Catholic Fire

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Easter Pope Benedict XVI's Apostolic Journey to the United States - 2008 The Holy Father's Schedule Today: 10:00 a.m. - The pope will offer Mass at the new Nationals Park in Washington. 5 p.m. - Pope Benedict XVI will give an address on the importance of Catholic education on the campus of The Catholic University of America. 6:30 p.m. - Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Jews and representatives of other religions will meet the Holy Father at the Pope John Paul II Cultural Center, next door to Catholic University. For complete information see: Christ Our Hope and USCCB’s Papal Visit Blog . Today's Mass Readings Saint of the Day: St. Stephen Harding , Abbott Gospel Meditation of the Day : Saint Thérèse of the Child Jesus (1873-1897), Carmelite, Doctor of the Church Manuscript B, 2vo-3vo "Whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me." To be your Spouse, O Jesus, to be a Carmelite, and b...

Happy Birthday, dear Holy Father! From The National Catholic Register : The Pope has received a number of birthday greetings. Yesterday, a group sang "Happy Birthday" to him. Today, at the White House, a group of the guests spontaneously launched into "Happy Birthday." Then, at the conclusion of his White House speech, the official singer sang "Happy Birthday" to him before he walked into the White House with the President. I'm sure he'll be receiving many more throughout the day. Stay tuned...we're trying to find out what the President's official gift for the Pope is. Pope Greets Thousands On His Birthday Crowds Scream, Sing 'Happy Birthday' To Pontiff Pope's Birthday At The White House - Deal Hudson, Inside Catholic Today's Papal Events 10:30 a.m. - The Holy Father meets with President Bush and the First Lady on the south lawn of the White House. 5:30 p.m. - Private prayer service and meeting with the 350 bishops of the...

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Easter Today's Mass Readings "I have told you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father's name are my witness; but you do not believe, because you are no sheep of mine. The sheep that belong to me listen to my voice; I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life; they will never be lost and not one will ever steal them from me. The Father who gave them to me is greater than anyone, and no one can steal from the Father. The Father and I are one (John 10:25-30)." Reflection The Work of the Holy Spirit Meditation for April 15, Angels of the Agony Via †Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam† Saint of the Day St. Paturnus On This Day in Catholic History 2008 -- Pope Benedict XVI arrives in the USA for his apostolic visit. Historical Birthday 1452 - Leonardo da Vinci , Italian Renaissance polymath: a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer (d. 1519) Today's...

Friday of the Second Week of Easter Optional Memorial of St. Isidore of Seville, bishop and doctor St. Isidore was born around the year 560 in Seville, Spain. After his father's death, he was raised by his brother Leander. He was appointed Bishop of Seville, and wrote many learned works. As Bishop, he called together several councils in Spain and presided over them with wisdom. He died in 636. Patron of: Computer technicians; computer users; computers; the Internet; schoolchildren; students. Today's Mass Readings On This Day in Catholic History 397 Saint Ambrose , bishop of Milan, church father, leader, teacher and liturgist, died (b. ca. 340). 1541 Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) was elected the first General of the Society of Jesus (Jesuits). Famous Birthday: 1975 - Scott Rolen , American baseball player

Wednesday of the Second Week of Ordinary Time Old Calendar: St. Raymund of Penafort, confessor; St. Emerentiana, virgin and martyr Today's Mass Readings Saint of the Day: Saint Ildephonsus On This Day in Catholic History 1789 - A Catholic academy, now Georgetown University , was founded by Father John Carroll in Washington, D.C., as the first Roman Catholic college in America. Birthdays 1832 - Edouard Manet , French painter, impressionism, (d.1883) 1855 - John Moses Browning , American inventor (d. 1926) 1898 - Randolph Scott , American actor (d. 1987) 1907 - Dan Duryea , American actor, The Pride of the Yankees (1942) (d. 1968) 1919 - Ernie Kovacs , American Author, actor, comedian, composer and producer 1948 - Anita Pointer , American singer ( Pointer Sisters ) 1950 - Danny Federici , American musician ( Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band ) 1979 - Larry Hughes , American basketball player

Tuesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time Day of Prayer and Penance for Life Optional Memorial of St. Vincent of Saragossa, deacon and martyr Today's Mass Readings On This Day in Catholic History 1922 - Pope Benedict XV died (b. 21 November 1854). On This Day in Pro-life History 1973 - The Roe v. Wade decision, legalizing abortion in United States, was handed down by U.S. Supreme Court. Birthdays 1932 - Piper Laurie , American actress 1932 - Bill Bixby, American actor, My Favorite Martian (1963–1966) on CBS ; Tom Corbett in The Courtship of Eddie's Father (1969–1972) on ABC ; Anthony Blake in The Magician (1973) on NBC ; Dr. David Bruce Banner in The Incredible Hulk (1977-1982) 1949 - Mike Caldwell , American baseball player 1952 - Teddy Gentry , American musician ( Alabama ) 1981 - Beverley Mitchell , American actress (7th Heaven) 1988 - Greg Oden , American basketball player

Martin Luther King Day "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." ~ Martin Luther King Memorial of St. Agnes, Virgin and Martyr More on St. Agnes with quotes from St. Augustine and St. Ambrose Today's Mass Readings On This Day in Catholic History 1118 - Pope Paschal II , significantly involved in the long struggle with emperors over the appointment of church officials, died. 1189 - Philip II of France and Richard I of England begin to assemble troops to wage the Third Crusade . 1998 - Pope John Paul II began his first visit to Cuba. Birthdays 1932 - John Chaney , American basketball coach 1938 - Wolfman Jack , American disk jockey and actor (d. 1995) 1940 - Jack Nicklaus , American golfer 1941 - Plácido Domingo , Spanish tenor 1947 - Jill Eikenberry , American actress 1956 - Virginia Elizabeth "Geena" Davis, an American actress, producer, writer, athlete, and former fashion model. ( Tootsie , The Accidental Tourist ) 1963 -...

Memorial of St. Anthony, abbot Today's Mass Readings St. Anthony of the Desert: Abbot and Inspiration to St. Augustine On This Day in Catholic History 356 - Saint Anthony the Great (b. ca. 251), founder of Christian monasticism, died. 1377 - Pope Gregory XI (ca. 1336–1378) moved the Papacy back to Rome from Avignon . 1504 - Pope Pius V was born (d. 1 May 1572). Birthdays 1905 - Ray Cunningham , American baseball player (d. 2005) 1914 - William Stafford , American poet and essayist (d. 1993) 1922 - Betty White, American actress, ( The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls .) 1927 - Thomas Anthony Dooley III , Roman Catholic missionary to southeast Asia, was born in Saint Louis, Missouri (d. 1961). 1931 - James Earl Jones , American actor 1931 - Don Zimmer , American baseball coach 1933 - Shari Lewis , American ventriloquist (d. 1998) 1939 - Maury Povich , American talk show host 1943 - Chris Montez , American singer, ("Call Me", " The More I See You "...

Wednesday of the First Week of Ordinary Time Today's Mass Readings Saint of the Day: St. Berard and Companions On This Day in Catholic History 1120 - The Council of Nablus was held, establishing the earliest surviving written laws of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem . 1581 - The English Parliament outlaws Roman Catholicism. Birthdays 1901 - Frank Zamboni , American inventor (d. 1988) 1908 - Ethel Merman, American actress and singer (d. 1984) 1910 - Dizzy Dean , American baseball player (d. 1974) 1934 - Marilyn Horne , American opera singer 1935 - A.J. Foyt , American race car driver and team owner 1943 - Ronnie Milsap , American singer and songwriter 1947 - Laura Schlessinger , American radio talk show host 1950 - Debbie Allen , American dancer and choreographer 1959 - Sade , Nigerian-born singer 1974 - Kate Moss , English model 1977 - Jeff Foster , American basketball player 1980 - Albert Pujols , Dominican-born baseball player

Tuesday of the First Week of Ordinary Time Today's Mass Readings Today's Saint: St. Ita On This Day in Catholic History 345 - Paul of Thebes , traditionally considered to be the first Christian hermit and an inspiration for Antony of Egypt and later Christian monasticism, died. 1844 - The University of Notre Dame was chartered in South Bend, Indiana. Culture of Life History Highlight of the Day 1951 - The U.S. Supreme Court struck down a New York City ordinance requiring a police permit for street preachers. The court determined that the ordinance violated the First Amendment , which guarantees freedom of speech and religion. Birthdays 1918 - Édouard Gagnon , Canadian Roman Catholic cardinal (d. 2007) 1920 - John Cardinal O'Connor , American Catholic cardinal (d. 2000) 1929 - Martin Luther King Jr , American civil rights leader, recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize (d. 1968) 1937 - Margaret O'Brien , American actress 1951 - Charo, Spanish-born singer

Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time Old Calendar: St. Hilary, Bishop and Doctor of the Church; St. Felix of Nola, priest and martyr Today's Mass Readings Saint of the Day: Saint Barbara, Virgin and Martyr On This Day in Catholic History 1129 - Formal approval of the Order of the Knights Templar was granted at the Council of Troyes . 1514 - Pope Leo X issued a papal bull against slavery. Birthdays 1875 - Albert Schweitzer , Alsatian physician, Nobel laureate (d. 1965) 1883 - Nina Ricci - Italian - born French fashion designer (d. 1970) 1892 - Hal Roach , American film and television producer from the 1910s to the 1980s. (d. 1992) 1906 - William Bendix , American actor (d. 1964) 1941 - Faye Dunaway , American Actress 1942 - Dave Campbell , American baseball player and sportscaster 1952 - Maureen Dowd , American writer 1964 - Shepherd Smith , News Anchor at Fox News

Saturday Christmas Weekday Saint of the Day: St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, Canada's First woman saint, founder of the Congregation of Notre Dame de Montreal Have your children visit this interactive webpage about the life of St. Marguerite which also teaches the history of Canada. See my special post dedicated to St. Marguerite Bourgeoys and the Sisters of the Congregation on Notre Dame who taught me in elementary school and high school. Saint Quote of the Day: Our Lady's love is like a stream that has its source in the Eternal Fountains, quenches the thirst of all, can never be drained, and ever flows back to its Source. ~ St. Marguerite Burgeoys Today's Mass Readings On This Day in Catholic History 690 - Saint Benedict Biscop , the Benedictine abbot and monastery builder who introduced the stone-built church and the art of glassmaking to England, died (b. ca. 628). 1167 - Aelred (a.k.a. Ailred, Ethelred), abbot of the Cistercian abbey of Rievaulx in Yorkshire, England, di...

Friday Christmas Weekday Today's Mass Readings Saint of the Day: St. Theodosius The Eighteenth Day of Christmas On This Day in Catholic History 314 - Pope Saint Miltiades , who became pope after the Roman emperor Galerius had previously passed an edict of toleration ending the persecution of Christians, died. During his pontificate, in 313, the Edict of Milan was passed by the tetrarchs Constantine and Licinius , declaring that they would be neutral with regard to religious worship and restoring church property. Constantine presented the pope with the Lateran Palace which became the papal residence and seat of Christian governance. Birthdays 1815 - Sir John A. MacDonald , First Prime Minister of Canada (1867-1873, 1878-1891) Conservative-Ontario. 1842 - William James , American psychologist and philosopher (d. 1910) 1885 - Alice Paul, American women's rights activist; Paul called abortion "the ultimate exploitation of women" (d. 1977) 1939 - Anne Heggtveit , Can...

"He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up, and went according to his custom into the synagogue on the sabbath day. He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written: The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord." (Luke 4: 16 - 19) Thursday Christmas Weekday Today's Mass Readings Saint of the Day: St William , Archbishop of Bourges On This Day in Catholic History 236 - Fabian was elected bishop of Rome. He served until January 20, 250, when he became the first martyr under Decius, the emperor who initiated an Empire-wide persecution of Christians. 681 - Agatho , pope from 678 to 681, died (b. ca. 577). 1276 - Pope Gregory X died (b. ca. 1210). 1607 - St. Isaac Jogues , French Jesu...

Wednesday Christmas Weekday Today's Mass Readings The Sixteenth Day of Christmas Saint of the Day: St. Adrian of Canterbury On This Day in Catholic History 1431 - Judges' investigations for the trial of St. Joan of Arc begin in Rouen, France, the seat of the English occupation government. 1554 - Pope Gregory XV was born (d. 8 July 1623). Birthdays 1773 - Cassandra Austen , English watercolorist and sister of Jane Austen (d. 1845) 1854 - Jennie Jerome, American society beauty and mother of Winston Churchill (d. 1921) 1892 - Monsignor Athol Murray , Canadian priest and high school president. (d. 1975) 1902 - Saint Josemaría Escrivá , Spanish Catholic priest and founder of Opus Dei (d. 1975) 1913 - Richard Nixon, 37th President of the United States (d. 1994) 1934 - Bart Starr , American football player 1935 - Robert Osbourne "Bob" Denver, an American comedic actor best known for his role as Gilligan on the television series Gilligan's Island . (d. 1975) 1951 -...

