The Fifth Day of Christmas: the Liturgy of Saint Thomas Becket

Happy fifth day of Christmas! Today the Church celebrates the anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket. Over the years, I’ve written many articles on this, one of my favourite saints. I’ve provided links to them below. Many of these articles focus on the saint himself, his life and martyrdom, and others on his legacy to the Church, particularly […]

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The Fifth Day of Christmas: Saint Thomas Becket and His Liturgical Celebration

Happy fifth day of Christmas! Today the Church celebrates the anniversary of the martyrdom of Saint Thomas Becket. Over the years, I’ve written many articles on this, one of my favourite saints. I’ve provided links to them below. Many of these articles focus on the saint himself, his life and martyrdom, and others on his legacy to the Church, particularly […]

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Ash Wednesday and Lent

Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” And with those words, our Lent has begun. Holy Mother Church calls us to make these next forty days until Easter a time of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Lent is a pilgrimage, in a sense, through time if not space, through death to resurrection. A pilgrimage of penitence. For […]

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The Authority of the General Instruction

Part 2 in an ongoing series of essays on the General Instruction of the Roman Missal. What authority does the General Instruction enjoy in terms of the sacred liturgy? That is, for those celebrating the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite according to the Third Edition of the Roman Missal, is the General Instruction normative or advisory? Before we can […]

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