Tree of Life

  Each month of the calendar year is dedicated to a Catholic Devotion. In  Novem ber it is the Holy Souls in Purgatory . This is because the Feast of All Souls falls on November 2nd every year. This month begins with the feast of All Saints . As Halloween has passed the secular world turns their eyes towards Christmas.  November 1st also marks the beginning of  Black Catholic History Month  as well as  Native American Heritage Month  and  Alaskan Heritage Month .  Daily Reads   Weather Lore Calendar Lunar Folklore  Full Moon   Full Moon Folklore   The Full Moon in Ireland The New Moon in Ireland For more about this months dedications click  Here  and   here . The picture above is the depiction of Our Lady of Kibeho, the first Vatican approved apparition of Our Lady in Africa. During Black Catholic History month we turn our gaze to Our Lady of Kibeho who celebrates Her feast on the 28th of November.  ...

  Saint Andrew (November 30th) A plenary indulgence can be gained under  the usual conditions  by visiting a church named for the Saint of the day and praying the Our Father and Apostle’s Creed. About St. Andrew  Tomb of St. Andrew  St. Andrew Customs  St. Andrew Christmas Novena  St. Andrew Iconography  St. Andrew Cartoon All About Scotland Vegan Haggis 

  A plenary indulgence can be gained under  the usual conditions  by visiting a church named for the Saint of the day and praying the Our Father and Apostle’s Creed. Saints Simon and Jude (October 28) About Saint Simon  About St. Jude  The Tombs of Our Saints  St. Simon Iconography  St. Jude Iconography  Why St. Jude is the Patron of the Impossible? The National Shrine of St. Jude

  Saint Luke (October 18)  A plenary indulgence can be gained under  the usual conditions  by visiting a church named for the Saint of the day and praying the Our Father and Apostle’s Creed. About St. Luke  The Tomb of St. Luke  St. Luke in Art See also the film “The Gospel of Luke” 

      Each month of the calendar year is dedicated to a Catholic Devotion. In  October it is Our Lady of the Rosary . This is because the Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary falls on October 7th every year.  Annually the Holy Father requests Catholics to pray the rosary each day during October, Pope Leo has followed His predecessors in this. This month begins with the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux , known as the Little Flower. She is the patron Saint of those with OCD  and mental illness and her “Little Way” is a simple way to Sainthood. See here for a letter from Pope Francis on St. Therese . October 2nd marks the feast of  the guardian angels.  They are our God given friends and are there to pray for us and guide us. We can talk to them in prayer and ask them to come to our aid and the aid of our dear ones. This was the belief of Padre Pio.    LGBTQ+ History Month  is also commemorated in October as well as  LGBTQ+ Pride Mon...

  Each month of the calendar year is dedicated to a Catholic Devotion. In  September it is Our Lady of Sorrows . This is because the Feast of the Seven Sorrows falls on September 15th every year. September is also  Deaf Awareness Month  as well as  The Season of Creation . The latter is a month long celebration to motivate us to care for God’s Creation.  Suicide Prevention Month  is also an important September commemoration.    Seven Sorrows Chaplet 30 Days With Mary   (This guide goes through the 12th but the custom of Our Lady's 30 days continues through the 15th) Our Lady of Montevergine  is honored on September 1st and she is the patroness of gay couples.  As school is starting take this opportunity to take the  Trevor Project Reading Project  . Weather Proverbs for September Fair on September 1st, fair for the month. Heavy September rain brings drought. If on September 19th there is a storm from the South, ...

  Each month of the calendar year is dedicated to a Catholic Devotion. In  August it is  the  Immaculate Heart of Mary because this feast was traditionally celebrated on August 22nd but now that day is dedicated to Our Lady’s Coronation and the octave day of Her Assumption.   Make sure to check local sources for events for the month especially surrounding Our Lady’s Assumption. August 1st also begins the extraordinary annual Portiuncula Indulgence. Portiuncula comes from the word “little portion” due to the little plot of land the chapel is on. Our Lady of the Angels is named thus as the fresco in the chapel depicts Our Lady in Her glorious assumption surrounded by angels or the legend St. Francis was told that angels frequented the chapel.  August 1st also marks the feast of St. Alphonsus Liguori he is the patron saint of the scrupulous and his feast is a good day to read up on resources  for those with anxiety and or scrupulosity.  "Know th...

