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Silent Night, Holy Night
In the Christ child laying in a manger, we see the face of the Father’s mercy. Bethlehem’s night tonight is a “Silent Night” but, because of war in the Holy Land, it is not perhaps a “Holy Night.” The grim realities of war and terrorism not only in the Middle
The Little-Known Story of a Saint’s Christmas Vision of the Infant Jesus in Rome
On Christmas Eve in 1517, the Blessed Virgin Mary placed the Christ Child in his arms of St. Cajetan during his first Mass in the Chapel of the Nativity. On Christmas Eve in 1517, a saint experienced a mystical vision in which the Blessed Virgin Mary placed the Christ Child
One Night at the Vatican
Janelle Peregoy reminisces about a very special Christmas Eve spent with a baby at Saint Peter's Basilica. “Okay …” The okay from the mouth of my Jesuit priest friend didn’t
Lighting the way
ESCONDIDO — Cardinal Robert W. McElroy celebrated the vigil Mass for Simbang Gabi with Auxiliary Bishops Ramón Bejarano, Michael Pham and Felipe Pulido on Dec. 14 at St. Mary Church in Escondido.The Mass, a Filipino tradition, included a procession of colorful, star-shaped lanterns meant to symbolically light the way to the
Humility Like This
Nicole Berlucchi ponders the humility of Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, and the wise men — and what we can learn this Christmas. This Advent I have been
The Catholic History Behind "Silent Night": How a Priest & a Faulty Organ Gave Us the Beloved Christmas Hymn
It’s been over 200 years since the melody for Silent Night was written.One of the most beloved Christmas carols of all time began in an unexpected, but clever way–all because an organ did not work. Here’s the story:On Dec. 23, 1818, Father Joseph Mohr, assistant pastor of Saint Nicholas Catholic Church in Oberndorf, Austria,