A bridge over the Mississippi River near St. Louis. / Credit: Checubus/Shutterstock

St. Louis, Mo., Dec 9, 2024 / 05:00 am (CNA).

“Immaculate” is not a word most people would use to describe the Mississippi River’s famously muddy waters. But Father Jacques Marquette was not most people.

The Jesuit explorer, who came from France as a missionary to Canada in 1666, was one of the first Europeans to name the Mississippi, which he explored and mapped with his companion Louis Joliet beginning in 1673. And the name he gave to this vital artery of North America was “The River of the Immaculate Conception.”

The entrustment of this mighty waterway — one of the largest and most important rivers in the world — to the Virgin Mary was part of the French Jesuits’ mission to evangelize the Native Americans of the area, which by all accounts they did, not with violence but with fellowship and respect.

French missionary activity in North America was driven by great devotees to Mary, like Marquette, who had a vision of the meeting of two civilizations — European and Native American — under the Catholic faith, rather than a conquest of the land, said James Wilson, a professor of humanities at the University of St. Thomas in Houston.

“They set out on their canoes entrusting themselves entirely to God’s grace, entrusting themselves entirely to Mary as the Immaculate Conception, and they didn’t seek to build lasting monuments to their conquests or to plant flags,” noted Wilson, author of a seven-part poem called “River of the Immaculate Conception.”

“They sought primarily to enter as agents of grace among the Indians and to live with them, preach to them, and enter into communion with them.”

Of course, the Mississippi today bears its original, Native-given name, which roughly translates to “great waters.” But Wilson said far from being a footnote in history, Marquette’s consecration of the Mississippi endures as a testament to how God’s grace was already working in North America. Nearly two centuries later, in 1846, the bishops of the now United States declared Mary, under the title of the Immaculate Conception, as the patroness of the country.

The church on Immaculate Conception River

Though forgotten by most, the “River of the Immaculate Conception” endures in the memories of one community in particular: the congregation at the Immaculate Conception Chapel in Kaskaskia, Illinois. 

Kaskaskia was, at one time and in some ways, the center of the Mississippian universe. The now-tiny hamlet, located on the river, predates the historic riverside metropolises of New Orleans to the south and St. Louis to the north. Known at one time as the “Grand Village,” Kaskaskia was a prosperous nexus of trade for Natives and French trappers alike. The town of 1,900 people was the logical — and in some ways the definitive — place for Catholic missionaries to use as their evangelical hub. 

Emily Lyons, the historian at the Immaculate Conception Chapel in Kaskaskia, told CNA that the church’s founder, Marquette, had an “absolute devotion to the Immaculate Conception.” He entrusted anything and everything he could to Mary’s care.

Marquette founded the mission at Kaskaskia on Easter Sunday in 1675 and died later that year.

Since that time, the church dedicated to Mary in Kaskaskia has endured as a remarkable testament to God’s grace. Lyons said since the earliest days, when the church was a simple structure of upright logs, the congregation has “worn out about five different buildings.”

The island on which Kaskaskia sits is extremely prone to flooding, and the church has had to be moved several times over the years. The current brick church dates to 1894 and endured significant damage in the major Mississippi floods of 1993. The next year, the Diocese of Belleville designated it a chapel. Today, the once-thriving village of Kaskaskia only has about two dozen residents.

Though no longer a parish, Immaculate Conception Chapel still attracts many visitors and worshippers. Lyons said every year on or around the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception on Dec. 8, the community has a celebratory Mass whereby they sing Marian hymns translated into the Algonquin language. The liturgy has attracted many Native American Catholics over the years, she said.

The congregants also hold a procession and reenact a purported miracle that occurred at the church many years ago, whereby a young Native woman found lilies growing near the church — despite the prohibitive winter cold — and brought them inside as an offering for Mary.

God’s grace in America

Unlike the Spanish, whose conquest of North America was often marked by brutality, the French entered with “relative peacefulness” and largely respected the humanity of the Natives, Wilson said. Many of the Natives were subsequently converted and incorporated Christianity into their way of life.

