#St. Francis Catholic Church

[thegirlintheblackdress]

St Carlo Acutis

[terriblesolomons]

Not 2 be a hater on here but can we please start discerning between Prot angst and that old Tumblr catchall of Catholic Guilt.....Eugene Sledge does not have Catholic guilt that boy has never done the sign of the cross in his life. He thinks communion is symbolic. He believes the Bible has 66 books. Come on now if faith is a source of contention for him it's because he's worried about whether the church elders are going to split over installing a water fountain in the fellowship hall or the scripture selection being used for VBS....if he's a hardline Calvinist maybe he's scared of damnation. Maybe a little bit. If he's feeling particularly mentally ill at a given moment. Probably he's already sure he's either part of the elect or (if he's feeling progressive) he's in the One True Church. But boy he certainly doesn't know what charism means and he never will

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Unemployed people line up for free meals at the Church of St. Francis of Assisi on West 31st St., 1930.

Photo: ullstein bild/Getty Images/CNN

[momentsbeforemass]

Making sense of it

(for someone who’s struggling to make sense of it all)

Why?

It’s the classic question of a three-year old. But it doesn’t stop there. Why is something we never stop asking.

There’s something about us that just wants to make sense of things. To know how they work and what they mean. To have it all figured out.

Sometimes we do a decent job of making sense of things – after the fact. But even that’s not 100%.

One of the hardest things you and I will ever do is make sense of things, while we’re in the middle of them.

And it seems like the more difficult, the more uncertain we are about things the stronger our desire to make sense of it becomes.

It’s almost like a downward spiral, one that keeps accelerating into itself as it goes. Until we’re more and more anxious, more and more upset. And literally desperate to understand.

The disciples that Jesus came to in today’s Gospel? That’s exactly where they were.

Whether it’s the disciples back then or us now, left to ourselves, we’re just going to keep making ourselves more anxious, more upset, more distracted. Unless we stop and let God step in, to break the spiral.

Which is why St. Francis de Sales’ classic advice couldn’t be more timely. Or more needful.

“The same everlasting Father who cares for you today will care for you tomorrow and every day.

Either he will shield you from suffering or give you unfailing strength to bear it.

Be at peace then and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginings.”

Today's Readings

[o-amor-nao-e-amado]

Madonna e o Menino Jesus com Santos Francisco e Domingos e os Anjos.

🖼️ Giulio Cesare Procaccini – ca. 1607.

[portraitsofsaints]

Saint Francis de Sales Doctor of the Church 1567 – 1622 Feast Day: January 24 (New), January 29 (Trad) Patronage: against deafness, authors, Catholic press, confessors, deaf people, educators, journalists, teachers, writers

Born to the nobility, St. Francis de Sales, who is known for his deep faith and patience, studied law and theology at the University of Padua, Italy, earning a doctorate in both fields. Bishop of Geneva in 1602. He is known also for his writings on the topic of spiritual direction and spiritual formation and authored many books, the most famous of which was Introduction to the Devout Life. {website}

[dimsilver]

oh the experience of explaining my Holy Week plans to my OPC pastor’s wife whose girls I’m staying with for a few days…

[sunshinesinwinter]

The inside of The Church of St. Francis in Vilnius, Lithuania.

[stjohncapistrano67]

I'm not sure of the era, but the title of the painting is St. Francis is entering Heaven. I don't know who the artist is.

[rinielsaerwen]

St. Francis de Sales Oratory, St. Louis, MO

[stanthonywalnuttree]

Feast Day of Saint Anthony of Padua

Saint Anthony of Padua with the Christ Child Among the list of Franciscan saints, the most popular among them, after Saint Francis of Assisi, is Saint Anthony of Padua (1195-1231). But, were it not for a chance encounter, things might have been different. He was born in Lisbon, Portugal, with the name of Fernando Martins de Bulhoes. The family was well off, and arranged for him to be educated…

[catholicsaintquotes33ad]

[catholic-saint-tournament]

for the saint polls id like to nominate saint francis of assisi bc he's the patron saint of animals and im sooo normal about animals lol

You got it, anon! So far I'm seeing St Francis, St Anthony, and St Joan of Arc as the frontrunners!!

[tastethebuscuit]

San José de Gracia, an adobe church built in 1760. Chamisal, NM

[momentsbeforemass]

All dogs go to…

(because this still needs to be said)

Today is October 4, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.

Which means that this week I’m going to be blessing animals. Which I love doing.

But it also means that I’m going to get “the question.”

Do dogs go to heaven?

Some people say that because humans are the only creatures that have rational souls (which means that we have the ability to make rational decisions, to discern good and evil), only humans can go to heaven.

Actually, having a rational soul is what makes it possible for us to sin.

Officially, the Church has no teaching on whether dogs go to heaven.

Pope Francis (speaking unofficially) has said that, “One day, we will see our animals again in the eternity of Christ. Paradise is open to all of God’s creatures.”

I strongly suspect that he’s right. Because it’s just the sort of thing that God would do. Very on brand.

But whether heaven includes wet noses and wagging tails or not, I do know this.

On the other side eternity, when we think about the way that our hearts connect with dogs. All the love that they give us. Everything we love best about dogs.

When that day comes, we will look at the face of God and say to Him,

“It was You. All along.”

Today’s Readings

[we-love-you-jesus]

Imagine Catholic saints as modern Christian music artists—what would their signature song sound like?