commentary
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“Do not worry. All they can do is kill us, nothing more”
By Larry Peterson It was April 14, 1905, when Angela Ginard Marti knelt at the altar rail. Dressed all in white with hands palm to palm, she raised her head and extended her tongue to receive her First Holy Communion. It was a transformational moment for the youngster. As she brought Jesus into her heart,…
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Blessed Mariano—Before dying, He tended to the wounds of one of his executioners and helped a sick child.
By Larry Peterson His name was Mariano Mullerat I Soldevila, and he was born on March 24, 1897, in Tarragona, Spain. He was the sixth of seven children and his parents, Ramon Mullerat and his wife, Bonaventura, were devout Catholics. Mariano, was baptized on March 30, one week after his birth. Mariano showed great promise…
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Mrs. Jamie Schmidt; Catholic Wife and Mom; Martyred “In Defensum Castitatis” in St. Louis, Missouri on November 19, 2018.
By Larry Peterson The Roman Martyrology of the Catholic Church has thousands of names on its pages. However, that huge book may need to find space for the very first American who was martyred on American soil for being Catholic and daring to defend her honor. Her name is Jamie Schmidt and…
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How a child-housekeeper named Florentina, became Blessed Maria Ascension of the Sacred Heart
By Larry Peterson Florentina Nicol y Goni was born on March 14, 1868, in the town of Tafalla, in Navarre province, located in northern Spain near the French border. Her dad, Juan Nicol y Zalduendo, was as shopkeeper specializing in selling and repairing farming equipment. The families life changed dramatically when the lady of the…
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Why do the Clergy wear Vestments during Mass and other Liturgical Celebrations?
By Larry Peterson The origins of wearing vestments at liturgical ceremonies date back to the Old Testament. The Old Testament practice of wearing special garb for religious events did influence the church. However, Christian vestments were not adaptions of the Old testament clothing but were more or less copied from the dress of the Roman-Graeco…
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Mary Lou Williams—-This Catholic Convert and famed Jazz Pianist composed Sacred Music including the First Jazz Spiritual Mass celebrated at St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
By Larry Peterson Mary Elfrieda Scruggs was born on May 8, 1910, in Atlanta, Georgia. When she was a toddler the family moved to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and this is where Mary grew up. She was the second of eleven children, but unlike her siblings, Mary was a “gifted’ child. She had perfect pitch and a…
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Loneliness in America; a growing and deadly Epidemic
By Larry Peterson My wife passed on almost two years ago and when you become “widowed” there is an inescapable loneliness factor that enters your life. But I have learned that loneliness has no boundaries. It reaches out for everyone and captures many of the unsuspecting, including the seemingly happy and contented and successful, dragging…
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An unexpected Evangelization Moment—Distributing Ashes on Ash Wednesday in Walmart
By Larry Peterson The USCCB states that evangelizing means bringing the Good News of Jesus into every human situation. So how can we everyday Catholics always be prepared to evangelize? Our behavior and our actions and the words we use are tools for evangelizing. They show that we are Christian. Saying grace before meals while…
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This Blessed Mother statue was carved by an Angel; Our Lady of Liesse aka Our Lady of Joy
By Larry Peterson During the time of the Crusades, it happened that one day three of the Knights of St. John were caught in an ambush and captured by the Saracens. The three prisoners were brothers and happened to be from the highly regarded family of Eppes in northern France. They were all loyal and…
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A Priest and his Bishop defend the Faith in Kansas
By Larry Peterson Once again folks who reject the teachings of the Catholic Church are claiming ‘victimhood.” That is because the Church will NOT accommodate their blatant rejection of Catholic teaching. St. Ann Catholic School in Prairie Village, Kansas refused to accept a child into their kindergarten class. The reason was that the child’s parents…
Cradling Catholic 