Our Lady of Loreto

 


 A year ago, Pope Francis added the optional memorial for Our Lady of Loreto to the calendar for this date, December 10th.

This title of Our Lady comes from the legends about Mary's home in Nazareth, which was moved stone by stone to Loreto, Italy, and reconstructed.  There is now a beautiful Marian shrine in Loreto, still containing that home.

This website tells the whole story, including how the Angeli family made this happen during the Middle Ages, when the Muslims took control of that part of the Holy Land.  Unfortunately, in recent decades the town of Nazareth has become a predominantly Muslim town, which has caused some complications in Christian pilgrimages to the site of the Annunciation. 

Today would be a good day to pray the litany to Our Lady of Loreto, composed in the 16th century.


Popular posts from this blog

New priests' ordination video

Image
The Archdiocese has recently published a very good 3-minute video of the ordination of three new priests for service to the Archdiocese. You will hear snippets from Archbishop's Schnurr homily and see a few scenes from that ordination Mass.  There are many powerful symbols in that ordination ceremony, including the men about to be ordained priests lying prostrate (on the ground, face down) before the altar, symbolizing that they are dying to themselves as they become "another Christ." In the photo above, after the bishop consecrates the men with prayer and laying on of hands, all of the other priests concelebrating the Mass also lay hands on them, showing that they now share in the one priesthood of Jesus Christ, the great High Priest. You may recognize Fr. Christopher Komoroski.  He was at our South Clermont parishes several weeks when he was still a deacon, to practice his preaching. I had the privilege of "vesting" Fr. Andrew Reckers (helping him put on his
Read more

Facing the Father together

Image
  For this Advent season only this year (Masses of November 28th through December 23rd), Fr. Reutter will be offering all of his parish Masses in the traditional posture of the Church, with the priest and people together symbolically facing the Father.  (This liturgical orientation is sometimes called by its Latin names, ad orientem or ad Deum  which mean "facing the East" or "facing God [the Father]" This way of celebrating the Mass has centuries-long and ancient roots.  In fact, it was mandatory for much of the Church's history.  After the Second Vatican Council, two options were introduced: the traditional posture or Mass facing the people ( versus populum , to use the Latin phrase).  This resource page has some information on the symbolism behind this option and how it helps to reveal what is happening in the mystery of the Mass. * Fr. Mike Schmitz video, " Pray the Mass like never before ."  This is a general video on the mystery of the Mass, with
Read more