A weekly faith formation opportunity for adults! Theme:“Introduction to the Spiritual Life: How to Grow Closer to God Through Prayer and the Sacraments” Did you know you’re called to be a saint? Here on earth! Yes, you’re called, and there’s a path to holiness! In this three-part series running from September through May, you’ll learn: how to enter into Mass with more devotion how to pray daily and more effectively practical helps for the Sacrament of Confession ways to grow

Dear St. Catherine Parish Family, As we celebrate this joyful feast of Christmas and approach the end of the year, I am particularly conscious of the great blessings we have experienced in our parish this year. As always, our parish remains very strong spiritually. Our devotion to the Eucharist and our beautiful liturgies are a clear sign of our desire to truly give God the worship He deserves. I am also constantly amazed at the level of participation in our various religious

Q. In the Christmas crèche, is it historically accurate to have the shepherds and the Wise Men appear in the stable at the same time? A. Probably not, though we don’t know for sure. Few details of timing in the events surrounding Our Lord’s nativity are recorded in the Gospels, and Matthew and Luke (only two Evangelists provide an account) approach the story with different concerns and emphases. Luke clearly recounts the events from Mary’s point of view, offering details abou

Q. Why is Advent sometimes called a “little Lent”? A. The liturgical season of Advent earned the nickname “little Lent” because it’s intended by the Church to have a penitential character like that of Lent, and it’s shorter than the season of Lent. That’s why it has the same liturgical color as Lent (purple), a symbol not only of royalty but of penance. For the same reason, many of the Mass readings throughout Lent are of a penitential character. The word “advent,” of course,

Q. Why did the dogmatic definition of the Immaculate Conception come so late in history? A. The Church’s formal definition of this dogma did indeed come late historically. In the Apostolic Constitution Ineffabilis Deus (December 8, 1854), Pope Blessed Pius IX formally declared that the Blessed Virgin Mary, “in the first instance of her conception, by a singular [unique] privilege and grace granted by God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the human race, wa