Saturday, January 3, 2026

In the Bleak Midwinter, Gaudete Christus Natus Est

It's lovely how the simplest tunes often - perhaps most often, maybe even always - make the most beautiful of melodies. So it is...

Chant Workshop in Ottawa

For those who want to learn something about the great tradition of Gregorian chant, or hone your incipient skills, there will be a a...

Saint John, the Theologian

BENEDICT XVI GENERAL AUDIENCE Paul VI Audience Hall Wednesday, 9 August 2006 John, the theologian Dear Brothers and Sisters, Before the holidays I had begun sketching small portraits of the...

Saint John the Beloved, Seer of Patmos

BENEDICT XVI GENERAL AUDIENCE Paul VI Audience Hall Wednesday, 23 August 2006 John, the Seer of Patmos Dear Brothers and Sisters, In the last Catechesis we had reached the meditation...

The Very First ‘Merry Christmas’

In one of those many ironies of history, it came as news to me that the first recorded use of the greeting 'Merry Christmas'...

Christmas Hymns

A fine compilation of Christmas hymnody, done in wonderful harmony. Enjoy on this day of great joy! Christus natus est, alleluia! https://youtu.be/zIQBBNIo1Hc

Canisius the Indefatigable Catechist

Saint Peter Canisius (1521-1597) was a Dutch Jesuit back in the earliest days of the Order, amongst the first to join Ignatius' company, after...

Musical Offering: The Alma Redemptoris Mater, in Three Versions

There are various antiphons sung in honour of Our Lady at the close of Compline, for each liturgical season - the Salve Regina for...

Servant of God Catherine de Hueck Doherty

Forty years ago today, on December 14, 1985, Catherine de Hueck Doherty's vagarious life came to its end in a cabin in the remote...

Pope Benedict Reflects on Saint John of the Cross

BENEDICT XVI GENERAL AUDIENCE Paul VI Audience Hall Wednesday, 16 February 2011 Saint John of the Cross Dear Brothers and Sisters, Two weeks ago I presented the figure of the...