Just like a good Jewish family keeps kosher, Catholic families need to be mindful of how to “keep” Catholicism. The Catholic lifestyle, in which many of us grew up, has given way to a much more secular way of living. Ask your grandparents to describe growing up as Catholics. They will likely tell you that they were immersed in Catholic practice, traditions, and prayer life. There were Sunday Mass, vespers, benediction, novenas, and many other ritual events and activities.
Then there was the social life of the Catholic parish. Families lived a completely committed life of faith and fellowship within these boundaries. The grace of this Catholic way of living was that families were growing in knowledge of the faith and were fostered in the fertile ground of that faith.
Move forward to today. Our Catholic parishes are no longer the center of life and activity for most families. The secular setting of education and society has replaced our spiritual focus. Some families attend Sunday Mass and the parish school. Yet the influence of a secular culture has drawn so many away from living their lives with a Catholic identity. The underpinnings of belief have been removed. Families struggle to reclaim their Catholic identity in a world that is in conflict with Catholic beliefs and practices. The result is that those of us who wish to pass on our Catholic traditions and lifestyle are finding it to be a radical, countercultural choice. The way of living that our Catholic ancestors took for granted is considered strange and outdated by those outside the Catholic community.
Enjoy these familiar (and beloved) Catholic traditions!
Holy Water
The ancients said everything was composed of four elements: earth, air, fire, and water. Jesus used all these elements as tools for teaching and miracle-making, but water is a clear favorite. Foot-washing (I’ve heard rumors) was once part of sacramental ritual, and Baptism is the first and most universal sacrament, with some faith traditions being especially dramatic and generous with this precious, elemental fluid.
How physically and poetically proper! We gestate in the waters of our mother’s wombs. Our bodies are so moisture-driven that, deprived water, we shrivel and die. Read more…
Candles
Anyone who has ever visited my house can tell you that I love candles. Each room is adorned with them, all different scents, shapes, sizes and colors.
My obsession, I believe, actually began many years ago—in church. When I was younger, my grandparents would often take my sisters and me to church with them on Saturday afternoons. Tucked into one of the front corners of the church they attended was a large rack of votive candles—some small, some large. People would place their money in the attached box and then light a candle for their particular prayer request or in thanksgiving for a prayer answered. Read more…
Ashes and Fasting
Anyone who has ever visited my house can tell you that I love candles. Each room is adorned with them, all different scents, shapes, sizes and colors.
My obsession, I believe, actually began many years ago—in church. When I was younger, my grandparents would often take my sisters and me to church with them on Saturday afternoons. Tucked into one of the front corners of the church they attended was a large rack of votive candles—some small, some large. People would place their money in the attached box and then light a candle for their particular prayer request or in thanksgiving for a prayer answered. Read more…
Stations of the Cross
The Passion of the Christ moved me to tears. Obviously others at the movie—mainly young people when I went—were also moved. We all left in silence. But the movie was too violent and overly graphic for me. Mel Gibson is a filmmaker, a dramatist. It was the sources he used and his interpretation of Jesus’ sufferings. Other dramas, such as the Passion Plays at Oberammergau or Black Hills, take a different approach. Read more…
May Crowning
Whenever I read the notice in my parish bulletin about the upcoming date for May Crowning, I recall the celebrations of days gone by and start humming those familiar Marian hymns I learned as a child.
Although there have been some changes in these celebrations since my Catholic grade school days in the 1950s, the basics remain the same: A statue that represents our “holy queen enthroned above” is crowned with blossoms while parishioners sing Marian hymns and recite prayers associated with Mary. Read more…
Novenas
The Latin word novena means “nine.” Novenas are a form of prayer in which a person, individually or with a group, prays for some special intention for nine days.
At some point in your life, for example, you may have made a novena to the Holy Spirit on the nine days before Pentecost in preparation for the feast. Mary and the disciples of Jesus did this in the Upper Room before God’s Spirit came upon them, even though they didn’t call it a novena (see Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4ff). Read more…
Shrines and Pilgrimages
“In the Footsteps of Saints and Angels” I went through Italy two summers ago. Franciscan Pilgrimage Programs took our group to places associated with St. Michael the Archangel, St. Pio of Pietrelcina (Padre Pio), Sts. Francis and Clare of Assisi, St. Anthony of Padua and Blessed Pope John XXIII.
It was one of the highlights of my life. Besides seeing places important in the lives of my favorite saints, I had a chance to pray in those places. I will never forget Greccio where Francis was inspired to reenact the Bethlehem story or Clare’s simple dormitory where she died. Read more…
Benediction and Adoration
The majority of weekday Masses that I attended in the 1950s were “Low Masses” that involved no singing. Most parishes had only one Sunday “High Mass,” where a choir did the singing. In those days, Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament always required active participation, especially the singing of hymns.
While Mass was required on Sundays, Benediction was optional, often combined with popular devotions such as novenas. Read more…
Scapulars and Medals
I recently read Swimming With Scapulars, by John Lickona, a decidedly conservative young Catholic man who has found, in devotion via the scapular, a more certain way in an uncertain world.
He’s not alone. There is a current crisis of Catholic identity, as a generation raised on the possibilities and question marks of Vatican II comes of age without sure answers. Read more…
The Rosary
On Mother’s Day, the St. Clement Band used to assemble in front of the friary between Masses. They played Marian hymns. As a small child, I enjoyed the concert. When they performed “On This Day, O Beautiful Mother,” I would think of my earthly mother. My two mothers would merge into one. It helped me appreciate both mothers.
The next impetus to an appreciation of Mary came in my novitiate year. Our director connected us with the work of St. Louis de Montfort, who wrote a treatise called True Devotion to Mary. Mary and the Rosary became more important. Read more…
Devotion to Saints
Something I find most gratifying about the saints is that they exhibit characteristics that we find in ourselves. After all, who can’t relate to St. Francis’ love of creation or St. Cecilia’s deep appreciation for music? When haven’t we wrestled with moments of crippling doubt like St. Joseph?
And there is a saint for every issue: unappreciated in your job as a coffin maker? Invoke St. Stephen the Martyr! A fugitive with a heavy conscience? Appeal to St. Brigid of Ireland! Plagued by an infestation of caterpillars? Voice your woes to St. Magnus of Füssen! Read more…
Advent and Christmas Calendars
As Christmas draws near, I am reminded of my childhood. Every day before Christmas in December my three younger siblings and I decorated our Advent/Christmas calendar. My parents bought us a calendar with 24 pockets for each day of December, all of which were filled with a decorated felt piece to adorn the tree on top.
My mom had mapped out a routine so that each child took turns putting the pieces on the tree. That way, we each picked six felt pieces. My sister and I always argued over who got to put on the doll, and we all saved the star for the last day, Christmas Eve, to top off the tree. My two brothers fought over who got to go first, but since I was the oldest, I always beat them to it. Read more…
