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Many people in today’s world decry the secularization of the Christmas season, and in many ways these concerns are legitimate. Nonetheless, no amount of consumerism or decline in religious … more
Q: Since Christmas is on Monday this year, can I go to a Christmas Vigil Mass on Sunday and have it fulfill my Sunday and Christmas obligations? A: As you note, in 2023 Christmas Eve falls on a … more
Judge Frank Caprio is something of a Rhode Island institution with a storied career in public service and law. He is also a man of humor, integrity and compassion. Recently, I was sorry to hear his … more
Advent-2023 is as short as Advent can be, so this annual column on Christmas gift books that will inspire, entertain, inform, or all of the above comes a bit earlier than usual; it also includes … more
There are times at Mass when the rubrics call for brief periods of silent prayer. The examination of conscience at the beginning of Mass is an obvious occasion briefly to pause and quietly to reflect … more
I often think of John the Baptist at one particularly dramatic moment during Mass. John is the forerunner, the one who gives testimony. “I am not the Messiah,” John says in answer to … more
As I write this column, we are already praying the Novena in preparation for the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Over many years, I have developed a great devotion to Our Lady under this title, and I … more
With the God of the Bible having largely disappeared from public consciousness in Great Britain, the closest thing to a replacement deity is the British National Health Service. Created after World … more
God never shows up at the door unannounced. He knows that there might be cat hairs all over the living room couch and that the kids probably left their gym shoes and sweatshirts in the den and that … more
We have just celebrated Thanksgiving and the air is now filled with Christmas music, special offers and sales. This materialistic culture invites us to buy and buy the latest, newest thing. However, … more
Have you ever noticed the brilliance of the starlight on a clear night in that last hour or two before the dawn? I have strong memories from childhood, being out with my dad on the bay, clutching the … more
When the Roman rite first transitioned from Latin into English, the most popular acclamation proclaiming the profound mystery of faith that had just occurred at the consecration was certainly … more
In business, education, politics and sports we crave and seek success. With success comes fame, prosperity, power. The successful set the standard and they bask in the glory. Do people remember the … more
“As we enter Heaven, we will see them, so many of them, coming toward us and thanking us. We will ask who they are, and they will say: ‘A poor soul you prayed for in … more
  Most of us were toddlers when we learned to say “please” and “thank you.” We were a little older when we fell into the habit of asking, begging, nagging, … more
When I was a small child, my mother would walk my siblings and me down to early Mass at the parish on Thanksgiving Day. In those early years, the daily Mass had the usual crowd. Over the years, that … more
The year was 1938, and the French Catholic philosopher Jacques Maritain delivered a powerful radio address against antisemitism, as relevant today as it was then. His words, spoken in the shadow of … more
Shortly after the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea, I noted in this column and elsewhere that the entire episode — including the fouling of the public space by the aggressor’s genocidal … more
St. Antoine Residence in North Smithfield has Holy Mass offered every day in the facility’s chapel. Occasionally, family members who live in the area will arrive in time for Mass and celebrate … more
By their vocabulary, you shall know them? Well, to a considerable degree. And in these early November days, when the Church celebrates all the saints in glory and prays for those who yearn to join … more
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