To meditate on this, Wilson said, is to reconceive of the United States not as a wild frontier later tamed by man but as “a stage where God’s grace is the first actor.” The French Jesuits, through their devotion to prayer and to the devout life, were attuned to this reality, Wilson said.

“To consecrate the Mississippi River as the ‘River of the Immaculate Conception’ is not to plant a flag or to lay conquest. It’s rather to recognize that this vast, open continent must, objectively speaking, be defined primarily not by what any human being does but by the actions of God through his grace,” Wilson said.

“Even when Christians try to talk about history, they talk as though only humans have acted in history and don’t consider that God is always the primary author of every action, and God’s grace is the most dynamic agent of everything in history.”

This article was first published on Dec. 4, 2022, and has been updated.

Father Chris Alar, MIC, provincial superior of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy Province of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception. / Credit: Marians of the Immaculate Conception

CNA Staff, Dec 9, 2024 / 04:00 am (CNA).

The dogma of the Immaculate Conception is “key to everything,” according to Father Chris Alar, MIC, provincial superior of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of Mercy Province of the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception.

Alar appears in the new Marian docudrama “I Am the Immaculate Conception.” The film, produced and directed by Michal Kondrat in association with the Marian Fathers of the Immaculate Conception, will be released by Fathom Events in theaters on Dec. 12, 14, and 17. 

In the film, a variety of experts, in addition to Alar, analyze Greek texts of the Scriptures as well as the dogma of the Immaculate Conception to interpret and reveal Mary’s extraordinary role in God’s divine plan of salvation for the world.

“The Immaculate Conception is the key to everything. Everything. And it’s the least understood of almost all Catholic teaching,” Alar said in an interview with CNA.

The solemnity of the Immaculate Conception was established by Pope Pius IX in 1854 with the papal encyclical Ineffabilis Deus. In this encyclical, Pope Pius IX solidified the long-held belief by the Catholic Church that Mary was conceived free from original sin. She was granted this extraordinary privilege because of her unique role in history as the mother of God. 

“For centuries nobody questioned the Immaculate Conception. It was always a part of the Church from the earliest centuries,” Alar explained. 

He pointed out that even the fathers of the Protestant Reformation, including Martin Luther and John Calvin, all accepted the Immaculate Conception of Mary. 

“The only reason that sometimes we have defined dogmas is because of heresy, or if the culture starts rejecting a given truth that wasn’t defined as dogma but was always accepted. And the Immaculate Conception was always accepted and all of a sudden they started to sway away from that …,” Alar explained. “That’s why she [the Catholic Church] formally defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception — to say this is the truth, no more swaying from it, no more rejecting it.”

Alar shared that the teaching on the Immaculate Conception is so important because “Mary’s living proof that we can be holy and immaculate.”

“The Bible states that we all must become holy and immaculate,” he added. “The Bible states nobody will enter into heaven that is not holy and immaculate. So, at some point, you and I and every other living human has got to become holy and immaculate or we do not have eternal salvation.”

The priest explained that God makes us holy and immaculate in one of three ways: After we die in purgatory or while alive, as is the case with canonized saints. The third way, Alar said, was done one time and it was done before the person was born — this was the case with Mary.

“If God can do it after we die and he can do it in this life, which nobody argues, why in the world do we not think he has the power to do it before somebody’s born?”

“And the reason he had to do that with Mary is because Mary could have no stain ever on her soul to be the vessel by which God came to this world,” he said.

While there are several passages in Scripture that defend this dogma, Alar highlighted one in particular — Genesis 3:15.

“Genesis 3:15 says between the woman and the serpent there will be complete enmity. That means complete and radical opposition to each other,” he explained. “If Mary had even the slightest stain of sin, even the tiniest little sin, that would mean she was at least partially under the sway of Satan. Whenever I sin or you sin or anybody sins, we are partially under the sway of Satan no matter how small … If Mary had any sin, even original sin, that would mean she was at least partially under the sway of Satan. And if that’s the case, there would be a lie in Genesis 3:15.”

“It says complete and radical opposition. Complete meaning full. That’s what enmity means. So, if she had even the slightest stain of sin, there could not be complete enmity between her and the serpent … So, it is scriptural.”

