The Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church is the first of the Eastern Catholic Churches to publish its own catechism, Christ our Pascha. The catechism is not dependent upon theCatechism of the Catholic Church (1992), like all of the other catechisms published by various national bishops conferences throughout the Catholic World. Its structure is entirely different and it […]
“We sing your praises, O Most Holy Virgin, Mother of Christ our God, and we glorify your all-glorious patronage.” (Hymn of Praise from the Sixteenth Century) Among the Marian feasts listed in our Liturgical Year, the feast of the Patronage of the Most Holy Mother of God deserves special consideration. The cult of the Mother […]
Many Christian Churches in America were founded by a pastor who had a Bible, a microphone and a conviction that God wanted him to preach. So he gathered a few followers (often his own relatives), rented space and scheduled services. Americans see nothing unusual in this – after all freedom of speech and individual initiative […]
Catholic and Orthodox Christians are sometimes criticized by people because of the reverence we show to the saints. Critics may feel that we ignore the Lord, preferring to pay homage to favorite saints. Seeing how some believers act, we may understand why some Protestants and others may feel as they do. Some devotees of the […]
by Brent Kostyniuk “I’ve looked at life from both sides now…” I’m sure Joni Mitchell’s words mean something different to just about everyone who hears them. Over the past several months, they have taken on a special new meaning for me, as I reflect on St. John Paul II’s famous exhortation that the Church needs […]
To Catholic Bishops Conferences, priests, religious and the faithful of the Church To All Christians and People of good will that stand in solidarity with Ukraine Dear Brothers and Sisters! Over the last six months many of you have closely followed events in Ukraine—dramatic, sometimes tragic, but ultimately life-giving. After a century of genocidal experiences […]
The ninth chapter of St Matthew’s Gospel records several miracles in succession: the healing of a paralytic, of the ruler’s daughter, of a woman with a flow of blood, two blind men and a mute man. Only in the case of the two blind men do we find that the Lord Jesus “…sternly warned them, […]
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Sandy Koufax raised many an eyebrow at the 1965 World Series when he refused to pitch at the opening game because it was Yom Kippur. He remains a model for countless observant Jewish athletes, debaters, spellers and other competitors who decline to practice or compete on the Sabbath, even if it […]
It is often asked of Eastern Catholics what it is they believe about Purgatory. (At least it is a question that I myself have been asked on more than one occasion!) Roman Catholics, after all, speak in quite definitive terms about it, while the Orthodox explicitly reject the doctrine. Consequently, it might be supposed that […]
