Author Archives: joyfulpapist

About joyfulpapist

JoyfulPapist is an adult convert to Catholicism, with a passion for her God, her faith, and her church.

The Feast of the Holy Innocents

Posted on December 28, 2012

This article was originally published in 2010: Herod was furious when he realised that he had been outwitted by the wise men, and in Bethlehem and its surrounding district he had all the male children killed who were two years … Continue reading →

Posted in Church History, Pro Life, Saints | Tagged , , , | 22 Comments

Life holds one tragedy – not to have been a saint

Posted on November 1, 2011

Almost a year ago, I posted under this same heading – in response to those who felt impelled to explain to the Church who could, and who couldn’t be called a saint. In that article, I was addressing those who … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Lives, Church History, Church Politics, Saints | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

St Eugene, first bishop of Ardstraw and patron of Derry

Posted on September 5, 2011

If your name is Eugene, Owen, or even Tyrone (from Tír Eoghain, the land of Eugene), then you probably know about the saint whose festival falls on 23 August. The following extract from Canon O’Hanlon’s Lives of the Irish Saints … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Word for word translation

Posted on August 22, 2011

This US video clip from LifeTeen has a good take on the new translation of the Mass.

Posted in Liturgy, Mass | Tagged , , , , | 19 Comments

Do hard things

Posted on August 19, 2011

Right on the heels of what the press here called ‘the world’s first consumerist riots’ (they’ve clearly never heard of the Vikings), I came across a book called ‘Do hard things‘ by twins Alex and Brett Harris, written when they … Continue reading →

Posted in World Affairs | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

These are a few of my favourite things

Posted on August 18, 2011

The liturgical year, with its seasons and rhythms, gives shape and meaning to the year: feast days to celebrate, days of reflection,days of hope; days for penance, for mourning, for thanksgiving, for rejoicing.

Posted in Living Catholic lives | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Is it always wrong to kill?

Posted on August 16, 2011

From time to time, the Internet sees vigorous debate about the morality of the Israelite’s – and by extension God’s – massacre of the people of Jericho and others. My stand is that we can’t just write off the bits … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Moral Teaching, Living Catholic lives | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

Time for penitence

Posted on July 29, 2011

There is a powerful editorial in the Irish Catholic. It looks at a church that it says was unique to Ireland, and is now firmly in the past where it belongs. ‘‘Le catholicisme du type Irlandais” in many ways betrayed … Continue reading →

Posted in Church Politics, Irish Catholicism, Living Catholic lives, Uncategorized, World Affairs | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

St Simon Stock and the brown scapular

Posted on July 28, 2011

I’ve been reading up on apparitions of Our Lady, and came across the story of the brown scapular, given in the thirteenth century to St Simon Stock of England.

Posted in Catholic Prayers, Devotion | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Repent; do penance; pray

Posted on July 16, 2011

On November 28, 1981, the Virgin Mary began appearing in the tiny village of Kibeho, Rwanda.  Among Our Lady’s many messages was a chilling prophecy. This prophecy of mass genocide sadly came true in the nineties when a million people were killed … Continue reading →

Posted in Marian, Mysticism, The Holy Rosary, World Affairs | Tagged | 11 Comments

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Posted on July 1, 2011

The Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus falls on the Friday after the Octave of Corpus Christi, or 19 days after Pentecost; in 2011, on 1 July. Devotion to Our Lord’s physical heart, as a symbol of His perfect … Continue reading →

Posted in Devotion, Living Catholic lives | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Lord of all, we kneel before you

Posted on June 28, 2011

H/T to Tim Drake, whose record of what was said is below. Also take a look at Fr Z’s blog. He says: “I think something like this needs some care to preserve proper reverence for the Blessed Sacrament.  I am … Continue reading →

Posted in Devotion | 4 Comments

Celebrating our Holy Father

Posted on June 10, 2011

On June 29th, the pope will celebrate his 60th anniversary as an ordained priest. To join in on the celebration, the Congregation for the Clergy, invited Catholics from all over the world, to offer 60 hours of Eucharistic adoration in … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

No-one knows the day or the hour…

Posted on May 21, 2011

A couple of decades after the death and resurrection of Jesus, St Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonia to pull them up on a matter of false doctrine. They were certain that Jesus was due back at any moment … Continue reading →

Posted in Bible Exegesis, Church Teachings, Living Catholic lives, Satan and hell | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

A meditation for Holy Saturday

Posted on April 23, 2011

This Holy Saturday reading on the descent of the Lord Jesus into Hell is used in the Roman Church’s Office of Readings for Holy Saturday, with the accompanying biblical reading of Hebrews 4:1-13. The “harrowing of hell” and the rescue … Continue reading →

Posted in Catholic Prayers, Devotion, Spiritual Life | Tagged , , | 6 Comments