Alar said he hopes this docudrama will help spread the message about the dogma on the Immaculate Conception and that Catholics will fall “in love with their faith” again.

“Catholics need to see this movie because if they don’t fully understand the importance of the Immaculate Conception, or they don’t fully love the Church with all their minds, souls, hearts, and strength, then they need to understand better why the Church teaches what she does and once they do understand it better, they’ll love their faith more.”

Cardinals follow the ceremony during the ordinary public consistory for the creation of new cardinals at St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican City, Dec. 7, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

Rome Newsroom, Dec 8, 2024 / 18:36 pm (CNA).

A record 140 cardinals may attend an eventual conclave in the Sistine Chapel. There would have been 141, but Cardinal Miguel Angel Ayuso Guixot’s death on November 25 reduced the number by one. In all, the Sacred College now has 255 members.

The number of cardinal electors is the most critical data point to emerge from this weekend’s consistory. Of the 140 cardinal electors, 110 have been created by Pope Francis, 24 by Benedict XVI, and six by St. John Paul II. At the end of the year, on December 24, Indian Cardinal Oswald Gracias, created cardinal by Benedict XVI in 2007, will reach 80 years of age and will, therefore, no longer be able to participate in a conclave.

Another 14 cardinals will turn 80 in 2025. They are Cardinals Christoph Schoenborn, Fernando Vergez Alzaga, Celestino Aos Braco, George Alencherry, Carlos Osoro Sierra, Robert Sarah, Stanislaw Rylko, Joseph Coutts, Vinko Pulhić, Antonio Canizares Llovera, Vincent Nichols, Jean-Pierre Kutwa, Nakellentuba Ouédraogo and Timothy Radcliffe.

Two of these were created by St. John Paul II, four by Benedict XVI and eight by Pope Francis.

However, it will be necessary to wait until May 2026 to return to the figure of 120 cardinal electors established by St. Paul VI and never abrogated.

Pope Francis’s choices

For the first time, there is now a cardinal in Iran, Archbishop Dominique Matthieu of Tehran-Ispahan, a Belgian missionary. It is also the first time there is a cardinal in Serbia, with Archbishop Ladislav Nemet of Belgrade receiving the red hat.

Pope Francis has created cardinals from 72 different nations, and 24 of those nations have never had a cardinal before.

Pope Francis has also shown that he does not choose based on the traditional seats of cardinals. For example, there are no cardinals to lead the two historic European patriarchates of Lisbon and Venice, nor in Milan, Florence, or Paris.

There are exceptions, however. In this consistory, Pope Francis created cardinals in the archbishops of Turin, Naples, Lima, Santiago de Chile, Toronto, and the vicar general of the Diocese of Rome.

Naples entered the list somewhat surprisingly, with the pope’s decision communicated in a statement from the Holy See Press Office on November 4. Archbishop Battaglia of Naples replaced Bishop Bruno Syukur of Bogor, Indonesia, who had asked Pope Francis to remove him from the list of new cardinals for unspecified personal reasons.

The geographical balance of the College of Cardinals

The pope did not decide to replace a possible Indonesian cardinal with another cardinal from Asia.

Meanwhile, the percentage of Italian cardinals in the College of Cardinals is the lowest ever, at least in modern times. Only during the so-called Avignon Captivity (1309-1377) was the percentage of Italian cardinals so low.

However, to Italy’s 17 must be added Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, who is included in the quota of Asia, and Cardinal Giorgio Marengo, ordinary of Mongolia, also in Asia.

Cardinal Angelo Becciu is instead considered a non-elector, but this status is still being determined. Pope Francis had asked him to renounce his prerogatives as a cardinal but has continued to invite him to consistories and Masses, where he has always sat among the cardinals. If a decision is not made before then, the College of Cardinals, with a majority vote, will decide whether or not Cardinal Becciu will be admitted to the conclave.

Regional distribution

The balance crucially stays the same. Europe has received three more cardinals, in addition to the four Italians with the right to vote: Archbishop Ladislav Nemet of Belgrade (58 years old), Archbishop Rolandas Makrickas (52), coadjutor archpriest of the papal Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore since March, and Dominican Father Timothy Radcliffe (79). Europe now has 55 cardinals.

