Browsing the 2019 archive of Apologetics

St. Januarius’ Blood—A Miracle, or What?

Posted by Samantha Laveau on 9/19/19

The month of September contains the feast day of a saint that is associated with one of the strangest occurrences in all of Catholicism, and the crazy thing is that the event happens with great regularity.

September 19 is the feast day of an obscure, yet celebrated saint by ... Read More »

St. Robert Bellarmine and Galileo

Posted by Samantha Laveau on 9/17/19

On Sept. 17, the Catholic Church honors the memory of one of its intellectual giants, who also happens to be a saint. St. Robert Bellarmine, who died in 1621, was a great teacher, churchman and cardinal. But from the secular side of things he has a bit of controversy, because ... Read More »

God Manifests Himself in the Office of Pope

Posted by Samantha Laveau on 9/06/19

Catholicism is the only religion that has a pope. Since the papacy is the subject of this web site, understanding why we have a pope is a great question.

First, we have to look at scripture. The most important passage is in Matthew 16. Jesus asks the apostles who ... Read More »

If You Are a Crank or Grump, Read This

Posted by Samantha Laveau on 8/09/19

Both the Old and New Testament make it pretty clear that we are to love our neighbor, but nowhere in the Bible does it say that we have to like everyone. We are to love everyone, because every person is created in the image of God, but it is ... Read More »

Bringing Back Catholic Traditions

Posted by Samantha Laveau on 7/31/19

I very much enjoy reading.  Almost every night before bed I read for an hour or so, usually books on church history or some other aspect of the Catholic faith.  From time to time a book or a part of a book really impacts me, and this happened just ... Read More »

The Truth About Angels, God’s Messengers

Posted by Samantha Laveau on 7/18/19

The second reading at Mass today provided the framework for the Curator’s homily, which turned out to be an inspiring commentary on the 9 Choirs of Angels. Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time Reading 2 Col 1:15-20 Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. ... Read More »

With St. James, Tradition Bumps into Political Correctness

Posted by Samantha Laveau on 7/12/19

As significant the Twelve Apostles are to the Christian faith, we know so little about them. Even the book in the Bible known as the Acts of the Apostles is a misnomer, because it’s really only about one of the original Twelve (Peter) and the late-comer Paul.

What we ... Read More »

Celebrating ‘The Source and Summit of Our Faith’

Posted by Samantha Laveau on 6/24/19

Ever since I was a seminarian my personal spirituality has been focused on the Eucharist and Eucharistic adoration, or, as Bishop Fulton Sheen referred to it, the “daily holy hour.” As a member of the vocations' team in our diocese, I am very happy to note that spending time ... Read More »

Politics, Theology Made Rome the Christian Capital of the World

Posted by Samantha Laveau on 6/17/19

Almost everything came and went through Rome at the time when the church was founded.  This helped accelerate the spread of the Gospel.

Have you ever wondered why the capital of the Christian world is in Rome?  Why is it that the Vatican is in Rome and not in ... Read More »

Memorial Day Is the Most Catholic Secular Holiday

Posted by Samantha Laveau on 5/28/19

Back in the fall of 1987, when I was a senior in high school, my paternal grandmother had died. To this day, it is one of the more traumatic deaths I have experienced.

Though her death was expected due to cancer, she was a massive influence in my young ... Read More »