when the last shrine of Augustine was destroyed in the 16 th century. A shrine to St Augustine existed on the Isle of Thanet before the Reformation and so this new place of pilgrimage recovers an ancient tradition. St Augustine’s is a Catholic church already dedicated to the saint and stands closer than any other to the place of Augustine’s landing, his first preaching and his momentous encounter with King Ethelbert of Kent in 597AD. The official day on which the foundation of the shrine will be remembered is 1 st March. This is Pugin’s birthday and rec

Dear Brothers and Sisters, In our continuing catechesis on Christian prayer, we now begin a new chapter on prayer in the Acts of the Apostles and the Letters of Saint Paul.  Today I wish to speak of the figure of Mary, who with the Apostles in the Upper Room prayerfully awaits the gift of the Holy Spirit.  In all the events of her life, from the Annunciation through the Cross to Pentecost, Mary is presented by Saint Luke as a woman of recollected prayer and meditation on the mystery of God’s saving plan in Christ.  In the Upper Room, we see Mary’s privileged place in the Church, of which she is the “exemplar and outstanding model in faith and charity” (Lumen Gentium, 53).  As Mother of God and Mother of the Church, Mary prays in and with the Church at every decisive moment of salvation history.   General Audience: Pope reflects on the prayer of Mary, the Mother of God

St. Matilda

Fiftysomething: St Joseph novena day 5 : This novena to St. Joseph requests divine assistance from someone close to our Lord, quite close indeed: His foster-father! Although he was...

Toward the end of my daily commute to work, as I head 40 miles an hour down a state highway,  I have often seen a white Volvo parked at the edge of a driveway, its motor running and lights on. I often wondered if it was a unmarked police car. But then again, what police officers do you know who drive Volvo cruisers? Then, one day I was running late and a school bus stopped just before the driveway. I stopped too. A little girl got out of the Volvo, the bus drove off and then her father drove out the driveway. Mystery revealed. Dad waits with his daughter in the car until the bus comes, then heads off to work. These family rituals are so important. Our family now consists of two working parents and two busy teenagers. (Boys who do not like their pictures taken) Long gone are the days when my husband and I would load our sons, in their pajamas, into the double stroller and walk to the ice cream parlor for an evening treat. Gone too, are the days when our so

View from the Domestic Church: My launch of "Food for the Family's Soul!"

"The Church gives thanks for all the manifestations of the feminine genius which have appeared in the course of history, in the midst of all peoples and nations; she gives thanks for all the charisms that the Holy Spirit distributes to women in the history of the People of God, for all the victories which she owes to their faith, hope, and charity: she gives thanks for all the fruits of feminine holiness (n. 31)."--- Blessed Pope John Paul II in his Apostolic Letter Mulieris Dignitatem Holy Women included are: St. Hildegard of Bingen St. Claire of Assisi St. Matilda of Hackeborn St. Gertrude the Great Bl. Angela of Foligno St. Elizabeth of Hungary St. Bridget of Sweden Marguerite d Oingt St. Juliana of Cornillon St Catherine of Siena Julian of Norwich St. Veronica Giuliani St. Catherine of Bologna St. Catherine of Genoa St. Joan of Arc St. Teresa of Avila St. Therese of Lisieux Women have always played a unique and critical role throughout Scripture which has continued th

Calling ALL Catholic women who love the Catholic Church! Do you have a blog or use twitter/facebook or the New Media? Would you like to post on our blog? We currently have 50 blog authors all who have full admin access. We also invite any men..priests or laymen who can give us a male perspective! There are no rules for posting apart from trying to show the positive side of our glorious faith. Contact Jackie at   jacquelineparkes@hotmail.co.uk 

Image & Likeness: Meeting God in Silence : One of the most beautiful aspects of Lent in the monastery is the greater silence that is sought, both exteriorly and interiorly.  Perhaps ...

Ephesians 5 is one of those Scripture stumbling blocks for the modern man... err, woman. Just what did Saint Paul mean by "Wives be subordinate to your husbands"? And what does the Church mean by authority? How do you feel about the roles of men and women within the marriage relationship? Click on over to The Feminine Gift to read our latest post.

