The most profound revelation of all – a God who is indeed hidden, hidden amidst the most mundane and familiar around us.
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Category: Devotions and Sacramentals
Holy Water — Contactless
I have really, really missed the regular availability of holy water. I was therefore glad – as well as somewhat bemused — to find a COVID-attentive holy water dispenser when I went to Mass earlier today, in a Gothic Cathedral no less.
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Pre-Signed Sympathy Cards On Sale Here
Mass intentions are an area of sacramental theology that require more theological reflection (see the recent articles by John Baldovin here and here). In Ireland
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Popular Piety: Holy Cards
Popular piety can’t really be programmed. You never know where something like this is going to land.
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Open for Prayer
Paul Westermeyer argues for the value of keeping a church “open for prayer” beyond those times when services are being held.
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Ashless Wednesday in Ireland
Ash Wednesday is still popular in Ireland. As rates of practice have dropped in recent years, many people still make a point of getting ashes
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And they say the Catholic tradition of relics is crazy!
I readily admit that I am a Mac addict and at times I think I am more successful in converting people to the Apple ecosystem
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First Blessing in the Ordination Mass?
Does it make sense that newly ordained priests give their first blessing at the end of the ordination liturgy?
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An ‘Abundance of Rituals’: selling spirituality in a systemic vacuum
A few weeks ago, Timothy Brunk contributed a blog to this site titled Corporation Rituals (28 September 2020). It caught my eye because it captures
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Popular Piety Spotlight: Prayers to St. Michael
Whether prayed at the conclusion of a rosary, after mass, or at some other time, these prayers to St. Michael are part of a long tradition of regularly turning to heaven for help against forces that would try to destroy the goodness and unity of the Church.
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Something Old, Something New
The spiritual practice of devotions is an enriching one. Our spiritual/ritual lives—like any ecosystem—benefit from diversity.
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