Another Catholic feast day with a long tradition.
Category: Customs

Forgotten Customs of the Octave of Christian Unity
Above: the young Rev. Lewis Thomas Wattson. That all may be one: as thou, Father art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us. (John 17:21) Known as the “Octave of Christian Unity” as …

Forgotten Customs of the Immaculate Conception
Above: the traditional Baile de los Seises in Spain for the Immaculate Conception. The feast of the Blessed Virgin’s Immaculate Conception is the most solemn of all those which the Church celebrates during the holy time of Advent; and …

The Art of Dress – Learning from the Valiant Woman
Previous essays in this series The Art of Dress – Two Schools of Thought The Art of Dress – Problems with Normalcy Time and Effort Many women desiring to improve the way they dress become discouraged by abysmal market conditions. …

Forgotten Customs of Michaelmas
Angels are pure, created spirits. The name angel means servant or messenger of God. They are celestial or heavenly beings, on a higher order than human beings. An angel has no body and does not depend on matter for his …

Forgotten Customs of St. Lawrence
While St. Lawrence is one of the greatest deacons in the Church’s history, his feastday has over time fallen into obscurity and most average Catholics are unfamiliar with the customs and practices associated with his feastday. The Feast of St. …

The Art of Dress – Problems with Normalcy
In a previous essay, I introduced an approach to dress that I call the School of Normalcy. I will now further explore the problems with this school of thought so widely held by Catholics today. For brevity, I have kept …

Forgotten Customs of the Precious Blood
Above: Adoration of the Mystic Lamb, with gushing blood, detail of the Ghent Altarpiece, Jan van Eyck, c. 1432. The History of the Feast According to the Traditional Catholic Calendar of 1962 and prior, July 1st is the Feast of the …

Forgotten Customs of the Octave of Pentecost
The Forgotten, Yet Ancient Vigil of Pentecost The Feast of Pentecost (i.e., White Sunday) is one of the principal feasts in the life of the Church. After Pentecost Sunday and its Octave, we will conclude Pascaltide and begin the Season …

A Sociological Analysis of the Liturgical Reform
Baylor University sociologist Rodney Stark has written numerous books on religion and particularly on the rise of Christianity. One of his interesting discoveries had to do with conversions; he found that a person’s attachment to the cultural aspects of their …