Saint Michael’s Lent dates back to the 13th century when Saint Francis of Assisi received the stigmata on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross (September 14).
The tradition, described in The Little Flowers of Saint Francis by Saint Bonaventure, honors Our Lady and Saint Michael.
Much like a "mini-Lent," the devotion lasts for 40 days (excluding Sundays). This period of prayer, fasting, and penance begins on the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15) and ends on the feast of Saint Michael (September 29).
Saint Francis had a great devotion to Saint Michael and practiced this 40-day period himself.
“[H]e wished along with the most faithful Brothers…to celebrate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin (August 15) and then prepare himself by a forty days’ fast for the Feast of Saint Michael (September 29).
“In common with the rest of the people of the Middle Ages, Francis nourished a special devotion to this Archangel, signifer sanctus Michaelis, the standard-bearer of the Heavenly Host, and the one who with his trumpet was to wake the dead in their graves on the last day…” (St. Francis of Assisi by Johannes Jorgensen)
Father Eric Anderson of Saint Stephen Catholic Church in Portland, Ore., began a video series leading the devotion.
The priest and parish pastor explains Saint Michael’s Lent in a great introduction:
Saint Michael’s Lent is a powerful way to increase devotion to and call upon the archangel for help and assistance, especially during these unprecedented times.
There are not any specific requirements, but here is a handy meditation booklet for guidance.
This document contains 31 meditation days, followed by a nine-day novena. It also includes multiple prayers to Saint Michael, including a consecration and the powerful Chaplet of Saint Michael.
With prayer, fasting, and penance, we can call upon heaven’s army of angels to cast the evil out of our country and world. Let us pray with fervor, through the intercession of Saint Michael, for Christ’s help as we battle the forces of darkness.
Saint Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle!
]]>This is what the creative team at Saint Ann Catholic parish in Coppell, Texas, asked their Instagram audience in a touching video shared across the social media platform.
The video shows a large statue of Jesus with His arms outstretched, sitting in the parish’s courtyard. The posted sign in front of him reads, “Greet Jesus as if you were entering Heaven!”
Unsuspecting parish staff and clergy responded.
Some rushed up to the statue with open arms and contagious smiles on their faces. Others were more reserved, kissing His feet or bowing, then giving the Jesus figure a hug.
Watch the video below:
The video caption reads:
What can our creative team be up to on a Monday morning before Staff Meeting?? 🥸😇😅 How would you greet Jesus in Heaven??
The comment section is full of viewers who pondered the same question and were moved by the touching video.
“I want this done in my church too,” one user commented.
“The best video to wake up to in the morning,” another user said.
“This was supposed to be a fun video, but why am I crying?” another person admitted.
Saint Ann Catholic parish is the same community that orchestrated the viral Father’s Day prank this year. It is a vibrant Catholic community and one of the largest in the Diocese of Dallas, Texas.
Saint Ann's website hosts a podcast, blog, and a way to submit prayer requests:
“We are committed to being a community that prays for each other," the website states. "No prayer is too big or too small; prayer can change everything. Feel free to leave your prayer requests with confidence that we are praying for you weekly.”
You can submit a prayer request here.
So, how would you greet Jesus in Heaven?
]]>However, God granted her an unexpected gift: the opportunity to enter a nearly empty Saint Peter’s Basilica, walk through the Holy Door, and pray the Rosary for young people around the world.
More than one million young people gathered with sleeping bags on the Tor Vergata esplanade on August 2, 2025, to partake in the Saturday Vigil, awaiting the concluding Mass of the Jubilee of Youth.
Ana Rocío, a 28-year-old pilgrim from El Salvador, had been eagerly anticipating this event. But a health issue that arose in the early morning hours prevented her from joining the crowd—a difficult disappointment after so much anticipation.
“I spoke with my doctor back home in El Salvador, and I had to stop,” she told ChurchPOP. “I had to let go of being close to the Pope and the other young people.”
Despite her heartbreak, she placed her trust in God. What she didn’t expect was that He, like a loving Father, would surprise her with a deeply personal gift.
