Why has the Catholic Church traditionally dedicated the month of September to Our Lady of Sorrows? The answer is simple: The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows falls right in the middle of the month, on September 15. But how was that date chosen for this memorial? Because the day before, September 14, is the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross.

Like many of the lesser-known Marian feasts, the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows is tied to an event in the life of her Son. On September 14, we celebrate the instrument of Christ's victory over death; and the next day, we remember the suffering of Mary as she stood at the foot of the Cross and witnessed the torture and death of her Son.

Through our Prayers for September, we can unite ourselves to Mary in her sorrow, in the hope that we will one day also share her joy in the triumph of her Son.

Each month, Pope Benedict XVI announces his special prayer intentions—particular things that he wishes all Catholics to pray for that month. (When, for instance, we pray the rosary and say the prayers at the end for the intentions of the Holy Father, these are the intentions for which we're praying.)

Pope Benedict offers two intentions every month, one general, and one for a particular Catholic missionary activity. Read more...

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The Associated Press is reporting this morning that "Pope Benedict XVI has granted a series of interviews to a German journalist that will form the basis of a new book expected later this year."

This isn't just any journalist, however, but Peter Seewald, with whom Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger repeatedly collaborated while head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Two of the books drawn from previous interviews, Salt of the Earth: The Church at the End of the Millennium (compare prices) and God and the World (compare prices) are indispensable volumes for anyone who wants to understand the mind of the Holy Father and what he hopes to accomplish during his papacy.

The AP account does not say what the interviews, which took place in July at Pope Benedict's summer residence at Castel Gandolfo, concerned. But we will know soon enough: The Vatican publishing house will release the book by the end of the year. English-language readers, however, will have to wait a bit longer: The book will first be released in German and Italian.