As with Mary’s birth, we read of Mary’s presentation in the temple only in the apocryphal literature, Protoevangelium of James, which dates from the second century.
After a successful renovation in 2013, parishes in Cubero and Seboyeta, New Mexico, have once again partnered with a Chicago charity in order to accommodate disabled parishioners.
Martin de Porres was a mulatto, the illegitimate son of a Spanish conquistador and a freed slave woman from Panama. Martin was trained as a physician, but he also possessed gifts of healing.
The recent statement of Pope Francis on the death penalty and the use of prisons as punishment have been treated as revolutionary in the media at large. In fact, his words are revolutionary – precisely because they are exactly in line with what the Catholic Church and Popes before him have taught.
John Paul II was so unrestrainedly loved, not just among Catholics but also beyond the Church. This was attributable not only to his immense charisma but also to his instinctive gifts as a communicator.
While Catholics have been observing Lent for thousands of years, it's only in the 21st century that we've gained access to the vast wealth of information and convenience that smartphones provide.
