A reader writes: “St. Joseph could not be that old when Christ was crucified. He was 20-25 when he married Mary. Where was St. Joseph when Christ was crucified? How old was St. Joseph when he died?” Monsignor Charles Pope challenges the
A reader writes: “The Blessed Mother was assumed into heaven. Did Mary die a natural death, or was she assumed into heaven with her whole body and soul? Does the New Testament or the Acts of the Apostles cover the Assumption like
It was 10:30 at night when the beeping started in their hotel room, as Gretchen Crowe writes. Her littles were all sound asleep and their room was, naturally, on the 32nd of 33 floors. Only the restaurant with a view and the
The National Shrine of Our Lady of Częstochowa exists to accomplish one mission: Leading people to Jesus through Mary. The shrine in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, houses several images of Our Lady of Częstochowa, also known as the “Black Madonna,” whose feast day falls
Aug. 15 marks the 300th anniversary of the coronation of the image of Our Lady of Koden in Poland. Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz as papal legate imposed new crowns, blessed by Pope Francis, on the image.
As the Church calls us to celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary’s assumption into heaven, Jem Sullivan of The Catholic University of America offers visio divina reflections for three classic pieces of sacred art depicting Mary’s rise to heaven. In these artworks, we
A reader writes: “A friend told me that a mystic claimed the birthday of Our Lady is not Sept. 8. I told her that Sept. 8 is nine months after her Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8, to which she countered that that
On July 6, 1973, light surrounded a wooden statue of Our Lady of All Nations at a convent in Akita, Japan, and the statue spoke to a novice, asking her to pray for the reparation of the sins of humanity and to
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Of the more than 1,300 Marian images crowned around the world, one of the first to receive this honor does not have a crown today. For over 350 years, Michelangelo’s Pietà, instantly recognizable by Catholics and non-Catholics alike,
John Paul II was born in May, the month Catholics dedicate to the Virgin Mary. Some of the first sounds he heard as a newborn were bells and Marian hymns drifting through an open window from the parish church. In May we