Category: Popes

Assumption of Mary, Blessed Mother, Blessed Mother Mary and St. Joseph, Catholic, Catholic Education, Catholic Spirituality, Catholicism, Christian Spirituality, Christianity, Church History, Education, Evangelization, Faith, History, Mary - Our Blessed Mother, Motherhood, New Evangelization, Popes, Religious Art, Religious Education, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, The Blessed Virgin Mary, The Queenship of Mary, Virgin MaryLeave a comment

The Assumption of Our Mother Mary – We Venerate Her Today

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

We celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary. In her honor let us review some the Church’s truths; dogmas which progressed to the point of Venerable Pope Pius XII proclaiming the meaning of the Blessed Mother’s life and her Assumption into Heaven. We are able to see this progression through Sacred Scripture, the various early ecumenical Councils of the Church, the individual writings of the early Church fathers (such as St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. John Cassian, St. Vincent of Lerins, St. Irenaeus, Tertullian, St. Augustine, St. John of Damascus, and the Gothic Missal of the 6th century). The … Continue reading The Assumption of Our Mother Mary – We Venerate Her Today

Apologetics, Apostolic Fathers, Art, Art Education, Artists, Beauty, Catholic, Catholic Art, Catholic Education, Catholicism, Christianity, Church History, Culture, Education, Evangelization, Faith, History, Iconography, Jesus Christ, New Evangelization of the Catholic Church, Popes, Religion, Religious Art, Religious Education, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholicism, Sacred Art, Sacred Artists, Sacred Images, Saints, St. Athanasius, Uncategorized3 Comments

Bernini’s Bronze Sculpture of Four “Giants” of the Church

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

Today, May 2nd, is the “Memorial” day of St. Athanasius, a Doctor (profound theologian) of the Church. There are four “giants” of the Nicene  and Post Nicene period, all are known as “Doctors” of the Church: St. Athanasius, St. Ambrose, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Augustine. They are immortalized in bronze by  the Renaissance sculptor, Bernini, and are portrayed in his magnificent sculpture of the Throne of St. Peter found in the sanctuary of St. Peter’s Basilica. St. Athanasius and St. John Chrysostom are saints of both the Latin and the Greek Rites of the Church. Both were bishops. Yet, Bernini … Continue reading Bernini’s Bronze Sculpture of Four “Giants” of the Church

Ethics, Evangelization, New Evangelization of the Catholic Church, Pope Benedict 16th, Popes, Roman Catholic, UncategorizedLeave a comment

Pope Benedict 16th – Evangelization Demands Courage and the Truth

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

No sooner had Pope Benedict announced his planned abdication of St. Peter’s chair when the attacks on him began to appear. I am posting on this story because the Fra Angelico Institute for the Sacred Arts is primarily concerned with evangelization of the Catholic faith through the prayerful study and creation of the sacred arts. Be that as it may, when a vicious and false attack occurs on the Church or a member of the clergy it is incumbent upon us as Catholics to respond with courage and the truth. The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, based in … Continue reading Pope Benedict 16th – Evangelization Demands Courage and the Truth

Pope Benedict 16th, Popes, Religion, Roman Catholic, Roman Catholic Beliefs, The Blessed Virgin Mary, Uncategorized3 Comments

Pope Benedict 16th and the Virtues of Humility and Patience

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

May the Peace of Christ be with you on this unique day in the history of the Roman Catholic Church. Today we commemorate the memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes which reminds us that the Virgin Mary appeared to St. Bernadette in 1858 at Lourdes, France. Her message was clear and concise to the young Bernadette: “I am the Immaculate Conception.” She requested Bernadette to tell the local clergy that a church should be built on the site of the apparition so that the sick and suffering might come to find comfort, and healing of both body and soul. A … Continue reading Pope Benedict 16th and the Virtues of Humility and Patience

Faith, Popes, Religion, Roman Catholic, Saints, UncategorizedLeave a comment

St. Gregory the Great – Laborer in Christ’s Vineyard

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

Today is the feast day of Saint Gregory the Great, pope and doctor of the Church. Gregory was born in the year 540 of a noble Roman family who believed in the value of education and public service. At the age of thirty he was appointed mayor of Rome; but after his father’s death, he decided to leave politics and become a Benedictine monk. Around the year 575, he transformed his family’s home into a monastery dedicated to the Apostle St. Andrew; he also established several monasteries on his father’s estates in Sicily. But in the year 579, he was ordained … Continue reading St. Gregory the Great – Laborer in Christ’s Vineyard

Christian Spirituality, Christianity, Ethics, Gospel Reflections, Gospel Teachings, Greek Orthodox, Jesus Christ, Marcellino D'Ambrosio, New Evangelization of the Catholic Church, Orthodox Christianity, Popes, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox, Saints, Uncategorized1 Comment

Saints Pontian and Hippolytus and Our Call to Duty

Deacon Paul O. Iacono

Today we celebrate the martyrdom of Saint Pontian, who was the lawfully elected successor pope to St. Callistus during the early 3rd century. St. Pontian was considered a criminal by the emperor Maximinius and banished to the silver mines in Sardinia – an exile which meant certain death. We also celebrate today a saint by the name of Hippolytus, who was a priest in the Church of Rome at this same moment in time. Saint Hippolytus is recognized because of his brilliance and profound scholarship. He is considered to be one of the finest theologians of the 3rd century, and is the source … Continue reading Saints Pontian and Hippolytus and Our Call to Duty