Tree of Life

    Each month of the calendar year is dedicated to a Catholic Devotion. In  December it is  the Immaculate Conception of Mary .This is because the Immaculate Conception falls on December 8th every year. It is important to note the Immaculate Conception is Mary’s conception in the womb of Her Mother, St. Anne. It does not refer to Jesus’ conception by the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb. While both are conceived without sin, Jesus is God and therefore sinless and the privilege of His Birth is virginal and sinless. Mary’s unique as She is a creature, not the Creator but God preserved Her from sin, original and personal from the moment of Her conception. December 1st is also World Aids Awareness Day . In December we prepare all the more for Christmas Day. As we enter this festive time many networks offer Christmas programming . I typically go through this list and this one at the beginning of December and note what movies and tv specials I want to watch through the month ...

  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...

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...

  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:

Solar Eclipse 2024 Do not look at the Eclipse without appropriate  ISO approved eyewear  except for when there is 100% totality which means the moon completely covers the suns. This will not occur in every state and every location so be aware if your area is 100% totality. Use  precaution  taking pictures of the eclipse so as to not damage your phone. Finally, many conspiracies are going to abound and fears regarding the Second Coming of Christ. We don’t know the day Jesus will return but are called to live each day as if it was THE Last Day. That doesn’t mean that Christians are called to paranoia or cause fear but to be an example of Christ’s love in the world and to trust in and call upon His Mercy. The Annunciation and the Eclipse Keeping Pets Safe During the Eclipse Solar Eclipse Folklore  (Some superstitions say to wear red, specifically a red ribbon or safety pins during an eclipse.) The Eclipse and the Path of Peace  The Eclipse and FOMO Pop Culture...

*Please celebrate wisely and don’t drink and drive or allow anyone who’s been drinking to drive home. Uber and AAA have resources for free and safe trips home.* On December 31st each year much of the world welcomes the end of the old and the beginning of the New Year.  New Year’s Eve is a time to reflect on the year gone by and to thank God for the blessings He’s granted to us. We ask for mercy for the mistakes we’ve made and ask for the strength to learn from them and we make resolutions for the year to come. The Church exhorts us to pray the Te Deum  to gain an  indulgence * for the close of the old year in thanksgiving to God for the blessings bestowed therein. The colors for New Year are often gold for luck and white for peace. The inclusion of black I believe is to commemorate the death of the passing Year whereas silver and gold in this regard are used to commemorate time like silver and gold anniversaries. Father Time and Baby New Year both represent how the transi...

  The Holy Innocents, the Infant Martyrs of Bethlehem   December 28th honors the infants slain by Herod's jealousy after the birth of Christ and the Holy Family’s flight into Egypt as  refugees . The Coventry Carol  is a haunting song for today’s feast. Today we reflect on the Flight to Egypt (the second of the  Seven Sorrows of Mary , an efficacious devotion) it's also one of the  Seven Joys and Sorrows of St. Joseph . Today's feast is a unique point in our Christmas celebrations where we reflect that from even from His Infancy, Christ was sought out for death until He laid down His life for us on the Cross. About the Holy Innocents More About the Holy Innocents Holy Innocents Day  (Note that the color purple is no longer used but red instead for the blood of the martyrs and the Gloria is still sung as well as the Alleluia for Christ has come to us on Christmas and we are still rejoicing in the octave.) Tomb of the Holy Innocents (Starts at 8 minutes ...

Today we honor the only Vatican Approved Marian Apparition in Africa as well as the visionary of Our Lady of the Miraculous Medal. For more about the Miraculous Medal see November 27th just above. Note: Laboure is French and is pronounced La-bore-aye. About Our Lady of Kibeho  (Immaculee Ilibagiza, a survivor of the Rwandan Genocide has a book and cd about Our Lady of Kibeho. See also the documentary “If Only We Had Listened”.) About St. Catherine  (Her patronage of pigeons, the elderly and prisoners is due to her caring for them as a child and as a Daughter of Charity. She is also patroness of miners in relation to her being the recipient of the miraculous medal.) 

Today we honor the medal of the  Immaculate Conception  which Our Blessed Lady revealed to St. Catherine Laboure.  The Story of the Medal The Association of the Miraculous Medal The Chapel Where Mary Appeared The Miraculous Medal plays a special role for those who are a part of the Militia Immaculata. See  here  for more details. 

Guardian Angel, pray for me!  Today we honor our guardian angels. Far from a fairytale or folk legend, guardian angels are our God given companions in live to protect us and sway us from the temptations of the devil. Despite there being next to no pictures portraying angels with adults, our guardian angel remains with us from birth to death. Saint Padre Pio had a very close relationship with his guardian angel and would send his angel to converse with the guardian angel of a companion. It is a tradition of Catholics to send their angel to Mass each day and to greet Jesus in the Tabernacle whenever they pass by a church. Today let us rekindle our friendship with our guardian angel and give thanks to God for such a great gift! To adore and recieve the Eucharist today is a great way to honor your companion as the Eucharist is "the Bread of Angels".  About Guardian Angels A Prayer to the Angels for the Souls in Purgatory Padre Pio and Guardian Angels St. Gemma and Her Angel Work ...

  The Passion of Saint John the Baptist O God, who willed that Saint John the Baptist should go ahead of your Son both in his birth and in his death, grant that, as he died a Martyr for truth and justice, we, too, may fight hard for the confession of what you teach. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever. Amen Today we honor the death of St. John the Baptist. Going before the Lord to prepare His way, John is martyred by the request of Herod's wife. While John is not a traditional martyr in the sense of dying for the name of Christ, He died to defend the dignity of marriage as Herod has taken his sister in law as his new wife. Typically today's feast is unfortunately used as a means to defend the dignity of marriage by means of excluding gay couples from marriage equality. Thankfully we can see that John was calling out what would be adultery and the corruption of the love and self giving tha...

  Saint Bartholomew, pray for us!  Today we Honor Apostle of Our Lord and Martyr, St. Bartholomew. 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 Saint Bartholomew Place of Honor to Saint Bartholomew in the Holy Land Saint Bartholomew Iconography St. Bartholomew in St. Gertrude’s Visions Armenia   is under Saint Bartholomew’s patronage and is thus a good day to learn about this country.  Major reliquary/tomb of our Saint: 

Hail Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy! O God, who made the Mother of your Son to be our Mother and our Queen, graciously grant that, sustained by her intercession, we may attain in the heavenly Kingdom the glory promised to your children. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.  Amen Today marks one week since Our Lady was Assumed into Heaven so we focus on God crowning Her as Queen of the Universe. This event is important as Mary takes on the title and role vacated by Eve. Before The Church retained only the Octaves of Christmas and Easter as She does today, all major feasts including the Assumption had an octave. Most solemnities that have an octave closed the week long celebration by crowing it (pun intended) with a second feast. For example the octave of Christmas is closed with the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. While there is no modern octave of the Assumption the 8th day (the feast d...