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87 results for "Rev. Kenneth Brighenti"
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Focusing on Some Catholic Symbols and Gestures
Kneeling and praying with beads, crosses depicting a crucified Jesus, and sprinkling holy water on this and that are telltale Catholic practices. The meaning behind them relates to the body and soul — [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
Patron Saints for the Modern World
Television and airplanes didn’t exist when most saints were alive, but saints are invoked for them nonetheless. Why? Saints often experienced things while they were alive that relate to events or items [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
What Are the Requirements for Sainthood?
To become canonized as a saint, a perfect track record isn’t required (or possible). Hence, being sinless isn’t on the list. So, what is required for sainthood? [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
What Is Ash Wednesday?
The Christian season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday and lasts for 40 days. Catholics and members of some Protestant denominations are asked to do modest mortifications and acts of penance during Lent [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
The Role of Deacons in the Catholic Church
In the hierarchy of the Catholic Church, you have the Pope at the top (well, after God), cardinals, bishops, priests, and then deacons. Catholics recognize two types of deacons: [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
The Catholic Church and the Sexual Abuse Issue
Catholic priests have been under fire for widespread and much publicized cases of sexual abuse of children. The unconscionable actions of a very small minority of deviant clergy and a few bishops who merely [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
The Use of Color in the Catholic Liturgical Year
The sense of sight, including color, plays an important role in Catholic worship. The colors of a Catholic priest’s vestments help the faithful know that certain celebrations are at hand. [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
Catholic Gestures Explained
Catholics express reverence and respect with several gestures. If you’re Catholic, you perform the sign of the cross, you kneel at the proper times during Mass, and you genuflect as a matter of course. [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
Catholicism and the Ten Commandments
According to Exodus in the Old Testament, God issued his own set of laws (the Ten Commandments) to Moses on Mount Sinai. The Ten Commandments are considered [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
Ways to Show Devotion as a Catholic
Catholics have a variety of ways to show their devotion to or love of God the Holy Trinity. Catholics can attend Mass, pray the rosary or the stations of the cross, wear a religious medal, or say a novena [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
Catholicism and Purgatory
Catholics believe in Heaven, Hell, and something called Purgatory that has two purposes: a temporal punishment for sin, and the cleansing from the attachment to sin. Purgatory [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
Common Catholic Prayers
Like most religions, Catholicism has specific prayers that believers say at certain times or on certain occasions. The Our Father is part of the Catholic Mass, for example, and the Act of Contrition is [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
Who's Who in the Catholic Church?
The pope is not the only leader in the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church, like every structured environment — from governments to corporations to schools to sports programs — has a chain of command. [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
Wising Up to Lady Wisdom
The Book of Wisdom (sometimes called the Wisdom of Solomon) doesn't mention any women by name. (You can find the Book of Wisdom in the Apocrypha of Protestant Bibles or in the Deuterocanon of Catholic [more…]
Found in: The Bible -
A Look at Catholic Holy Days
A really cool thing about Catholicism is that many days of the calendar year are a cause for celebration. Nearly every day marks the feast day of a saint — a day when that saint’s holy life and deeds are [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
The Catholic Sacrament of Confirmation
Just as bodies and minds grow, Catholics believe that the soul also needs to grow in the life of grace. The sacrament of Confirmation builds on the sacraments of Baptism, Penance, and Holy Communion, completing [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
The Catholic Church and Its Stance on War
Catholicism’s stance on war is built on the Just War Theory, which says that all things being equal, the state has a right to wage war — just like it has a right to use capital punishment. However, just [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
The Hierarchy of the Catholic Church
The Catholic Church has a hierarchy, just as any other structured environment. Having a hierarchy helps the Church lead the faithful at local and increasingly higher levels. The parish is at the most basic [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
Celibacy and the Catholic Church
Celibacy is the formal and solemn oath to never enter the married state. In the Catholic Church, men who take Holy Orders and become priests and women who become nuns take a vow of celibacy. Celibate men [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
Holy Days of Obligation in the Catholic Church
On holy days of obligation, Catholics are obliged to participate in Mass. Every Sunday is a holy day of obligation, as are six other days throughout the year. In the United States, these holy days of obligation [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
The Immaculate Conception of Mary
The Immaculate Conception is one of the most Catholic, most mysterious, and most misunderstood Catholic dogmas. The Immaculate Conception has nothing to with how Jesus was conceived; it has to do with [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
Praying to Catholic Saints
Catholics often pray to saints asking the saint to intercede with God on their behalf. These prayers of intercession merely ask Mary or another saint to ask Jesus for help. Catholics believe that any reply [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
Spiritual Rebirth: The Samaritan Woman at the Well
The Samaritan woman at the well is no angel. Mixed up with a wrong crowd, this poor woman from Samaria has quite a reputation. She had been married five times and was living in sin with a man who wasn't [more…]
Found in: The Bible -
The Canonization Process for Sainthood
The process for being canonized as a saint is quite a lengthy one. Almost a grass roots movement, the path to canonization involves local interest and support. The faithful decide to invoke the intercession [more…]
Found in: Catholicism -
Basic Beliefs of Catholicism
Catholics are, first and foremost, Christians who believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Catholicism shares some beliefs with other Christian practices, but essential Catholic beliefs include the [more…]
Found in: Catholicism
