BIG C CATHOLICS

Our priests are the busiest people we know. They labor tirelessly in serving the congregations that are entrusted to them and spreading the Good News of Christ. Does your priest deserve a break? Would he enjoy a retreat with Dr. Scott Hahn and St. Paul Center Fellows? Tell him about our Priests Retreat and Conference. Retreat and Conference Details Living Sacrifice: The Priesthood in Scripture July 10th-13th, 2017 The Old and New Testaments provide more than enough practical information on the office of priesthood. But just as abundant is the spiritual wealth that Scripture contains for the heart of every pastor. Join the St. Paul Center for Biblical Theology as Drs. Scott Hahn, John Bergsma, Brant Pitre, and Fr. Pablo Gadenz address the centrality of the Word of God in the life and ministry of the Priest. The conference, for Catholic Priests, will take place on July 10-13, 2017 at the 4 star Oglebay Resort and Conference Center in Wheeling, WV. Registration is $550

February 4, 2017 Yesterday, we prayed for those suffering from physical illnesses. Today, we pray for those suffering from mental illnesses. May Our Lady of Lourdes intercede for them and beg Our Lord to heal them, and bring them peace and equanimity. Day 3 - The Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes Immaculate Mother, pray that we may have hope in times of trial. Our Lady of Lourdes, we come to you like little Bernadette at the grotto. We pray with childlike trust in you. Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, when you appeared in Lourdes, you made it a holy sanctuary where many have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal. We pray with confidence for your holy intercession. (State your intentions here) Holy Mother of the Rosary, we feel confident that your prayers on our behalf will be graciously heard by God. Immaculate Mother, show us your mercy, O Mother of God. Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone

Twenty-three years ago today, St. Teresa of Calcutta delivered a strident speech in defense of life and opposing abortion as a moral depravity. It was without a doubt a remarkable event, played out on live T.V. Lifenews describes the scene : The occasion was the annual National Prayer Breakfast, a huge ecumenical gathering in Washington. As president, Bill Clinton was a high-profile attendee, with Hillary accompanying him. That year, on Feb. 3, 1994, the keynoter was a very special guest, a Nobel Peace Prize winner and saintly figure who had come all the way from the most impoverished area of the planet, the slums of Kolkata. Mother Teresa was barely visible, being partially obscured by the microphones atop the podium. Her message, delivered in a firm voice was unmistakable. She called abortion "the greatest destroyer of love and peace", saying in part: But I feel that the greatest destroyer of peace today is abortion, because it is a war against the child, a direct

Ed Whelan The following by Ed Whelan, president of the Ethics and Public Policy Center, a former law clerk to the late Justice Scalia, discusses Judge Neil Gorsuch's recent nomination to the Supreme Court. It originally appeared in the January 31, 2017 edition of National Review Online under the subheading "Rocky Mountain native Neil Gorsuch has an impressive judicial record as an originalist." _____________________________________________________ On the Saturday afternoon last February when he received word of Justice Scalia’s death, Neil M. Gorsuch “immediately lost [his] breath” and “couldn’t see... for the tears.” In his grief over the death of a justice he deeply admired and emulated, Judge Gorsuch could hardly have imagined the series of events that would lead to his being selected today to fill the Scalia vacancy. And while he has rightly recognized that no one could ever replace Justice Scalia, there are strong reasons to expect Justice Gorsuch to

February 3, 2017 The Church has approved and recognized more than 60 miracles that have happened through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes. It is said that these miracles are the continuation of Jesus' healing ministry. Today, we pray for all who suffer with any sort of physical illness, that have the strength they need to persevere through their suffering with patience and faith, like St. Bernadette. Day 2 - The Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes Immaculate Mother, comfort us in our affliction. Our Lady of Lourdes, we come to you like little Bernadette at the grotto. We pray with childlike trust in you. Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, when you appeared in Lourdes, you made it a holy sanctuary where many have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal. We pray with confidence for your holy intercession. (State your intentions here) Holy Mother of the Rosary, we feel confident that your prayers on our behalf will be graciously h