I learned the Act of Contrition in first grade, and recited it in Confession every other week.  I was around nine when the priest on the other side of the grille stopped me just after I'd begun with my usual:  "O my God, I am partly sorry for having offended Thee, and I..."   He broke right in.   "Are you only partly sorry?", he asked.  I sat there in panic.  Well... well, of course!, said I.  That's what the prayer says, that's how I learned it, yes Father I'm sure I must be partly sorry, I'm at least partly sorry and that's a good thing isn't it Father? (am I passing this test?). Father was kind in his correction. And I've been heartily sorry ever since.  Although... There are times when I think about Father's gentle question.   It's not a bad one for an examination of conscience, really.  I mean - how many times do I confess sins and faults for which I'm only partly sorry?  If I'm really honest wi

New Family Radio Show!

This second week in Lent has the theme of transformation.  Sunday we had the Gospel of the transformation of Jesus, on our blog I was struck by the post about the Gift of Self in Marriage, that I thought this post from my site: Spiritual Lives Of Women would fit right in:  Servant Leadership has become a a model of business as coined and defined by Robert Greenleaf. Mr. Greenleaf (1904–1990) was the founder of the modern Servant Leadership movement. Greenleaf was born in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1904. After graduating from Carleton College in Minnesota, he went to work for AT&T. For the next forty years he researched management, development, and education. All along, he felt a growing suspicion that the power-centered authoritarian leadership style so prominent in U.S. institutions was not working, and in 1964 he took an early retirement to found the Center for Applied Ethics. Mr. Greenleaf got his inspiration from a work of fiction in which a group of men are going on a

Sign the petition at link below: I support the legal definition of marriage which is the voluntary union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others. I oppose any attempt to redefine it. Coalition For Marriage

heart speaks unto heart: Pastoral Letter on Marriage :  The Pastoral Letter, from Archbishop Vincent Nichols and Archbishop Peter Smith, respectively President and Vice-President of the Bishop's Conference.....

**This is a guest post from our Spiritual Father here at The Feminine Gift. Father Adam writes from Rome where the diocese has sent him to study Canon Law for three years (in Italian no less). He will grace our pages with his thoughts every once in a while.** A couple of weeks ago I decided to write an article for the Feminine Gift on contraception, and in particular, on the difference between artificial and natural means of regulating childbirths. However, having been intensely studying canon law for the last few years, and not dealing a lot with all the sound principles of moral theology that undergird the Church’s very wise teaching on family planning, I must admit that I had to make an effort to mentally rearticulate for myself the distinction between the different methods of regulating childbirths (I know, bad priest). Then, once I had all the arguments mapped out nicely in my brain—arguments that could have convinced Margaret Sanger herself—I sat down to write, but then didn’

Today the Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury will visit with Pope Benedict in Rome. Let us pray for them and for a fruitful meeting that helps the cause of Christian unity. The following is part of a speech that Archbishop Rowan Williams gave when Pope Benedict visited him in London in 2010: Our task as bishops is to preach the Gospel and shepherd the flock of Christ; and this includes the responsibility not only to feed but also to protect it from harm. Today, this involves a readiness to respond to the various trends in our cultural environment that seek to present Christian faith as both an obstacle to human freedom and a scandal to human intellect. We need to be clear that the Gospel of the new creation in Jesus Christ is the door through which we enter into true liberty and true understanding: we are made free to be human as God intends us to be human; we are given the illumination that helps us see one another and all created things in the light of divine love and intellige

As another member shared her wedding with us I thought I should like to share these special moments from our daughters wedding last June  Having the Nuptial Mass was very important to them. 

If like me sometimes your tiered old brain just longs for a few simple words and a heartfelt image i recommend this site http://holycardheaven.blogspot.com/ its like cool water on a hot day. or a nice cup of tea when your worn out and weary.

Tonight I had the beautiful experience of visiting St. Rita's Parish on Staten Island with two girlfriends to attend a Lenten talk on St. Pio of Pietrelcina, ( Padre Pio).  The evening was a remarkable reminder of the reasonableness and the universality of our faith. read more here...

