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Featuring prominently in the chapel of the new hall at Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady in Baton Rouge, is a giant, two-story high San Damiano cross.

St. John the Baptist is one of the few saints who have two feast days: one celebrating his birth, June 24, and one remembering his death, August 29.

When it comes to times of stress, anxiety or fear, the first thing Catholics will do is pray … and ask others to pray. For some it means praying the rosary and for others it means praying a novena.

On May 31, Catholics will celebrate the feast of the Visitation of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

On Friday, May 5, many people will participate in Cinco de Mayo celebrations. The holiday celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s May 5, 1862, victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War.

On April 22, people around the world will turn their attention to planet Earth. Earth Day is widely recognized as the largest secular observance in the world, marked by more than a billion people every year as a day of action to change human behavior and create global, national and local policy changes.

As families gather to celebrate Easter, a common activity involves Easter eggs — dying them or stuffing them with treats and hiding them.

After wrapping up the goodies and putting away the baskets which held the chocolate bunnies, the celebration of Easter is far from over. In fact, it’s just beginning.

Baton Rouge is preparing to roll out its 38th Annual Wearin’ of the Green Parade on March 18, kicking off at Hundred Oaks Avenue

Stations of the Cross are among the familiar Lent traditions, along with reconciliation services and fish frys, in which Lent would not be the same without them. As we gather on Fridays in our church parishes and declare, “We adore you O Christ and we praise you, because by your holy cross you have redeemed the world” we are participating in “a Lenten tradition of love.”

Remember you are dust and to dust you shall return.

Leading schools in the Diocese of Baton Rouge and the nation into Catholic Schools Week on Jan. 29 – Feb. 4 is St. Thomas Aquinas, the “intellectual and prayerful “giant” of the Catholic Church, whose feast day is Jan. 28.

Since  the passing of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Dec. 31 there are people who think he should be named a future doctor of the church. Cardinal Thomas Collins, archbishop of Toronto, said on Vatican Radio that “he is an amazing man.” He said, “I don’t know whether he will be named a doctor of the church; certainly he should.”

This year I will … Filling in the blanks looks easy on Jan. 1 but as the year goes on those blanks remained unfilled.

Simbang Gabi, a Filipino word meaning “Night Mass,” is a long treasured devotional, nine-day series of Masses attended by Filipino Catholics in anticipation of Christmas, and is a revered Filipino Advent tradition.

On Dec. 13, lights sparkle through the “darkness” of the Advent season from the Scandinavian countries to Acadiana territory in Louisiana in festivals celebrating of the feast of St. Lucy.

Before beginning the headlong hurtle toward the end of the year, the church calls for Catholics to take the month of November to pause and remember.

The month of October, in addition to being dedicated to the rosary, is dedicated to the Second Vatican Council. This month not only marks the commemoration of the 60th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council (Oct. 11) it also contains two papal feast days and a canonization anniversary of three “major players” in the Second Vatican Council. 

Through the ages the rosary has been known as a “spiritual weapon” which calls on the Blessed Mother’s intercession for victory in times of trials and conflicts. The Battle of Lepanto, which occurred on Oct. 7, 1571, which is the same day as Our Lady of the Rosary, highlights this belief.