Succinctly, a novena is a nine day period of private or public prayer to obtain special graces, to implore special favors, or make special petitions. (Novena is derived from the Latin novem, …

The image of Our Lady of Perpetual Help is an icon, painted on wood, and seems to have originated around the thirteenth century. Traditionally, the image is also known as “Our Lady of …

The offering of Masses for the repose of the soul of the faithful departed is linked with our belief in Purgatory. We believe that if a person has died fundamentally believing in God but with venial …

The spring flowed steadily and abundantly. Some of the water was given to a woman suffering from a long-term serious illness; she drank a little of the water each day as she prayed a …

The Forty Hours Devotion is a special forty-hour period of continuous prayer made before the Blessed Sacrament in solemn exposition. Of course, the focus of this devotion is on the Holy …

In addressing this question, we must first remember that the Sacrament of Holy Orders, like Baptism and Confirmation, is a character sacrament. Each character sacrament confers an …

The story of the Miraculous Medal arises from the apparitions of our Blessed Mother to St. Catherine Laboure, a novice at the motherhouse of the Daughters of Charity in Paris (where it …

The feast of the Most Holy Name of the Blessed Virgin Mary originated in Spain and was approved in 1513. In 1683, Pope Innocent XI extended the celebration of the feast day to the …

What is a novena? What is a blessing? What are the origins of the scapular? Should people hold hands during the Our Father at Mass? What is the Shroud of Turin? What does a person do …

However, the adoration period should also include prayers, such as a novena or Liturgy of the Hours, and readings from Sacred Scripture accompanied perhaps by a homily or exhortation …