Latin America has received five new cardinals. The purple has arrived in dioceses that have received it several times — with Archbishop Carlos Gustavo Castillo Mattasoglio (74) in Lima and Archbishop Fernando N. Chomali Garib (67) in Santiago de Chile — or only once — with Archbishop Luis Gerardo Cabrera Herrera (69) in Guayaquil, Ecuador and Archbishop Jaime Spengler (64, who is also president of CELAM) in Porto Alegre, Brazil.

The red birretta to Archbishop Vicente Bokalic Iglic (72) of Santiago del Estero is also a first. However, in this case, the ground had already been prepared by the recent decision to move the title of primate of Argentina from Buenos Aires to this seat. Overall, Latin America now has 24 cardinals (including Cardinal Celestino Aos Braco, emeritus of Santiago de Chile, born in Spain).

Asia has received four new cardinals. The pope gave the red hat to Archbishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo, 66, and to the bishops of two dioceses that have never had a cardinal at the helm: Bishop Pablo Vigilio Siongo David, 65, of Kalookan in the Philippines and Archbishop Dominique Joseph Mathieu, 61, of Tehran.

Africa has received two new cardinals, bringing the continent’s total to 18. The two new ones are Archbishop Jean-Paul Vesco, 62, in Algiers, and Archbishop Ignace Bessi Dogbo, 63, in Abidjan, Ivory Coast.

North America now has 14 electors, with the addition of Toronto Archbishop Francis Leo (53). Oceania has four electors, with the creation of Bishop Mykola Bychok of the eparchy of Saints Peter and Paul in Melbourne of the Ukrainians as cardinal. At 44, he has become the youngest member of the College of Cardinals.

National representation

Italy remains the most represented nation in the conclave, with 17 electors (plus two more in Asia). The United States has 10 cardinal electors, and Spain has 7 (with another 3 in Morocco, Chile, and France).

Brazil has increased to 7 electors, and India to 6 electors. France remains at 5 electors, to which Archbishop Vesco in North Africa has been added. Cardinal François-Xavier Bustillo, bishop of Ajaccio, is anagraphically Spanish although naturalized French.

Argentina and Canada join Poland and Portugal with four cardinal electors, while Germany is tied with the Philippines and Great Britain with three.

The weight of cardinal electors engaged in the Curia, in other Roman roles or the nunciatures, has decreased, like that of the Italians. They will be 34 out of 140, a historic low.

Of the 21 new cardinals, 10 (all electors) belong to religious orders and congregations, another record. The number of religious electors in the Sacred College has risen from 27 to 35. The Friars Minor joined the Salesians at five and surpassed the Jesuits, who remain at 4. The Franciscan family grows to 10 electors (5 Minors, 3 Conventuals, and 2 Capuchins). The Lazarists and Redemptorists rise to 2.

What would a possible conclave be like?

As of December 8, Pope Francis has created 78% of the cardinals who can vote in a conclave. This means that the cardinals created by Pope Francis far exceed the two-thirds majority needed to elect a pope.

This does not necessarily mean that the conclave will be “Francis-like.” Not only do the new cardinals all have very different profiles, but they have yet to have much opportunity to get to know each other. Popes have also used consistories to bring together cardinals to discuss issues of general interest.

Pope Francis had done so only three times: in 2014, when the family was discussed; in 2015, when the topic was the reform of the Curia; and in 2022, when the apostolic constitution Praedicate Evangelium, or the reform of the Curia now defined and promulgated, was discussed.

In this last meeting, the cardinals were divided into linguistic groups, with fewer opportunities to speak in the assembly together. This scenario makes the vote very uncertain.

Another fact that should be noted is that until St. John Paul II’s election, the cardinals gathered in the conclave were housed in makeshift accommodations in the Apostolic Palace near the Sistine Chapel. John Paul II had the Domus Sanctae Marthae (St. Martha House) renovated precisely to guarantee the cardinals who would elect his successor more adequate accommodations.

Today, however, Pope Francis lives in the Domus Sanctae Marthae. This means that, upon the pope’s death, at least the floor where the pontiff lives must be sealed, as the papal apartment is sealed. Sealing a floor of the Domus also means losing a considerable number of rooms. And with such a high number of voters, it also means risking not having enough rooms to accommodate all the cardinals.

