“I was walking along the road with two friends. The sun was setting. I felt a breath of melancholy – Suddenly the sky turned blood-red. I stopped, and leaned against the railing, deathly tired – looking out across the flaming clouds that hung like blood and a sword over the blue-black fjord and town My friends walked on – I stood there, trembling with fear. And I sensed a great, infinite scream pass through nature.” –Edvard Munch, written in his... Read more
So here’s the update: the new Managing Editor USA of Aleteia is none other than the great Harold Fickett! You may remember his name: Harold has been the Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Catholic Exchange. Before that, he was Interim Publisher and Executive Editor at Crisis Magazine. He was co-author (with Charles Colson) of Faith: What Christians Believe, Why They Believe It, and Why It Matters. As he assumes his new responsibilities at the Aleteia offices in Washington D.C., Harold has... Read more
It’s been five years in the making, and this morning the Cathedral of the Incarnation in Orlando, Florida will become Catholic. At a Mass of Reception at 10:15 a.m. Sunday, September 16, the Cathedral of the Incarnation, which was formerly associated with the Anglican Church of America, will become the Parish of Incarnation—joining about twenty other former Anglican or Episcopal congregations to be accepted in the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, the personal ordinariate established as a... Read more
Long and black, sorrowing an eighth time at the Ascension of her Son, she’s nicknamed the “Pencil Madonna.” She’s the prominent figure in a striking mural behind the altar at Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Farmington, Michigan. The mural also features a “Pencil Jesus” hovering just over His Mother’s head, ascending to heaven. The contemporary fresco was painted in the summer of 1961 by French artist Jean Charlot. Born in Paris, France, then living and working in Mexico, Charlot... Read more
On September 15, we honor Mary, the Mother of God, under her title of “Our Lady of Sorrows.” The feast commemorates events in the life of Mary, as told in the Scriptures. There is a traditional devotion for Our Lady of Sorrows—a rosary consisting of seven decades, with each consisting of one Our Father and seven Hail Mary’s. The seven sorrows of Our Lady are: The Prophecy of Simeon (Luke 2:34-25) or the Circumcision of Christ The Flight Into Egypt... Read more
On September 14, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Cross. This picture, the Exaltation of the Cross, is taken from the Très Riches Heures du Duc de Berry (The Very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry)—the most important illuminated manuscript of the 15th century. Dating back to around 1410 A.D., the richly decorated book contains prayers to be said at each of the canonical hours of the day. There are 416 pages in all, with 131... Read more
It’s tough out here in the Catholic blogosphere. It’s my goal, when I sit down at the keyboard, to inspire, to entertain, to present the Catholic faith in a manner that is both understandable and attractive. I pray that something I write may, in some small way, persuade someone to take a second look at a belief system which they’ve rejected but which, in my estimation, offers a consistent and logical approach to all things. So I try always to... Read more
I have just received an email, notifying me that for just $199.95, I can find out Who.I.Am. No, really. That’s because National Geographic has invited my participation in Geno 2.0, their next-generation Genographic Project. For my participation, I will receive, postage-paid, a Genographic Project Participation Kit which includes painless cheek swabs and instructions for submitting my DNA samples (return postage required). I will also receive a beautiful keepsake box to store my results, after I access them on-line. Robert Ballard,... Read more
Fr. Joseph Hirsch, from the Office of Vocations in the Diocese of LaCrosse, offers insights into how we should see our bodies, and how we should expect others to regard us. Read more
Who was Father Augustus Tolton? He was the son of poor slaves in the South. He was refused admission to seminary in the United States because of his color, and finally resorted to studying for the priesthood in Rome. He was ordained in 1886, and was believed to be the first black priest in the nation. He first served in the Diocese of Springfield but came to Chicago where he founded St. Monica’s, a black “national parish church” on Chicago’s South Side. He... Read more
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