Category: Saints / Mary
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Popular Piety: Holy Cards
Popular piety can’t really be programmed. You never know where something like this is going to land.
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Anna, the Prophet, and Her “Censored Pulpit”
Depictions of Anna in Christian visual art have made up for some of this censoring over the centuries, by letting Anna speak through hand gestures, or by giving her a message to proclaim via words written on a scroll she is holding.
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A “Madonna amidst the Ruins,” the COVID-year 2020 included
For survivors of the bombings of the city and of World War II more generally, this Mary seemed to hold a message: She was in their midst, one of them, a survivor of unimaginable horror, and still cradling badly damaged life. Divine life.
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All the Saints, All the Souls, and All of Us
Every day is a day of all the saints, all the souls, and all of us.
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Is cleanliness always next to godliness?
According to Dictionary.com the phrase “cleanliness is next to godliness” was first recorded in a sermon by John Wesley in 1778. All of us are familiar with the phrase. Indeed in today’s COVID reality cleanliness is vital for churches as well as all other institutions in society. In no way do I want to take…
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Popular Piety Spotlight: Prayers to St. Michael
Whether prayed at the conclusion of a rosary, after mass, or at some other time, these prayers to St. Michael are part of a long tradition of regularly turning to heaven for help against forces that would try to destroy the goodness and unity of the Church.
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A Sequence in Honor of St. Francis of Assisi (PDF)
I share it with those who might want to conclude this year’s Season of Creation by praying this reflection on the gift of Saint Francis’ life, his stigmata, and his protection on all those who attempt to live by his values.
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The Potluck Rosary
In our new “Popular Piety” series: Katherine Grimm Bowers on the communal Rosary and the Body of Christ.