The electors could be placed in vacant apartments within Vatican City State. This, however, would make them even more isolated. In practice, there is a risk that, during the conclave, the cardinals would not always be able to be together to discuss the election.

For these reasons, although Pope Francis has created more than two-thirds of the cardinal electors, it is by no means certain that the pope chosen in a future conclave will have the same profile as Pope Francis.

Pope Francis gazes up at the bronze statue of Mary atop the 39.4-foot column at Rome's Spanish Steps, Dec. 8, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Dec 8, 2024 / 15:33 pm (CNA).

Pope Francis marked the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception with a spiritual journey across Rome on Sunday, beginning at the Basilica of St. Mary Major and continuing to the Spanish Steps — where he reminded the faithful that “the true Jubilee is inside” — before making an unexpected visit to a painting particularly dear to his heart.

Beginning his Marian devotions at Rome's most important Marian basilica, the pope prayed before the ancient icon “Salus Populi Romani” (Protectress of the Roman People), echoing his cherished tradition of visiting this beloved image before and after his international trips.

Despite cold and rainy weather, thousands of faithful gathered in Rome’s historic center as the pope continued the long-standing papal tradition of paying homage to the Immaculate Conception at the foot of the Marian column near the Spanish Steps.

The statue of the Immaculate Conception, which sits atop a 12-meter (39.4-foot) high column, was dedicated on Dec. 8, 1857, shortly after the Church proclaimed the doctrine of Mary’s Immaculate Conception. Since the 1950s, beginning with Pope Pius XII in 1953, it has been customary for popes to venerate the statue for the feast day.

At 7 a.m., Rome’s firefighters had continued their own decades-old tradition, ascending to the top of the statue to place a wreath of flowers on the Virgin’s arm. The gesture honors their 220 colleagues who participated in the monument’s inauguration over 166 years ago.

In his prayer at the Spanish Steps, Francis highlighted the significance of Rome’s preparation for the upcoming 2025 Jubilee Year, which he will inaugurate this Christmas Eve by opening the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica.

“Rome is alive, renewing itself”

The pope noted that while Rome’s many construction projects preparing for the Jubilee Year cause “not a few inconveniences,” they are also “a sign that Rome is alive, renewing itself, trying to adapt to needs, to be more welcoming and functional.”

“Because, without meaning to,” Francis noted in his prayer, “we risk being totally taken up by organization, by things that need to be done, and then the grace of the Holy Year, which is a time of spiritual rebirth, of forgiveness and social liberation, this jubilee grace may not come well, may be a little suffocated.”

“But your maternal gaze sees beyond,” the pope prayed before the statue. “And I seem to hear your voice that with wisdom tells us: ‘My children, these works are good, but be attentive: do not forget the construction sites of the soul! The true Jubilee is not outside, it is inside: inside of you, inside hearts, inside family and social relationships.’”

The 2025 Jubilee Year, themed around hope, will begin Dec. 24, 2024, with the opening of the Holy Door at St. Peter’s Basilica.

Following the Marian celebration, Francis made an unexpected stop at the Museo del Corso, where he viewed Marc Chagall’s “White Crucifixion.”

The artwork, which depicts Christ’s crucifixion against a backdrop of Jewish suffering, combines religious imagery with historical context. On loan from the Art Institute of Chicago, it is currently on display as part of a range of cultural events leading up to the jubilee year.

The contemplative Sisters of the Monastery of Bethlehem in Livingston Manor, New York, support themselves by offering their hand-painted chinaware and other unique gifts for sale. / Credit: Monastery of Bethlehem

Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 8, 2024 / 10:00 am (CNA).

Many monasteries and communities of religious brothers and sisters depend on proceeds from the sale of their products to sustain their lives of prayer and service. These days, most have online gift shops that will ship your purchases to arrive before Christmas.

Here’s a guide to some of our favorite handmade gifts to give and receive.