“I never imagined returning to Saint Peter’s Basilica and finding it empty. And as a pilgrim, being able to pass through so quickly,” she said.
That quiet, sacred moment allowed her to walk through the Holy Door once again—and for the first time during the entire pilgrimage, she was finally able to pray the Rosary.
In that prayer, she spiritually united herself to the thousands of young people attending the vigil at Tor Vergata.
“I had the great gift of praying the Rosary for all the young people participating in the vigil, because that was the request. I hadn’t been able to pray it during the whole pilgrimage, and for me, it was such a beautiful gift from Our Mother.”
She also had the opportunity to attend Sunday Mass at Saint Peter’s Basilica—an experience that sealed her pilgrimage in a deeply meaningful way.
“Ending my pilgrimage with that Mass was such a great gift,” she said.
Though Ana Rocío wasn’t physically present on the esplanade with the Pope and the other youth, her pilgrim heart lived the Jubilee fully—and deeply.
]]>But how many Catholics know the meaning of the Dominican dog?
Yes, lots of iconography related to Saint Dominic and the Dominicans includes a dog! But sometimes you have to look closely to catch it:
Once you start looking for it, you start seeing it everywhere! (You can see more examples at the end of this post.)
What does the Dominican Dog mean?
The Dominican dog goes back to a vision Saint Dominic’s mother supposedly had before she had him. Struggling with infertility, she was making a pilgrimage to the Abbey of Santo Domingo de Silos in Spain when she dreamed that a dog jumped from her womb holding a torch and set everything around them on fire.
Soon after, she conceived a son with her husband and named him after the 11th-century Saint Dominic of Silos, for whom the abbey she had visited had been named.
The dream was prescient due to a play on words in Latin: although Dominic called his order the Order of Preachers, it would later come to be known as the Dominicans; in Latin, that’s Dominicanus, which is very similar to domini canis, or “dog/hound of the Lord.”
Given the order’s charism for zealous preaching of the Gospel, the story and the play on words seemed fitting! So, to this day, the Dominicans are nicknamed the “hounds of the Lord.”
More examples of the Dominican dog:
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Saint Dominic, please pray for us!
]]>Between July 28 and August 3, 2025, over half a million young people from 146 countries gathered for a true celebration of faith, prayer, and joy. Amidst the streets of the Eternal City, the T‑shirts became a spontaneous and powerful means of evangelization.
Many of the designs featured quotes by saints such as Saint Ambrose and Saint Teresa of Ávila, as well as by the future saints Pier Giorgio Frassati and Carlo Acutis, who will be canonized on September 7, 2025.
Also notable were the T-shirts from communities, pastoral groups, parishes, musical groups, and Catholic events that joined in this jubilee.
There was no shortage of polo shirts with phrases dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Bible verses, or simple words that, without beating around the bush, proclaimed their love for Jesus.
Together with parish groups, music ensembles, and diocesan ministries, these T‑shirts served not just as clothing but as a silent yet eloquent testimony that accompanied thousands of young pilgrims. A beautiful reminder that even clothing can become a vehicle for evangelization.
Did you recognize any of them?
]]>While more than a million young people eagerly awaited Pope Leo XIV’s arrival at Tor Vergata, an unexpected sign appeared in the sky: a rainbow formed across a completely clear sky, with no rain in sight.
On August 3, the Pope arrived at the vast, over-230-acre field to celebrate the closing Mass of the Jubilee of Youth—a gathering that brought together pilgrims from more than 140 countries in a celebration of faith, prayer, and joy.
At that moment, as the Pontiff reached the venue, a striking symbol floated overhead. Under a bright sky, a rainbow emerged.
“It didn’t rain, the sun was blazing, but there the rainbow appeared when the Pope arrived—it was recorded by @carlarestoy and myself. Then it disappeared. Incredible, God does not break His covenant. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” shared Father Francisco Javier Bronchalo, a priest from the Diocese of Getafe (Spain), on social media.
The rainbow has a profound biblical resonance, as it is the sign of God's covenant with humanity after the flood.
“God said: This is the sign of the covenant that for future generations, I am making between me and you and every living creature with you for all ages to come: I set my bow in the clouds to serve as a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.”(Genesis 9:12-13).
