BIG C CATHOLICS

Can you tell your aspergillum from your alb? Your cassock from your chasuble? Take this quiz on all things Roman Catholic to test your knowledge of one of the world's oldest, largest, and most powerful institutions. Go here for quiz.

Lord Jesus, You are the Good Shepherd, Always providing for our needs and leading us to eternal life. We thank you for Pope Francis I, Your Vicar on earth, The Servant of the Servants of God. Give him holiness and strength to carry out his mission, And may he be for the world A sign of your love And a clear voice for truth, justice, And the sanctity of human life. May all he says and does Lead us closer to you, who live and reign forever and ever. Amen!

Jorge Mario Bergoglio ; December 17, 1936) is pope of the Catholic Church, elected on March 14, 2013, and taking the regnal name of Francis , after St. Francis of Assisi. He is the first Pope born in the Americas. Prior to his election, he served as an Argentine cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church. He has served as the Archbishop of Buenos Aires since 1998. He was elevated to the cardinalate in 2001. Jorge Bergoglio was born in Buenos Aires, one of the five children of an Italian railway worker and his wife. After studying at the seminary in Villa Devoto, he entered the Society of Jesus on March 11, 1958. Bergoglio obtained a licentiate in philosophy from the Colegio Máximo San José in San Miguel, and then taught literature and psychology at the Colegio de la Inmaculada in Santa Fe, and the Colegio del Salvador in Buenos Aires. He was ordained to the priesthood on December 13, 1969, by Archbishop Ramón José Castellano. He attended the Philosophical and Theologic

Dear Disciple of Christ, I hope you love Lent as much as I do. Between Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, Lent puts us in touch with the truth about ourselves and God. Lent reminds us that flesh and blood are still but dust and ashes. We must die. We are all sinners. We need to surrender to the mercy of God. We give him all our weaknesses, failures, and sins, asking not just forgiveness, but cleansing. We pray for our conversion to a life in which we trust and love God as Jesus did. We show our repentance by self-denial. We break bad habits and replace them with good. We strip life down to its bare essentials. We fast. We give alms. We are honest with God, letting him know that we seek him first and desire to walk in his grace. During Lent, our daily offering becomes more real for us than ever. With the love of Christ within us, we pray for others. We find new ways to serve those in need and to be at peace with those we find difficult. We are more keenly aware that we offer ourselv

Here is the translation of the homily delivered by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Dean of the College of Cardinals, during the “Missa Pro Eligendo Romano Pontefice” today in St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome. Dear Concelebrants, Distinct Authorities, Brothers and Sisters in Christ, “Forever I will sing the mercies of the Lord” is the hymn that resounds once again near the tomb of the Apostle Peter in this important hour of the history of the Holy Church of Christ. These are the words of Psalm 88 that have flowed from our lips to adore, give thanks and beg the Father who is in heaven. “Misericordias Domini in aeternum cantabo”: is the beautiful Latin text that has introduced us into contemplation of the One who always watches over his Church with love, sustaining her on her journey down through the ages, and giving her life through his Holy Spirit. Such an interior attitude is ours today as we wish to offer ourselves with Christ to the Father who is in heaven, to thank him for the loving assi

As the papal conclave begins in Rome, wrapped in mystery and secrecy, there is no indication that the 115 cardinals will be deciding between just a couple of front-runners in choosing a successor to Pope Benedict XVI. Milan's Cardinal Angelo Scola and Brazil's Cardinal Odilo Scherer are names that keep cropping up on the lists of papabili, but NBC News Vatican analyst George Weigel says no fewer than 20 men could get votes when balloting starts Tuesday in the Sistine Chapel. They come from the traditional bastions of Italy, from growth areas like sub-Saharan Africa, even from the United States. Only time — and a puff of white smoke — will reveal which one will emerge as leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics. Here, in alphabetical order, are the princes of the church who Weigel says could be considered for the top job:     Angelo Bagnasco : The archbishop of Genoa, he also heads the influential conference of Italian bishops. Considered an intellect

Birth control and abortion have always been about Population Control. Any simple read of history proves this. The President of the deeply racist American Eugenics Society, Frederick Osborn, declared: "Birth Control and Abortion are turning out to be great eugenic advances of our time." Overt acts of racism against black Americans is nothing new. And now that precious black babies are aborted up to 6 times more than precious white babies (as in NYC), the eugenics movement continues its population control efforts. Learn more at  http://www.toomanyaborted.com