Fudge and candy

Trappistine Candy, Mount St. Mary’s Abbey: The nuns of Mount St. Mary’s Abbey in Wrentham, Massachusetts, have boxes of handmade fudge, chocolate, and almond brittle in stock, ready to send to your loved ones this Christmas. Each 1-pound box is $13, and for an extra 50 cents, the sisters will include a festive red bow.

Monk Bakery Gifts, Monastery of the Holy Spirit: Monks in Conyers, Georgia, make their famous fudge with premium chocolate and real butter. Try a 12-ounce gift box for $15. And for a taste of Georgia, try their Southern Touch fudge, “made with real peach morsels, pecans, and a touch of peach brandy.”

Monastery Candy, Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey: These contemplative nuns in Dubuque, Iowa, are known for their delicious caramels, which they make by hand to support their way of life. A 9-ounce box of chocolate-covered caramels sells for $15.55.

Monastery Creamed Honey, Holy Cross Abbey: The monks at Our Lady of the Holy Cross Abbey in Berryville, Virginia, support themselves financially through their own labor, a characteristic of the Cistercian Order’s way of life. Their 100% natural Monastery Creamed Honey, locally sourced in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, makes a great gift. A set of four 10-ounce tubs includes natural-, cinnamon-, almond-, and brandy-flavored honey and sells for $34.95. Add some delicious chocolate truffles to the order for a sure-to-be-appreciated Christmas gift.

Cookies

Clarisa Cookies, Capuchin Poor Clare Sisters: The Capuchin Poor Clare nuns make their famous butter cookies from their monastery in Denver. The “Clarisas” come in a beautiful gift box featuring an image of St. Clare and sell for $18 for a 1.5-pound box.

Monks’ Biscotti, Abbey of the Genesee: The Trappist monks of the Abbey of the Genesee have been baking from their monastery in western New York since 1953. As their website explains: “The bakery supports the monastery’s primary mission, which is to pray for the world.” The twice-baked biscotti is a popular item, which makes a great gift basket when combined with monk-made coffee and a mug. A bundle of four boxes of biscotti in a variety of flavors sells for $33.99. 

Springerele Christmas cookies, Sisters of St. Benedict: The Benedictine religious sisters are known for their Springerele cookies, a traditional German treat with an “Old World” charm. A package of six cookies, each bearing a different, intricate design, sells for $10. 

Coffee

Mystic Monk Coffee, Carmelites Monks of Wyoming Monastery: The Monks of the Most Blessed Virgin Mary of Mount Carmel live a cloistered life in the Rocky Mountains in the Diocese of Cheyenne, Wyoming. They help support themselves through Mystic Monk Coffee, which they roast in small batches. The website CoffeeReview.com ranks their coffee among the highest of the coffees it reviews. A 12-ounce bag of their most popular flavor, Jingle Bell Java, sells for $12.95 at the EWTN Religious Catalogue. Visit their website for more coffee selections.

Fruitcake

Brandy-dipped fruitcake, New Camaldoli Hermitage: With all due respect to your grandmother, this is not your grandmother’s fruitcake. The monks of New Camaldoli Hermitage in Big Sur, California, offer a fruitcake soaked in brandy and aged for three months. It “has converted many a fruitcake ‘atheist,’” according to its creators. Order a 1-pound fruitcake for $27.98.

Kentucky Bourbon Fruitcake, Monks of the Abbey of Gethsemani: At their monastery in New Haven, Kentucky, Trappist monks offer a 20-ounce Kentucky Bourbon Fruitcake along with a jar of Trappist Apricot-Pineapple preserves and a jar of Trappist Quince Jelly, which makes a lovely Christmas gift for $33.50.

Beer

Birra Nursia, Benedictine Monks of Norcia: In 2012, a community of Benedictine monks revived the order’s ancient beer-making tradition at their 16th-century monastery in Nursia, the birthplace of St. Benedict. Tragically, four years later, a devastating earthquake struck, seriously damaging their monastery and threatening their way of life. Today, their monastery is open again thanks to money raised in part from the beer they make and sell and export to the United States and elsewhere. Beer in 750-milliliter (25-ounce) bottles is available at their U.S. online store for $15.99 each.

