Category Archives: e-Formation

This week, we are beginning a new series designed to take a deeper look at the parts of the Mass – their structure and meaning.   Our first area of focus is the Introductory Rites. Introductory Rites: The Mass begins with the entrance song. The celebrant and other ministers enter in procession and reverence the altar…

FEAST OF THE BAPTISM OF THE LORD TODAY BRINGS TO AN END our Christmas celebrations.  And we see the third and last of the three great manifestations by which were made known to us that our God had come among us in a very special way.  (However, the sign that Jesus gave in Cana is…

St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and founder of the Catholic Church’s Franciscan Order, began the Christmas tradition of nativity scenes (also called creches or manger scenes) because he wanted to help people gain a fresh sense of wonder about the miracles that the Bible records from the first Christmas. Up until Francis set up the first nativity scene in 1223, people celebrated Christmas…

The Roman Church has been singing the "O" Antiphons since at least the eighth century. They are the antiphons that accompany the Magnificat canticle of Evening Prayer from December 17-23. They are a magnificent theology that uses ancient biblical imagery drawn from the messianic hopes of the Old Testament to proclaim the coming Christ as the fulfillment…