More than a million young people witnessed this sign, which, for many, was a visible reminder of God's faithful love in the midst of the Jubilee.
]]>The Trinity is the dogma that the one divine substance of God exists eternally as three distinct persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. One God, three persons. Pretty simple right?
Actually, it’s a mystery – and one of the greatest and most important mysteries of the faith, since it has to do with the very inner life of God.
Artists over the centuries tried depicting, however imperfectly, this mysterious truth of divine revelation. Here are 16 examples. The title for each piece provides the artist and year.
Enjoy!
1) Luca Rossetti da Orta, 1738-1739
2) Andrei Rublev, 1425-1427
3) José de Ribera, 1635-1636
4) Jan Polack, 1491
5) A. Mažutytė, 2009
6) Michael Damaskenos, 16th century
7) Hendrick van Balen the Elder, 1620s
8) Jean Fouquet, 1452-1460
9) Albrecht Dürer, 1511
10) Enguerrand Quarton, 1454
11) Bernt Notke, 1483
12) Unknown, 15th century
13) Romeo Celleghin, 1946
14) Jose Samaniego, 1758
15) Unknown
16) Unknown, 1420
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen! ✝️
]]>At the conclusion of the congress, Cardinal Wojtyla traveled off the beaten path to the mountains of Montana to visit his friend, Monsignor Joseph Gluszek.
The two men had corresponded through letters since Wojtyla’s installation as the Archbishop of Krakow in 1958. They had met a handful of times in Poland during Gluszek’s visits to Krakow, and had become great friends over the years. In fact, Wojtyla even petitioned Pope Paul VI to make his good friend a monsignor.
Wojtyla’s visit to rural Montana was brief but monumental for the people of Geyser and the surrounding towns. A cardinal had never visited their town (and perhaps won’t ever visit again), given that Geyser is nothing more than a dot on the map. With a population of about 66 people, the town is easily overlooked.
Yet, while still a cardinal, Saint John Paul II blessed the people of this small farming community with his presence. He celebrated Mass, conversed with the people, and caught up with his old friend from Poland.
Gluszek was ordained a priest in 1935, but his ministry was abruptly halted at the start of World War II. As a young priest, Gluszek was arrested by the Nazis in 1939 and sent to Dachau. There he remained until the liberation of Dachau in 1945 by General Patton. After the war, Gluszek decided to move to America. He had dealt with years of oppression at the hands of the Nazis, and he didn’t want to stay in Poland, which was now controlled by the communists.
Bishop William J. Condon of the Diocese of Great Falls, Montana, reached out to Gluszek and offered to take him into the diocese. With that, Gluszek bid farewell to his homeland and headed west to Montana.
Reflecting on Cardinal Wojtyla's visit, Monsignor Gluszek said:
“The people who met him in Stanford, and Geyser, and Great Falls were just amazed, and asked, ‘How can a cardinal be so approachable?’ He was embracing everybody, and they were just amazed…He was just wonderful with the people. He offered Mass for us and for the people of my parish. He preached a little sermon in English – he spoke English quite nicely.”
After the Mass in Stanford, the people were invited to a luncheon with the future pope. He ate and conversed with the people, and afterwards all were invited to genuflect to the cardinal and kiss his ring as a sign of reverence.
My uncle, Gerald, who was 12 years old at the time, was in attendance and had the opportunity to meet Cardinal Wojtyla.
They shook hands and talked for a few minutes and Wojtyla gave him a holy card with his image on it. The experience of meeting a cardinal was exciting for my uncle and the people of Geyser and Stanford.
Of all the places in the world for a man of Wojtyla’s stature to visit, Geyser, Montana does not seem like a likely destination. The small town has more cows than people, and yet Saint John Paul II blessed this forgotten farm community with his presence.
Saint John Paul II, pray for us!
]]>I wonder: will the baby scream right in the middle of the Consecration? Will I end up chasing the toddler down the center aisle? Grim possibilities flit through my mind as I dress the boys for church.
