Now begins the final section of the Litany, the ‘Queen series’, with thirteen titles. The first eight describe saints in heaven and seem to be listed in chronological order: Angels were created first, then patriarchs, prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors, virgins, and all saints. This title “Queen of Angels” reminds me of a little pueblo founded […]Read more

St. John Chrysostom called Our Lady “Help of Christians” in the year 345, as did St. John Bosco 1500 years later. Some years ago, as I boarded a flight from Birmingham to Chicago, I sat down next to a young woman who was obviously scared of flying. Noticing my Roman Collar, hope registered on her […]Read more

Down through the ages good Christians have suffered, and often they keep such grief to themselves. The unspoken pain of a mother who ponders her son’s deep disappointments, the husband who agonizes over his secret infidelities, the son who murmurs silent words of thanksgiving too late at the graveside of his father, and the very […]Read more

This is the newest title in the Litany of Our Lady, added by Pope Francis, the Friend and Protector of Migrants, Immigrants, and Refugees. There are currently 250MM migrants in the world. They come from all over, and go all over, but the most popular destination is the United States of America. A migrant family […]Read more

Before the days of mini-vans and soccer moms, we kids in the neighborhood would entertain ourselves by playing ‘tag’, a game that could go on indefinitely, but if you were slow and pudgy it was no fun being “it.” Then came the fast guy, and we’d head for the refuge of the monkey bars, also […]Read more

Another name for Our Lady, Health of the Sick or “salus infirmorum” in Latin, is Our Lady of Good Health, and we have been praying to her every day after Mass at Relevant Radio since the COVID shut down began on March 15. When we pray the Family Rosary Across America on Relevant Radio, the […]Read more

The morning star, Stella matutina, heralds the coming of the rising sun, but the morning star is not actually a star, it’s the planet Venus, yet it is brighter than any star in the sky. Likewise, the Blessed Mother heralds the coming of Our Savior Jesus Christ, arriving on the scene in history just before […]Read more

I had a Jewish professor of medieval history when I was an undergraduate. He claimed to be agnostic, but I’m not so sure. He enjoyed pointing out the “hypocrisy” of the Catholic Church in the Middle Ages, though he did so without malice. Still, I admired the man for his attention to detail, his wit, […]Read more

Remember the movie Raiders of the Lost Ark and the awesome powers associated with the ark? When the Israelites marched into battle with the ark leading the way, all challengers were vanquished. The ark was made of gold, and contained the stone tablets with the Ten Commandments, a sure path to salvation, and that was […]Read more

I say, “Nothing but the best for God” …like that woman in the New Testament who anointed the body of Jesus. She splurged that day, and broke open the alabaster jar of ointment of pure nard and anointed the body of Jesus.  Only Judas complained that it could have been sold for three hundred denarii, […]Read more

The Light House of Alexandria was one of the seven wonders of the Ancient World, a mighty tower with a brilliant beacon leading ships safely into harbor. Mary towers over the rest of the human race, and is as pure and flawless as ivory, and leads us to the safe harbor of Christ. The purity […]Read more

The Tower of David in Old Jerusalem was a mighty tower that defended the City. Tender devotion to Mary, the Mother of God, is the Tower that defends our faith. In the foothills of the Pyrenees Mountains, separating France from Spain, you will find the remains of ancient stone watchtowers, which served as sentinels to […]Read more