 Readings (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) An Soiscéal Eoin 2:13-25 (Gaeilge, Irish) Nuair a bhí Cáisc na nGiúdach in achmaireacht agus chuaigh Íosa suas go Iarúsailéim dá bhrí sin. Fuair sé sa sanctóir lucht ba agus caoirigh agus colmáin a dhíol, agus lucht airgead a mhalartú ina suí ann. Agus rinne sé sciúirse de théada agus thiomáin sé iad go léir amach as an sanctóir, na caoirigh agus na ba chomh maith; scaip sé airgead an lucht mhalartaithe agus leag sé na boird, agus dúirt sé le lucht na gcolmán a dhíol: “Beirigí na nithe sin as seo agus ná déanaigí teach margaidh de theach m’Athar.” Chuimhnigh a dheisceabail go bhfuil sé scríofa: “Déanfaidh díograis do thí mé a ithe.” D’fhreagair na Giúdaigh ansin: “Cén comhartha,” ar siad leis, “atá á thaispeáint agat dúinn mar bhonn lena bhfuil á dhéanamh agat?” D’fhreagair Íosa: “Leagaigí an teampall seo,” ar sé leo, “agus i dtrí lá tógfaidh mé suas arís é.” Dúirt na Giúdaigh á fhreagairt: “Sé bliana agus daichead atá an Teampall

I've been on blogger & given up my giving up of the computer for Lent! If you fancy a mini-retreat go over to my blog here  " The Valley of Achor ". I removed to draft a double posting & the post re same sex marriage. Perhaps as a group ACWB could discuss "how" we want to discuss this important issue. My thoughts are to mention all that is good about Catholic Marriage.. Any thoughts?

There is so much I would tell the self that worried so much before Paul showed up, and 99% of it is in the video, the other 1% is a huge thank you, for all you've taught me and all of your family. P.S. I'm in the film, "He will Steal Your Heart."  It's true.

General Intention - Contribution of Women That the whole world may recognize the contribution of women to the development of society. Weaving a Dream By Mercy B. Gawason The author is a young Subanen who works with Subanen Crafts . She and her companions at Subanen Crafts recently visited Negros Occidental and dropped by the Misyon editorial office in Bacolod City. The word 'Subanen' means 'people of the river'. The Subanens live in the mountains of western Mindanao. This article is in the March-April 2012 issue of Misyon , the online magazine I edit for the Columbans in the Philippines . . . Mission Intention - Persecuted Christians That the Holy Spirit may grant perseverance to those who suffer discrimination, persecution, or death for the name of Christ, particularly in Asia. 'I only want a place at the feet of Jesus' Clement Shahbaz Bhatti (9 September 1968 - 2 March 2011) The first anniversary of the assassination of Clement Shahbaz Bhatti in

The word ordinary, to a Catholic has a few different meanings.  Ordinary time, is a time during the liturgical year that is not Advent, Lent, Easter, Christmas, it is the between time.  It still contains some very special days, but in itself it is only ordinary.   Ordinary, as in holy orders, is a completely different meaning all together.  Those who are priests and sisters have taken vows of chastity and live a life in total commitment to God and the people they serve.  Then you have the word ordinary, not special, terrific or even outstanding ….just ordinary.  It is a state of being not above but possibly below a standard to the extent that it is common, usual, familiar and average.  If one is considered ordinary, they are basically not outstanding at all.  They don’t take risks, make rash decisions, or stand out as anything other than normal….yes?   In each of us, I firmly believe we are called to be more than ordinary.  Bl John Paul II told us "be not afraid,&qu

It seems that you can hardly navigate the internet these days without running across a hate filled diatribe against the “evil old men” who are trying to “take my contraception from me!!!!”  It’s usually accompanied by something about how women have fought long and hard for these “rights” and how the “Roman Catholic Church needs to stay out of my bedroom.”  The standard, unoriginal arguments show the complete lack of understanding for the actual issue that is being argued at the moment, but in the past few days I’ve seen it taken even further, with hatred being spewed at “friends” on facebook that is downright evil.  I’ve seen someone say to a friend that people who believe that contraception is wrong should be “wiped off the face of the earth” and I’ve seen incredibly disgusting rants filled with profanity and obscene references to bodily parts that would make a demon proud.  But the previous sentence telling in itself isn’t it?  My reference to demons?  Because I very much