But God loves children, and even harrowing churchgoing memories will probably seem precious a decade or two hence.
Here, then, are some thoughts to help you keep perspective if you have this problem as well.
1) God notices your kids’ efforts… and yours.
This is my glass-half-full thought when my kids’ behavior is less good than I’d like. Maybe they wouldn’t sit still and be quiet for the full service. But for a two-year-old, even 25 minutes is a challenge. I know God appreciates that he’s trying his best to show reverence… and that I’m trying my hardest to teach him.
2) Sometimes kids have their own ways of praising God.
I’m not saying we should allow them to disrupt the service in any way they choose. But it’s worth remembering that when young kids get noisy, they may not be trying to distract so much as to participate.
When my oldest was a baby, he would spontaneously start yelling in the middle of Mass, often in quite an emphatic tone. It was disquieting to me that Mass apparently made him so angry, until my husband pointed out that this could be his way of “telling off the devil.” That became our regular way of referring to these outbursts.
3) There’s always next week.
There’s no denying that church behavior can be hard on young kids. But you have years of happy churchgoing memories to make with them, and if you persist in your efforts to train them, they will come around in time. If this week went badly, put it behind you and try again.
4) Remember that your spiritual needs matter too.
One of the toughest things about naughty kids is the way they prevent you from “recharging your battery” at church. I’ll be honest: sometimes my husband and I take a break from whole-family church and split up, with one of us taking the oldest child to church while the other goes alone to a later service. I think this is a justifiable accommodation for a life phase in which our kids make it hard for us to recover our own spiritual peace.
I also know parents who achieve the same effect by going individually to mid-week services. Once we started doing this, I suddenly found myself more patient with the young ones on the weeks when they were with us. I think perhaps I didn’t realize the extent to which I was just frustrated with them for depriving me of my worship time.
5) Your kids may be absorbing more than you realize.
Having said that, it’s worth remembering that kids often take in elements of worship even when they don’t seem to be paying attention. I’m sometimes surprised by the questions they ask after Mass, demonstrating that, even when they seemed to be most intent on distracting me or their brothers, good things were penetrating their consciousness.
6) Jesus asked the little children to come to him. He’s happy that they’re here.
Sometimes it’s upsetting when you hear high-handed remarks about church behavior from people who don’t seem to understand what children are like. They almost seem to suppose that if your kids misbehave, it’s because you haven’t bothered to tell them that church is a place for being reverent. Reassure yourself that Jesus knows what kids are like and loves having them close by.
Would you add anything to the list?
]]>By God’s grace, and with unstoppable devotion to his vocation, Vianney transformed the small French town to which he was assigned. His fame as a confessor and counselor became so great, tens of thousands of pilgrims visited him each year.
What’s less known about him, though, is the fact that Saint John Vianney endured physical attacks from the devil.
In one story, his sister spent the night at his home attached to his parish church when a strange rapping sound on the wall and table awakened her. Afraid, she went to Vianney, who was hearing confessions late at night.
“Oh, my child, you should not have been frightened: It is the Grappin [“pitchfork”; his nickname for Satan]. He cannot hurt you. As for me, he torments me in sundry ways. At times he seizes me by the feet and drags me about the room. It is because I convert souls to the good God.”
In another instance, Vianney was in his parish church hearing confessions when someone reported that Vianney’s bedroom had caught on fire.
His response?
“The Grappin is very angry. He couldn’t catch the bird so he has burned the cage. It is a good sign. We will have many sinners this day.”
What incredible faith!
He was so beloved that, after dying at age 73, a bishop presided over his funeral Mass with 300 priests and 6000 people in attendance.
Saint John Vianney's Prayer for Priests
God, please give to your Church today
many more priests after your own heart.
May they be worthy representatives
of Christ the Good Shepherd.
May they wholeheartedly devote themselves
to prayer and penance;
be examples of humility and poverty;
shining models of holiness;
tireless and powerful preachers of the Word of God;
zealous dispensers of your grace in the sacraments.
May their loving devotion
to your Son Jesus in the Eucharist
and to Mary his Mother
be the twin fountains of fruitfulness for their ministry.
Amen.