The Gates of Hell Shall not Prevail
The other day I was reading the homily of a bishop given at the Baccalaureate Mass at a well-known Catholic college. He quoted Christ saying “the gates of hell shall not prevail against [My church].” And then the bishop said, “The fulfillment of Our Lord’s assurance obliges Christians to conform our human will to the […]
As We Prepare for the Feast of Christmas
It’s the middle of the second week of Advent already. There will be Rose vestments next Sunday. Advent half over and where are we with our devotions? Well settled? Not yet started? I normally find myself in the latter group rather than the former. But I have a secret weapon in the best spiritual reading […]
Mystery Novels…But So Much More
I am currently engaged in working my way through all 20 of the Chronicles of Brother Cadfael of the Benedictine Abbey of St. Peter and St. Paul of Shrewsbury, in England. The action of the novels begins circa 1110 and continues for many years. I fear I will blow through them much too soon for […]
Just Do It
By the time I knew there was such a thing as a “vocation,” mine was completely set and fixed for life. I probably started hearing about vocations when I was happily married for 10 to 15 years. That was when I started attending Mass seasonally (Advent & Lent) with my wife who reverted to Catholicism […]
We Are Each Responsible for Our Own Salvation
If you are a regular reader of these posts you will have noticed that I was on summer vacation. I took some time to go back to school and learn about the beginnings of religious life. When I got home, before I could get back to writing, I was blindsided by the Holy Father’s moto […]
Sr. Mary Isabel’s Profession of Solemn Vows
https://youtu.be/zW1C_q86vzE The solemn profession of vows of Sr. Mary Isabel of the Angels took place on May 3, 2017.Corpus Christi Monastery Dominican NunsMenlo Park, California.
Obedience
Last Sunday I fulfilled my Sunday obligation at a Traditional Latin Mass. The gospel for the fourth Sunday after Pentecost is the calling of Simon, as he was then known, to his true vocation: a fisher of men. It’s a compelling story. It no doubt has many and varied lessons, but I would like to […]
Fr. Joseph Paul Albin featured in the Catholic Missourian
Preserving the Faith in a Secular Culture
A decade ago, I was asked to speak to a chapter of the Serra Club on the topic of Preserving the Faith in a Secular Culture. What I said back then is still relevant, not surprisingly, and I share it now. (Serra Club, named for Fr. Junipero Serra, of California Missions fame, promotes vocations to […]
Sr. Magdalene Grace
“It is so important to say yes to the calling of God.” Sr. Magdalene Grace, Carmelite Sisters of the Most Sacred Heart of Los Angeles Sr. Magdalene Grace was raised in a devout Catholic family in Ohio and she didn’t feel the call to religious life until after she attended college at Ohio Dominican University. […]