February 3rd Little is known about the life of Saint Blaise. He was a physician and a Bishop of Sebaste, Armenia. He lived in a cave on Mount Argeus and was a healer of men and animals. According to legend, sick animals would come to him on their own for help, but would never disturb him at prayer. Before Saint Francis of Assisi, he was the saint most frequently associated with animals and the natural world. Agricola, governor of Cappadocia, came to Sebaste to persecute Christians. His huntsmen went into the forests of Argeus to find wild animals for the arena games, and found many waiting outside Blaise's cave. Discovered in prayer, Blaise was arrested, and Agricola tried to get him to recant his faith. While in prison, Blaise ministered to and healed fellow prisoners, including saving a child choking on a fish bone, which led to the blessing of throats on Blaise's feast day. Thrown into a lake to drown, Blaise stood on the surface and calmly invited his persecutors

February 3rd, is the optional memorial of Saint Ansgar the 9th century German bishop and missionary. The "apostle of the north" (Scandinavia) had enough frustrations to become a saint — and he did. He became a Benedictine at Corbie, France, where he had been educated. Three years later, when the king of Denmark became a convert, Ansgar went to that country for three years of missionary work, without noticeable success. Sweden asked for Christian missionaries, and he went there, suffering capture by pirates and other hardships on the way. Less than two years later he was recalled, to become abbot of New Corbie (Corvey) and bishop of Hamburg. The pope made him legate for the Scandinavian missions. Funds for the northern apostolate stopped with Emperor Louis's death. After thirteen years' work in Hamburg, Ansgar saw it burned to the ground by invading Northmen; Sweden and Denmark returned to paganism. He directed new apostolic activities in the North, traveling to D

On the feast of St. Blaise, (February 3rd) a bishop and martyr of the 4th century, it is customary to bless the throats of the faithful with two candles tied together with a red ribbon to form a cross (typically before or after Mass). The reason for this custom of blessing throats and asking St. Blaise’s intercession for good health is because of popular piety about this saint. A woman whose son was choking on a fish bone came to Bishop Blaze and begged him to heal her son. St. Blaise prayed and the boy was cured. Thus began the tradition of the blessing of throats today. Sometimes people wonder about customs like this. Is this superstition or an attempt at magic using blessed candles and putting them around a person's throat, and saying a prayer? No, not at all. Jesus prayed for the healing of many who came to him, and he used things like mud when he healed the eyes of a blind man. With Bishop Blaise, we and all the baptized are part of the body of Christ. Christ continues

February 2, 2017 In The Power of One Hail Mary, it is written that, "St. Bernard and many Saints said that it was never, ever heard at any time or in any place that Mary refused to hear the prayers of her children on earth." So as we start the Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes today, we do so with great confidence that she will hear our prayers and take them to her son, our Lord Jesus Christ. Day 1 - The Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes Immaculate Mother, show us your mercy, O Mother of God. Our Lady of Lourdes, we come to you like little Bernadette at the grotto. We pray with childlike trust in you. Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, when you appeared in Lourdes, you made it a holy sanctuary where many have obtained the cure of their infirmities, both spiritual and corporal. We pray with confidence for your holy intercession. (State your intentions here) Holy Mother of the Rosary, we feel confident that your prayers on our behalf will be graciously heard

February 2nd, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord [originally known as the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin] It occurs forty days after the birth of Christ and is also called Candlemas, in reference to the blessing and procession of candles in today's liturgy. The story of the Presentation is told in Luke 2:22-29. Simeon the Righteous met Mary, Joseph, and Jesus when they entered the Temple in Jerusalem to fulfill the requirements of the Torah. Simeon was a "just and devout" man of Jerusalem who had been visited by the Holy Spirit and told he would not die until he had seen the Son of Man. Scripture records that Simeon prays the Nunc dimittis [Canticle of Simeon] in which Jesus' mission is prophesied. Seeing the infant, Simeon took the baby in his arms, blessed the Lord and joyously proclaimed: Lord, now you let your servant go in peace; your word has been fulfilled: My own eyes have seen the salvation which you h