The Church requires that a crucifix be visible during the celebration of Mass to remind us of the sacrifice of Jesus on the altar of the cross, which is made present for us each time we celebrate the Holy Eucharist. Does the distinction matter? In some cases, yes. Crucifixes are generally preferred by Roman Catholics, while crosses are preferred by Protestants.

There's an old joke about a fellow who gets confused and sends a postcard that says "Weather is here, wish you were beautiful!" Well, I thought of that as I was flying to Naples, FL. I'll be assisting at St. Elizabeth Seton for the next two months. I'm looking forward to helping out and making new friends. The podcasts will continue as we will be soon be heading in to the Lenten Season. I'll be praying for you all on my daily walks. Peace be with you.    

NBA legend Kobe Bryant was a devout Catholic and reportedly attended mass hours before he died with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven other passengers in a helicopter crash Sunday morning in Calabasas, Calif. When tragedy is sudden. 

A novena (Latin: novem "nine") is a tradition of devotional praying in Christianity consisting of private or public prayers repeated for nine hours, days or even weeks. A novena is an act of devotion you display for God in addition to a personal petition.

There are two ways to discern the Sabbath. For our Jewish friends, it's Saturday. For Christians, it's Sunday. Many of us remember when shops and stores were closed on the Sabbath or Sunday. I don’t have to tell you that’s no longer the case. Glad or sad?

The Baptism of Jesus Christ officially ended the Christmas season. Lent is just weeks away and we return to Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time refers to parts of the calendar that are unimportant. Yet Ordinary Time is far from unimportant or uninteresting.

Great question. However, we do use the word service. I will say, not always, I have the 8:00 AM Services this Sunday. On this Podcast, we also go through the five parts of the Mass as defined on Google. This is where it gets interesting. Let me explain.      

The Epiphany is major date in the Catholic Church. It occurs in the Bible when three wise kings, or Magi, see a divine star in the sky, and it leads them to the Christ child. His nature-as a king-is revealed to them, while the rest of the world is unaware.

Readings from Scripture are part of every Mass. How much time do you spend reading the scriptures? Often, sometimes or not too much? It’s complicated and it’s riddled with questions. It’s my job to explain the Gospel in words we can all understand.  

With the New Year just a few days old, many have already found themselves climbing the “Wall of Worry.” In 2020, I intend to practice and share ‘Peace’ in every facet of my life. Pray for peace. Peace be with you my friends and Happy New Year!