Homily for the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception The Immaculate Conception, the solemnity that we celebrate today, also happens to be the patronal feast day of the United States. So, happy feast day. Why do we celebrate this feast? In 1854, in his Apostolic Constitution, Ineffabilis Deus, Pope Pius IX clarified without uncertainty the long-held…
Homily for the Night of Merciful Love, December 2020 at Holy Name of Jesus. Votive Mass for the Blessed Virgin Mary, Chosen Daughter of Israel. As I mentioned at the beginning of Mass, tonight I have chosen to celebrate a Votive Mass for the Blessed Virgin Mary, Chosen Daughter of Israel. It is one of…
Homily for Votive Mass of Mary, Queen and Mother of Mercy, Night of Merciful Love at Holy Name of Jesus Catholic Church Tonight as we gather for our Night of Merciful Love, we remember in a special way our Blessed Mother, more specifically as the Queen and Mother of Mercy. Mary is the Queen of…
Homily for the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows A few weeks ago, I was visiting with my parents and at some point it was just my father and I sitting in the living room. My mother received an unexpected phone call from my sister and was worried something had happened to my 1-year-old nephew.…
Homily for the Memorial of the Holy Name of Mary Today the Church celebrates the Memorial of the Holy Name of Mary, a feast that has its origins in Spain in 1513. Pope Innocent XI decreed that it be observed by the entire Church in 1683 following a victory of the Polish army against the…
In the tradition of the Church, there are only two individuals besides the Lord Jesus who have their birthdays celebrated with a special feast: St. John the Baptist and the Blessed Mother (whose nativity we celebrate today). According to some of the apocryphal writings of the early Church, the story of the birth of Mary is actually quite beautiful.
Fr. Tom Pringle 