… Collect: Father, You prepared the Virgin Mary to be the worthy mother of your Son. You let her share beforehand in the salvation Christ would bring by His death, and kept her sinless from the first moment of her conception. Help us by her prayers to live in your presence without sin. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.... Read more

… O Mary, thou art all fair, unstained by original sin. Parodi Filippo c. 1660 Read more

… Hmmm. Is that absinthe in that glass? Read more

… receiving one lonely Christmas card thus far… from my dentist… wishing me Happy Holidays… and reminding me of their teeth cleaning special. If I call before December 25th for an appointment I can get my pearly whites cleaned for a meager $49.99. Thank you Baby Jesus for my gleaming white smile. Bah. Read more

… preferably with an adult libation in hand and this guy on my arm. Happy Malta Monday fellow wanderlusters. Read more

… having to crawl out of your nice warm bed at 5am when it’s 32 degrees outside and pitch black… then realizing it’s Monday and you have to do this four more times. Read more

… after tomorrow I will no longer be taking anymore of your craptastic submissions in the Tackiest Nativity Contest. You still have 24 hours to get me a photo of the coveted Elvis Nativity. Read more

Winner: Old Bob “Gee, real Catholics are harder to find these days.” Read more

… by Vyacheslav Zabelin. Read more

… well, sort of. Pictured below, Fr. Dwight Logenecker and yours truly. I am the one not wearing a clerical collar. Read more