Are You Ready for an Extra-Long Lent?
Wednesday February 29, 2012
Today is Leap Day, February 29—a day that comes around only once every four years. Different people celebrate Leap Day in different ways: Some take the day off work, others ... Read More
Lent Recipes: Serbian Food
Wednesday February 29, 2012
Today is the Ember Wednesday of Lent, and for those who observe the tradition of the Ember Days, it is a day of strict fasting and abstinence. This year, the ... Read More
From Ashes to Embers
Wednesday February 29, 2012
Normally, as things burn, embers turn to ashes, but we're at the one time of the year when ashes come before embers--at least in the Catholic Church's liturgical calendar. The ... Read More
Vote for the Best Catholic Book of 2011!
Tuesday February 28, 2012
Sign up for our free Catholicism newsletter to be notified automatically when the winners are announced on March 30, 2012.
Voting in the 2012 About.com Catholicism Readers' Choice Awards has been ... Read More
Novena of the Week: For Fidelity to Work
Tuesday February 28, 2012
This week's novena will cross from February, the Month of the Holy Family, into March, the Month of Saint Joseph, and thus it is appropriate that we turn this week ... Read More
"There Are No Good Role Models Anymore!"
Sunday February 26, 2012
With all of the hype surrounding the Academy Awards, I started thinking: How often do we parents complain about the lack of good role models in our society? From actors ... Read More
Thought of the Day: Fasting and Perseverance
Sunday February 26, 2012
Today is the First Sunday in Lent, and our Lenten fast is but a few days old. Yet these first few days are often the hardest, and we greet this ... Read More
Where Did the Alleluia Go?
Sunday February 26, 2012
Do you ever have the feeling that something was just a bit different at Mass? Did you have that feeling today? The Catholic Church often signals changes in liturgical seasons ... Read More
Lent Recipes: German Food
Friday February 24, 2012
Quick—think of a European cuisine that's known for its meatless dishes. I may not be able to guess what you picked, but it's a pretty good bet that it was ... Read More
Voting Is Open in the 2012 About Catholicism Readers' Choice Awards!
Thursday February 23, 2012
Sign up for our free Catholicism newsletter to be notified automatically when the winners are announced on March 30, 2012.
On January 18, 2012, nominations opened in the 2012 About.com ... Read More
Ashes to Ashes
Wednesday February 22, 2012
It's that time of year again, when our friends and coworkers helpfully offer to wipe the black smudge off of our foreheads. Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of ... Read More
It's Pancake Day!
Tuesday February 21, 2012
The day before Ash Wednesday is known by a lot of names, most famously Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday (which is what Mardi Gras means in French). Traditionally, it has ... Read More
Novena of the Week: The Prayer of Saint Ephrem the Syrian
Tuesday February 21, 2012
Among Eastern Christians, both Catholic and Orthodox, one of the most popular practices during Lent is the frequent praying of the Prayer of Saint Ephrem the Syrian. A fourth-century deacon ... Read More
When Does Lent Really Start?
Monday February 20, 2012
For most Catholics, Lent begins in two days, on Ash Wednesday. For Eastern Rite Catholics, however, today is the first day of Lent (or Great Lent, as it is called ... Read More
President Obama: A Uniter, Not a Divider
Friday February 17, 2012
Back in 1999, when he was running for the Republican nomination for president of the United States, George W. Bush famously declared that he was "a uniter, not a divider." ... Read More
Why Do Catholics Eat Fish on Fridays?
Friday February 17, 2012
The first Friday of Lent falls one week from today, and, like all Fridays during Lent, it will be a day of abstinence. All Catholics over the age of 14 ... Read More
What Are You Giving Up for Lent?
Wednesday February 15, 2012
What are you giving up for Lent? It's a question to which we're often tempted to answer, "None of your business!" And rightly so, because "What are you giving up ... Read More
The Obamanomics of Contraception
Tuesday February 14, 2012
What's so expensive that no one can afford it, but so cheap that everyone can? Since today is Valentine's Day, you can be excused for thinking that the answer is ... Read More
Time Is Running Out to Make Your Nominations!
Tuesday February 14, 2012
Nominations for the 2012 About.com Catholicism Readers' Choice Awards end on Wednesday, February 15, at 11:59 P.M. EST. If you haven't made your nominations yet, it's not too late; ... Read More
Novena of the Week: To the Holy Ghost
Tuesday February 14, 2012
Those who are familiar with this week's novena might find it a bit out of place. The Novena to the Holy Ghost is, we might say, the "mother of all ... Read More
When Is a Compromise Not a Compromise?
Friday February 10, 2012
President Barack Obama has just announced his "compromise" on the contraceptive mandate that requires religious organizations to provide insurance that offers free contraception to all of their female workers.
As I ... Read More
The Contraception Mandate: A Defining Moment
Friday February 10, 2012
Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of words have been spilled over the past few weeks regarding the Obama administration's attempt to force religious organizations to provide female employees with ... Read More
Sometimes, 40 Days Is Not Enough
Friday February 10, 2012
In the traditional Roman Catholic calendar (the calendar still used in the Extraordinary Form of the Mass, also known as the Traditional Latin Mass), the three Sundays before Lent were ... Read More
Ramping Up for Lent
Tuesday February 7, 2012
Because the date of Easter changes every year (see When Is Easter?), the beginning of Lent, the 40-day period of penance and preparation before Easter, changes also. (See When Is ... Read More
Novena of the Week: To the Holy Family
Tuesday February 7, 2012
February is the Month of the Holy Family, so what better way to mark the month than with a Novena to the Holy Family? This novena is also particularly appropriate ... Read More
The Lush of the Irish
Monday February 6, 2012
So there I was, at a free (!) beer tasting at the Olympic Tavern in Rockford, Illinois, and all I could think about was poor old Saint Patrick. I suppose ... Read More
Why Is Good Friday Called Good?
Friday February 3, 2012
Ash Wednesday is still a little less than three weeks away, and Good Friday is exactly nine, but readers are already asking a question that arises every Lent: Why is ... Read More
Pray the Novena to Our Lady of Lourdes
Thursday February 2, 2012
February 11 is the Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, which celebrates the first appearance of the Blessed Virgin Mary to Saint Bernadette Soubirous. Over the course of five ... Read More
February: The Month of the Holy Family
Thursday February 2, 2012
In January, the Catholic Church celebrated the Month of the Holy Name of Jesus; and in February, we turn to the entire Holy Family--Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.
In sending His ... Read More