“Joy to the world, the Lord is come.” The words burst forth like a trumpet blast. They do not whisper. They do not hesitate. They announce. This is not a private joy, tucked quietly into the corner of a single heart.

Fr. Scott Haynes A Carol with an Unlikely Beginning The hymn we know as O Holy Night was originally written in French as Cantique de Noël  in 1847. Its lyricist, Placide Cappeau, was a wine merchant and poet, not a cleric. Though baptized Catholic, Cappeau was politically radical and religiously unconventional. When his parish priest in Roquemaure asked him to write a poem for the newly renovated church organ, Cappeau accepted the task more as an artistic commission than an a

We remember the slaughter of the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem annually on December 28th.

One of Healey Willan's most treasured carol arrangements.

Fr. Scott Haynes When the first clear notes of harp and treble voices rise in Ceremony of Carols , something ancient awakens. This is not Christmas music meant merely to charm or decorate a season. It is music that processes , prays , ponders , and finally kneels . Britten’s work feels less like a concert piece and more like a liturgical act offered in sound. Its Remarkable Birth Ceremony of Carols  was composed in 1942, during one of the darkest moments of the twentieth cent

Wine is blessed in honor of St. John to recall how he survived attempted wine poisoning.

Learn the interesting story of this popular carol sung across the world.

Learn the interesting history of Silent Night.

Offer this short prayer in preparation for Christmas. Begin on the feast of St. Andrew (November 30).

Join in the Christmas Novena from December 24 through January 1. Send in the names of your loved ones to be remembered in nine Masses & offer the daily novena prayer.

Fr. Scott Haynes When you are fond of someone you give them a nickname. When the Church is fond of one of its liturgical days, it gives...

Pray this novena from January 25 through February 2 in honor of the Presentation of Our Lord as we conclude the 40 days of Christmas.

As we see Jesus presented in the Temple, Anna looks on. Enter into this scene again but now seeing it through the eyes of Anna.

Each year on December 28th, we reflect on the infant martyrs of Bethlehem.

See the Christmas miracle through the eyes of the Shepherds of Levi. These men chosen by God to kneel by Jesus' cradle.

Bach's Christmas Oratorio fills the air with angelic praise in honor of the New Born King of Bethlehem.

Hear the Mississippi College Choir sing Sweelinck's famous "Hodie."

Mary and Joseph make the offering of the poor, two turtledoves, as they present the Lord in the Temple on the 40th day after His birth.

Devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus is increased by the example of St. Juan Capistrano. Learn of the power of Jesus' name.

Simeon, the wise man of the Temple, predicts Mary's suffering. Following the way of the Cross, Mary in the path Christ sets out for her.