Tuesday Christmas Weekday Today's Mass Readings for Tuesday after Epiphany The Fifteenth Day of Christmas Saint of the Day: St. Thorfinn On This Day in Catholic History 482 - St. Severinus of Noricum, hermit, who preached Christianity in what is now Austria, died. 1198 - Italian cardinal Lotario di Segni was elected pope, taking the name of Innocent III (ca. 1161–1216). 1438 - The Council of Florence began at Ferrara, Italy, with the Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches in attendance. 1849 During the Italian Revolution of 1848-1849, a popular uprising in the Papal States deprived Pope Pius IX of his temporal powers and forced him to flee to Gaeta on the Italian Coast. Birthdays 1735 - John Carroll , American Roman Catholic archbishop (d. 1815) 1830 - Hans von Bülow , German pianist and composer (d. 1894) 1862 - Frank Nelson Doubleday , American publisher (d. 1934) 1883 - Patrick J. Hurley , United States Secretary of War (d. 1963) 1902 - Carl Rogers , American psychologist (d....

Image : Saint Raymond of Penafort , patron saint of lawyers, canon lawyers, schools of law, and medical record librarians. Optional Memorial of St. Raymond of Penafort, priest Today's Mass Readings The Fourteenth Day of Christmas On This Day in Catholic History 1844 Saint Bernadette Soubirous , a French peasant girl who had several visions of the Virgin Mary in a cave near the Gave River close to her birthplace of Lourdes, was born (d. April 16, 1879). 1502 - Pope Gregory XIII was born. (d. 1585) Birthdays 1800 - Millard Fillmore , 13th President of the United States (d. 1874) 1827 - Sir Sandford Fleming , Canadian engineer; introduced Universal Standard Time (d. 1915 ) 1873 - Adolph Zukor , Hungarian producer (d. 1976) 1873 - Charles Peguy , French poet, essayist, and editor, Catholic convert, (d. 1914) 1934 - Charlie Jenkins , American runner 1942 - Jim Lefebvre , American baseball player and manager 1945 - Tony Conigliaro , American baseball player (d. 1990) 1948 - Kenny Logg...

St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious The Eleventh Day of Christmas Today's Mass Readings On This Day in Catholic History 1066 - St. Edward the Confessor (b. ca. 1004), English king, died. 1953 - The Catholic Hour aired for the first time over NBC television. This long-running series (aired through August 1970) was produced by NBC in cooperation with the National Council of Catholic Men. 1975 - Elizabeth Ann Seton becomes the first American-born saint. Birthdays 1643 - Sir Isaac Newton , English mathematician and natural philosopher (d. 1727) 1710 - Giovanni Battista Pergolesi , Italian composer (d. 1736) 1809 - Louis Braille , French inventor of braille (d. 1852) 1896 - Everett Dirksen , American politician (d. 1969) 1935 - Floyd Patterson , American boxer (d. 2006) 1957 - Patty Loveless , American singer

El Greco's Adoration of the Holy Name of Jesus 1578/9 "...God greatly exalted Him and bestowed on Him the Name that is above every name, that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in Heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2: 9-11) The Optional Memorial of the Holy Name of Jesus This feast marks no progress in the development of the Church year. It merely embellishes the occasion just observed when the Child received the Name Jesus as had been foretold by the angel. The feast is meant to impress on us Christians the dignity of the Holy Name. (Catholic Culture) Today's Mass Readings The Tenth Day of Christmas On This Day in Catholic History 1431 - Joan of Arc is handed over to the Bishop Pierre Cauchon . 1521 - Pope Leo X excommunicates Martin Luther in the papal bull Decet Romanum Pontificem . 1840 - Blessed Damien of Molokai (Joseph de Veuster), Rom...

Memorials of St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen, bishops and doctors Today's Mass Readings The Ninth Day of Christmas On This Day in Catholic History 533 - Mercurius becomes Pope John II , the first pope to adopt a new name upon elevation to the papacy. 1873 - St. Thérèse of Lisieux , Virgin and Doctor of the Church, a French Carmelite nun, is born. (d. 1897) Read Showers of Roses: Miracles in My Life Through the Intercession of St. Therese, Virgin, and Doctor of the Church for more information about my personal relationship with St. Thérèse. Birthdays 1936 - Roger Miller , American singer, (King of the Road) (d. 1992) 1963 - Edgar Martinez , American baseball player 1965 - Greg Swindell , American baseball player 1971 - Lisa Harrison , American Basketball player born in Louisville, Kentucky, U.S., is a former American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Mercury in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). 1983 - Kate Bosworth , American a...