Handmade Christmas-themed gifts

Christmas Boutique, Monastery of Bethlehem: The contemplative Sisters of the Monastery of Bethlehem in Livingston Manor, New York, support themselves by offering their hand-painted chinaware and other unique gifts for sale. This Christmas their online shop features several Christmas-related items that would make wonderful gifts. 

A beautiful hand-carved Nativity, made in the sisters’ monastery in Mougères, France, includes Joseph, Mary, the baby Jesus, and a wooden manger, and sells for $110. This is a great value for a keepsake that is sure to be passed down from generation to generation. Or why not come bearing the gift of myrrh this Christmas with an attractive tin of imported incense ($56)? Also available: a pack of five Christmas greeting cards, hand-calligraphed by the sisters and duplicated on fine paper. Each card features a mystery of the lives of Jesus and Mary.

Gifts from the Holy Land

Holy Land gifts, Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America: The Franciscan friars based at their monastery in Washington, D.C., are dedicated to supporting and protecting the sacred sites and people of the Holy Land. They sell products made by artisans in the Holy Land to help their businesses so they can continue to live in the land of their forefathers. Among the gifts at the Holy Land gift shop are hand-painted ceramic candle holders made by a young artist in Bethlehem; olive wood Nativity sets, crosses, and rosaries; and olive oil soap. Visit the Holy Land Gift Shop here. 

Soaps and candles

Cloister Shoppe, Summit Dominicans: The nuns from the Dominican Monastery of Our Lady of the Rosary in Summit, New Jersey, live a life of prayer through Eucharistic adoration and dedication to the rosary. To support this way of life they create handmade candles and skin-care products, which they sell at their Cloister Shoppe. Create your own Christmas gift bag of two bars of soap, a hand cream, a jar candle, a face moisturizer, and a handmade rosary made from olive wood beads from the Holy Land for $50. 

Throw in a pair of Bayberry Christmas Eve Tapers for $18 to give your holiday table a festive glow. 

Pope Francis prays the Angelus on the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Dec. 8, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Dec 8, 2024 / 08:30 am (CNA).

Pope Francis issued a heartfelt plea for peace during the Sunday Angelus on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, urging international leaders to broker ceasefires in conflict zones by Christmas.

“I appeal to governments and the international community that a ceasefire may be reached on all war fronts by the Christmas celebrations,” the pope said on Sunday from the window of the Apostolic Palace, addressing pilgrims and visitors gathered in St. Peter’s Square.

The pontiff specifically called for continued prayers for peace in “tormented Ukraine, in the Middle East — Palestine, Israel, Lebanon, and now Syria — in Myanmar, in Sudan, and wherever people suffer from war and violence.”

A call to reflect on Mary

Pope Francis spoke about the Annunciation during his catechetical reflection on this Marian feast day, describing it as “one of the most important and beautiful moments in the history of humanity.”

Drawing a parallel to sacred art, he explained: “Just as in the scene of the creation of Adam painted by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel, where the finger of the heavenly Father touches the finger of man, here too, the human and divine encounter each other.”

The pope encouraged everyone to “open our hearts and minds to the Lord Jesus, born of Mary Immaculate” as the Church prepares for Jubilee 2025, recommending confession as “the sacrament that can really help us open our hearts to the Lord who always, always forgives us.”

Christmas spirit at the Vatican

St. Peter’s Square is adorned with its annual Christmas decorations, including a towering, nearly 100-foot spruce tree from Ledro, Italy, and a Nativity scene from the town of Grado that incorporates elements of the Venetian lagoon’s traditional fishermen’s huts.

These symbols of the season were officially illuminated during a ceremony on Saturday evening.

According to recent Vatican custom, the Christmas tree and a large Nativity scene displayed beside it will remain in St. Peter’s Square through Jan. 12, 2025, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord.

Pope Francis delivers the homily during Mass on the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception in St. Peter's Basilica, Dec. 8, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Dec 8, 2024 / 06:56 am (CNA).

Pope Francis celebrated Mass with the College of Cardinals in St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday, marking the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception and concluding a historic week in which 21 new cardinals were inducted into the Catholic Church’s most senior advisory body.

Hundreds of priests and bishops attended the celebration, and the new cardinals concelebrated their first papal Mass after receiving their red hats at Saturday’s consistory.

