Celebrating Liturgical Seasons
Growing by Experiencing the Feasts and Seasons of the Church Year
Ordinary Time, Part II
Ordinary Time is the period in the Church Year during which Catholics immerse themselves in the mission and ministry of Jesus Christ. It falls in two parts on the liturgical calendar. The first part begins after Christmas Time—specifically, the day after the Baptism of the Lord. The second part falls after Easter Time, starting on the Monday after Pentecost. During Ordinary Time, we focus on the ministry and mission of Jesus Christ. We are settled back into our ordinary season until November. How can we make this time extra-ordinary?
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What Catholics Should Know About Ordinary Time
If you think of the liturgical calendar as the “circle of life”, the mystery of Christ unfolds. The significance and beauty of how Christ calls us to live our lives through him comes to light.
GREEN is the liturgical color of Ordinary Time that we find on priestly vestments and in our church decor. It is the color of life and hope. Ordinary Time is divided into two time periods. Following the Baptism of our Lord is the first period, which continues until Ash Wednesday. Pentecost Sunday starts the second period of Ordinary Time, the longest liturgical season, as it continues until the Advent season begins again. Read More |
Memorial of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha - July 14
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha
Kateri was a Mohawk Indian born in what is now Auriesville, New York, ten years after Isaac Jogues and his companions were martyred there. Her mother was a Christian Algonquin Indian, and her father was a pagan Mohawk chief. Her parents and a brother died of smallpox when she was only four. Kateri recovered from the disease, but it left her eyes weak and her face scarred.
Anastasia, a friend of Kateri’s mother, took care of her and told her stories about the Christian God. When Anastasia left for Canada to join other Christians there, Kateri’s uncle, a Mohawk chief, took Kateri as his daughter. Kateri learned more about God from a missionary and asked to be baptized. She was baptized on Easter Sunday. It was hard for Kateri to live as a Christian. Her people expected her to work in the fields on Sunday, the Lord’s Day. Sometimes they didn’t feed her. Children made fun of her and threw stones at her. Kateri endured this for two years. Finally a priest advised Kateri to go to Canada where she would be with other Christians. One day when her uncle was not home, she left for Canada with a Christian named Hot Ashes. Read More. |
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Pop-Up Catechesis: Saint Kateri Tekakwitha and Caring for the Environment
Spend some time outdoors in honor of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, whose feast we celebrate on July 14. The feast reminds us of our responsibility to care for the environment, says Joe Paprocki, National Consultant for Faith Formation at Loyola Press.
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