St Francis’ idea to reproduce the scenes of Bethlehem in a crib is a marvellous way of contemplating the mystery of Christmas. One look at the crib stirs our hearts and fills them with the warm glow of hope as we try to imagine the greatness of the mystery of God made man in this […]
One of the most beautiful Christmas traditions brought to our Community by our sisters from Latin America is ‘Las Posadas’. This tradition emulates the pilgrimage of Mary and Joseph from Nazareth to Bethlehem. As we know from the Scriptures, “there was no room for them in the inn.” (Lk 2:7) After searching everywhere for a […]
The third Sunday of Advent is called Gaudete Sunday because, in the words of the entrance antiphon, we are called to, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I say rejoice. Indeed, the Lord is near.” (Ph 4:4-5) In St Peter’s Square, Rome there is another tradition that emphasises the closeness of the Lord and brings […]
On Christmas Eve 1223, in Greccio, a small place approximately 60km to the northeast of Rome, the practice of creating Nativity scenes was born. The first, requested by St Francis, was a live re-creation of the cave of Bethlehem complete with a living ox, ass and donkey! It is thought that the poverello of […]
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is intimately connected to the apparition of the Virgin of Revelation who told Bruno, “The nine first Fridays to the Sacred Heart, a divine promise, has saved you.” In fact, during the apparition on the 12th April 1947, the Virgin of Revelation spoke of devotion to the Sacred […]
We are continuing our series of articles to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of our approval and, during the month of June, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, we would like to highlight how this devotion has an important place in our charism and Rule of Life. We offer all our daily work to the […]
Dear Fathers and Pastors – we need you! Today, on a Maundy Thursday that history will recall for the impact of the Coronavirus, we celebrate the fact that the Lord instituted the Eucharist. It is a Holy Thursday in which the solemn entry to the Pascal Tridium is pious and also sorrowful. This entrance to […]
The memory of Pope Gregory XV resounds on this great Solemnity as, in 1621, he declared the 19th of March an obligatory Feast for the most powerful and humble Saint of the Church: Saint Joseph. St Matthew’s Gospel speaks of him as a “just man” who was willing to fulfil God’s will. Saint Joseph gave […]
In France, during the second half of the 16th century, the doctrine of Cornelius Jansen (1585-1638), otherwise known as Jansenism, was greatly defused. Jansen’s theology taught that the Lord is a God who gives His grace only to the elect, abandoning the rest for ever because human nature was completely corrupted by original sin. To […]
On Good Friday the Church invites us to look at Christ, who was crucified and died for our Salvation. Now more than ever, adoring the wood of the cross calls us to a profound reflection. With the original sin, evil, suffering and death entered the world. Man, wounded by Original Sin, became a victim of […]