Each month of the calendar year is dedicated to a Catholic Devotion. In  July it is  the  Precious Blood of Jesus  🩸because this feast was traditionally celebrated on July 1st.    In the Holy Land on this feast the rock where Jesus knelt during His agony is covered with rose petals, commemorating His Precious blood, the faithful take the petals home to recall the Passion of Christ. Many of the  relics of Christ  (scroll to relics) contain remnants of His Precious Blood, such has seen  here . Pope Pius IX once said " Place on thy heart one Drop of the Blood of Jesus and fear nothing." July is also  Disability Pride Month The Litany of the Precious Blood (Pray daily in July) The Precious Blood by Father Faber Sisters of the Precious Blood  “Consider decorating your house in honor of the Precious Blood this July. Red is the liturgical color often used for Good Friday and Palm Sunday as its hue evokes the color of blood. It is equally...

The following was compiled during the height of the COVID pandemic and edited on June 21st 2025 in response to the United States attack on Iran. The modern Rites of The Church do not subscribe certain prayers as she did in previous times. The purpose for this is to remind us that the Holy Mass takes pride of place over other devotionals. Therefore, Masses for Peace and Justice and the prayers therein are most efficacious. During COVID devotion to Mary, Help of the Roman People and the miraculous crucifix that Pope Francis used in his extraordinary Urbi et Orbi came to focus. In addition devotion to St. Michael was heightened as it should be again in times of increased tensions and unrest. The reception of the Sacraments, the Rosary with invocations to the Sacred Hearts of Jesus, Mary and Joseph as well as to St. Michael and the angels are helpful here as well as the Litany of the Saints and the Ave Maris Stella . In times like this The Church may publish an Oratio Imperata.   When...

   Each month of the calendar year is dedicated to a Catholic Devotion. In  June it is  the  Sacred Heart of Jesus  because this month is when the annual feast of the Sacred Heart is celebrated. June also marks  LGBTQ+ Pride Month . Pride month this year is a very important time because of the attack on the Trans community and the bigotry by conservatives towards the gay community. This is classic vice under the mask of virtue that saints warn about. June also marks  Adopt a Cat Month and   Caribbean American Month.  In 2025  the Jubilee of the Sacred Heart  will continue this month until the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart.  Daily Reads  Honoring Pride AND the Sacred Heart Meditations on the Litany of the Sacred Heart A Pride Month Resource Weather Lore Calendar Lunar Folklore  The Strawberry Moon ( Full Moon Folklore , The Full Moon in Ireland ) New Moon in Ireland For more about this months dedications click...

  Good Shepherd Sunday   “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” (Psalm 23) The Fourth Sunday of Easter is known as Good Shepherd Sunday or Vocations Sunday due to the Gospel reading being about Christ as the Good Shepherd.  Priests are called to be good shepherds also in their care for God’s flock. Pope Leo XIV Message  (For the 2025 celebration Pope Francis had recorded a message before passing away on Easter Monday, read here .) Good Shepherd Sunday Resources Good Shepherd Iconography In association with today’s feast is also the devotion to the Divine Shepherdess, named for Our Lady as Mother of the Good Shepherd. Traditional depictions like the photo below are used for this devotion:

  AVE MARIA Each month of the calendar year is dedicated to a Catholic Devotion. In  May it is  the  Blessed Virgin Mary  because the springtime customs of the past are now perfected in their dedication to our Heavenly Mother, the true Queen of Creation.  May is the month amongst them all that sparks the most widespread devotion among the faithful and holds particular customs that most months do not. It’s a wonderful idea to honor our Blessed Mother by deciding to do something in Her honor each day of May, especially by praying the rosary ! We can also honor Our Lady by planting a Mary garden . This month is also when the  Sacraments of First Communion and Confirmation are widely celebrated, please inspire and pray for those who will be receiving these Sacraments. See the bottom of this post for more Marian resources.  May also marks  Jewish American Heritage Month ,  Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month ,   Haiti...