It is common to see that during Holy Week the images in the churches are covered with a purple veilings. Purple or violet is the penitential colour of the Church’s liturgical life. But what is the meaning of veiling images during this time? This custom of the Catholic Church has several meanings and it has…
The Way of the Cross
“But he was wounded for our iniquities, he was bruised for our sins: and by his bruises we are healed” Isaiah 53, 3 The Stations of the Cross is a great Lenten devotion. At the Cathedral we will have Stations of the Cross at 5:45 PM every Friday. We invite you to join us in…
The Meaning of Holy Communion
The Eucharist is the most important of the seven sacraments, because it is in this and in no other sacrament that we receive the very body and blood, soul and divinity of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. There are many graces that flow from the faithful reception of this most sublime of sacraments. Communion then is…
Thanksgiving Prayer before a Meal
Sometimes parishioners ask us for a grace before meals that can be used not only for Catholics but for people of different faiths. Here is a suitable grace from the Catholic Bishops of Canada: “May we be strong in virtue, firm in time of trouble, and always ready to help others in time of need….
Devotion to the Cross
With September unfolding now we have many wonderful events in the Liturgical calendar. Two of these are the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14 and the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15. Devotion to the Holy Cross in the Liturgy dates back to the fourth century. The texts…
Prayer and Fasting
In the Catholic Church calendar, we remember St. Monica on August 27 and St. Augustine of Hippo on August 28. They both lived in the 4th Century in Northern Africa and Italy. St Monica is the patron saint of mothers. She had a great influence on people in her life: through her prayers and humble…
Why Purgatory?
The Catholic Church presents to us in November the themes of death, judgement, heaven and hell. This is done to both encourage and challenge us in our faith journey. From Scripture and the Catholic Catechism, we can get an idea of what happens after death. The staff from Catholic Answers wrote the following article in…
The Three States of the Church
The Catholic Catechism teaches about three states of the Church (N. 954): “When the Lord comes in glory and all his angels with him, death will be no more and all things will be subject to him. But at the present time some of his disciples are pilgrims on earth. Others have died and are…
The Message of the Cross.
With September unfolding now we have many wonderful events in the Liturgical calendar. Two of these are the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14 and the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows on September 15. Devotion to the Holy Cross in the Liturgy dates back to the fourth century. The texts…
Feast of St. Blaise and throat blessing
On February 3, the custom on the optional memorial of St. Blaise, is to bless the throat of the faithful after Mass. The words the priest uses are as follows: “Through the intercession of St. Blaise, Bishop and Martyr, may God deliver you from every disease of the throat and from every other illness. In…