BIG C CATHOLICS

Saint Pope John Paul the Great Karol Józef Wojtyła was born 96 years ago, on May 18, 1920, in Wadowice, Poland, the youngest of three children, to Karol Wojtyla and Emilia Wojtyla, (née Kaczorowska). The future pope's father was a non-commissioned officer of the Imperial Royal Army and a Polish Army captain. His mother had a premonition about her youngest child saying, "Karol is destined to be a great man."  Young Wojtyla, c 1929  Date of birth: May 18, 1920 Date of death: April 2, 2005 Birth place: Wadowice, Poland Education: Doctorate in Philosophy, Doctorate in Sacred Theology, Jagiellonian University Feast Day: October 22 (date of papal inauguration) Apostolic Motto:   Totus Tuus (Totally yours) Notes of Interest: Upon his election in 1978, John Paul II was the first non-Italian Pope in 455 years. At 58, he was the youngest pope since the election of Pope Pius IX (age 54), in 1846. During his pontificate, he visited 129 countries, travel

By Matthew Coffin The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity is May 22nd. The Divine Family that is God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit is the central mystery of Christian faith and life . The mystery of the Trinity is the life that dwells in us and sustains us . ___________ "God in his deepest mystery is not a solitude but a family, since he has in himself fatherhood, sonship and the essence of the family which is love." — St. John Paul II The Exchange of Persons in the Trinity The three-leaf clover used in religion classes to explain the mystery of three Divine Persons in one God does not begin to penetrate the incomparable majesty, boundless love, and total communion, which the Church in her Tradition and creeds ascribes to the Trinity. To the early Church Fathers the idea of perichoresis (the exchange of Persons in the Trinity), was indispensable to understanding God. This sublime, metaphysical concept is central to John Paul’s Theology of the

A native of Tuscany in Italy, John was elected Pope while he was still an archdeacon upon the death of Pope Hormisdas in 523. The Arian King Theodoric sent him as his ambassador to Emperor Justin in Constantinople. On John I's return, he was captured by the king, who was displeased at the outcome of the embassy, and cast him into prison at Ravenna where he died a few days later. As pope he was responsible for introducing the Alexandrian computation of the date of Easter. It would eventually be accepted throughout the West. Eastern Catholics and Eastern Orthodox Christians honor Pope St. John I, on the same date as the Roman Catholic Church. The death of St. John I was on or around May 18, which became his feast day in the Byzantine Catholic tradition and in the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite. The Extraordinary Form of the Roman Rite, celebrates him on May 27, the date on which his body was returned to Rome for veneration in St. Peter’s Basilica. The Life of St. John I This

What is the Fortnight for Freedom? The "Fortnight for Freedom" is 14 days of prayer, education and action for religious freedom in the United States and around the world. It will take place from June 21 to July 4, 2016. The theme of this year’s Fortnight is "Witnesses to Freedom." During this time, the Church's liturgical calendar celebrates a series of great martyrs who remained faithful in the face of persecution: St. Thomas More and St. John Fisher, St. John the Baptist, Sts. Peter and Paul, and the First Martyrs of the Church of Rome. Four Ways to Celebrate the Fortnight for Freedom Pray Hold a prayer vigil for religious freedom. Eucharistic adoration, the Rosary, and the Divine Mercy Chaplet could all be forms of intercession for our country and our first freedom. Gather Get together and celebrate religious freedom with a parish picnic or barbecue. Hand out religious freedom conversation starters as a way to spur discussion about our first,

Read our review of  Learning to Love With the Saints: A Spiritual Memoir . Mercy Press announces the release of author Jean M. Heimann’s new book, Learning to Love With the Saints: A Spiritual Memoir . It is available in digital and paperback editions at Amazon.com . Learning to Love with the Saints gives practical insight into the abundant love and mercy that flows from the Sacred Heart of Jesus to our hearts when we learn to trust in His love and mercy. The lives of the saints convey precious lessons of love and guidance on how to live virtuous lives. When we befriend them and ask for their prayers, miraculous transformations can occur in our lives and the lives of those around us. Learning to Love with the Saints shows us how to develop a personal relationship with God, to grow more deeply in love with Him, to trust in His mercy and to use the saints as our supporters and spiritual guides. Learning to Love with the Saints is the inspiring personal witness of how Jean M. Hei

Here is Raymond Cardinal Burke's address before the Rome Life Forum last week entitled "Martyrdom for the Faith in our times", via Life Site News . [Read the full text here .] His Eminence quoted the words of Father John Hardon who in speaking of the need for contemporary witness noted present-day Catholics' ignorance regarding the truths of the faith: "In a particular way, Father Hardon knew that the necessary strong Catholic witness depends essentially upon the right understanding of the faith and its demands provided by sound catechesis. He saw how decades of a thin and even false catechesis had created a situation in which many Catholics were illiterate regarding the faith. He saw how many were left in confusion and error regarding the most fundamental tenets of the Catholic faith and of the moral law written upon the human heart and definitively articulated through the word of Christ handed down in the Church. Faith in the Real Presence of Our Lord J

The Coming of the Spirit. [Acts 2:1-4] When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of the faithful with your love.