This past weekend, Candlemas, also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ, the Feast of the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or the Feast of the Holy Encounter, is a Christian feast day commemorating the presentation of Jesus at the Temple by Joseph and Mary. It is based upon the account of the presentation of Jesus in Luke 2:22–40. In Mexico, the "blessing of El Niño Dios" refers to the Catholic tradition of taking a small statue of the baby Jesus ("El Niño Dios") to church to be blessed by a priest, marking a significant moment in the Christmas season where families celebrate by bringing their "Niño Dios" to church for a special blessing and often sharing a meal afterwards.
Significance:
This tradition commemorates the presentation of Jesus at the Temple 40 days after his birth, where Mary and Joseph brought him to be blessed by the priests.
The "Niño Dios" statue:
Each family usually has their own small statue of the baby Jesus, which they dress in different outfits depending on the occasion.
13 hours ago
This past weekend, our Hondureños brothers and sisters celebrated Our Lady of Suyapa (Honduras). Feb. 3rd, is the official day of The Virgin of Suyapa, which is represented in the form of a cedarwood statue of the Virgin Mary, the most popular religious image of Honduras.
History of Our Lady of Suyapa
Our Lady of Suyapa refers to the Virgin Mary, the statue of which is currently housed in the chapel next to the Basilica de Suyapa in Honduras. There are various stories about the statue’s discovery and how it was installed.
The most popular version of the story of Our Lady of Suyapa is that the statue was miraculously discovered by a laborer called Alejandro Colindres. Having been sent to clear the cornfields at Piligüian mountain, Alejandro was on his way back when he and the eight-year-old boy he was traveling with decided to rest for the night. Alejandro woke up from his sleep to a sharp pain in his side, he grabbed ahold of the object in the dark and threw it away only to find it in his bed again when he returned to it. When he woke in the morning, he discovered that the object was a statue of the Virgin Mary which he went on to take back home to his mother’s house. The statue is said to have been there for twenty years after its discovery.
Our Lady of Suyapa is affectionately called ‘La Morenita,’ which means ‘Dear Dark One,’ because She is carved into cedarwood, and was covered in a dark cloak at the time of her finding. Pope Pius XI declared her the ‘Patroness of Honduras’ and a Basilica was constructed in her honor, next to the chapel, to accommodate the crowds that gather on the day of her feast.
2 days ago
This is the Jubilee Cross at the Cathedral Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Honolulu. A smaller version will be traveling to each Vicariate throughout the year.
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“If you want a love message to be heard, it has got to be sent out. To keep a lamp burning, we have to keep putting oil in it.” - Blessed Teresa of Calcutta (1910-1997) #marchforlife #whywemarch
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Devoting a specific Sunday of the liturgical year to the word of God can enable the Church to experience anew how the risen Lord opens up for us the treasury of his word and enables us to proclaim its unfathomable riches before the world. - Pope Francis
Word of God Sunday - blessing of the bibles. #wordofgod #wordofgodsunday
1 week ago
Memorial of Saint Thomas Aquinas, Priest and Doctor of the Church
1 week ago
Sirach 35:7-10 "Give to the Most High as He has given to you, generously, according to your means." Acts 20:35 Let's keep in mind the words of the Lord Jesus who himself said, "It is more blessed to give than to receive." Mahalo to the 2024 Island Treasures for their stewardship way of living.
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Late post: Dancing the Sinolog with graceful joy - let's celebrated Santo Niño Filipino style! 🇵🇭💃 #SantoNino #Dance #Celebration
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As a body is one though it has many parts, and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body, so also Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one spirit. Now the body is not a single part, but many. You are Christ's body, and individually parts of it. 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27
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Over the past 52 years, the March for Life has collectively united millions of pro-life Americans from every age, background, nationality, and faith with a common purpose: to witness the inherent dignity and worth of every single human life. The March’s powerful presence at our nation’s capital every January has demonstrated the seriousness, conviction, and permanence of the movement. It has also helped educate Americans about the beauty of the lives of unborn children and their mothers so that a majority of Americans now support protections for life in the womb.
2 weeks ago