The Mass honored one of the Church’s most significant Marian feasts, commemorating the dogma formally defined by Pope Pius IX in 1854 that the Blessed Virgin Mary was preserved free from original sin from the moment of her conception.

In his homily during the solemn liturgy, Pope Francis reflected on Mary’s “pure harmony, candor, and simplicity,” focusing on her roles as daughter, bride, and mother.

“‘Hail, full of grace,’” the pope began, quoting Luke 1:28. “With these words in the humble house of Nazareth, the Angel revealed to Mary the mystery of her immaculate heart, preserved free from all stain of original sin from the moment of her conception.”

Drawing parallels between the Virgin Mary and the Church, Pope Francis emphasized that Mary was a “handmaid” not in a servile sense but as one who was “trusted and esteemed” by God.

“There is no salvation without a woman, for the Church herself is also woman,” the pope said, highlighting Mary’s pivotal role in salvation history.

Francis also sharply critiqued contemporary materialism and individualism, warning against “hearts that remain cold, empty, and closed.” He challenged believers, asking: “What is the use of having a full bank account, a comfortable home, and virtual connections if they come at the cost of true love, solidarity, and care for others?”

Addressing the newly created cardinals — representing the universality of the Church across five continents — the pope urged them to be servants to the global Catholic community. “They bring great wisdom from many parts of the world to contribute to the growth and spread of the kingdom of God,” he said.

Concluding his homily, Pope Francis called for spiritual renewal. “Let us look to Mary Immaculate and ask her to conquer us through her loving heart. May she convert us and lead us to become a community where filial, spousal, and maternal love reign as the rule of life.”

Left to right: Father Timothy Gallagher, Archbishop Borys Gudziak, Archbishop Nelson Perez, Archbishop Alexander Sample. / Credit: SOCA

CNA Staff, Dec 8, 2024 / 06:00 am (CNA).

Several Catholic bishops and priests will join Catholic therapists, authors, and other experts later this month for a free online conference on mental health and prayer. 

The Divine Fulfillment Conference, to be held Dec. 27–29, “is a first and perhaps only of its kind event,” conference spokesman Daniel Coleman told CNA. A lay apostolate based in Denver called Souls of the Christian Apostolate (SOCA) is organizing the conference. 

The conference’s goal, Coleman explained, is “to move the needle on this epidemic of mental illness, first in the life of participants and then, God-willing, to the people closest to them amongst family, friends, and greater community.”  

The conference will feature speakers ranging from archbishops to qualified mental health counselors, including Catholic therapist and author Bob Schuchts; Archbishop Alexander Sample of Portland, Oregon; and Bishop James Conley of Lincoln, Nebraska.

The goal of the conference, Coleman explained, is “to move the needle on this epidemic of mental illness, first in the life of participants and then, God willing, to the people closest to them amongst family, friends, and greater community.”

Coleman called the Divine Fulfillment Conference “a unique fusion and special opportunity.”

The idea for the conference began with an idea by SOCA’s founder, Kevin Roerty, who suggested that SOCA focus on mental health and mental prayer, “two items that sorely need attention in today’s world and Church,” Coleman noted.

“When he made the suggestion it really resonated, and we held that in our hearts for quite some time and were delighted to later find out that Bishop [Robert] Barron and Archbishop [Borys] Gudziak in conjunction with the USCCB [U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops] called for a year to raise awareness of mental health,” Coleman said.

“In a world tending toward shallowness and despair that results from forgetting about God, there is one solution, one thing necessary: the interior life with God and the healing that brings to the depths of our souls,” Roerty told CNA. “With the Divine Fulfillment Conference, our aspiration is to provide hope and healing to mental health through a perspective that incorporates deep prayer.”

SOCA offers a step-by-step guide and resources to prayer as well as remote and in-person accompaniment, Coleman explained. The group also offers check-ins and online group accountability, he noted.

“SOCA is dedicated to spreading the Catholic mystical tradition of interior life to as many Catholics as possible through a three-pillar approach that we have found great success in, initiating over 1,300 Catholics into deeper intimacy with Christ last year alone,” Coleman explained. 

The list of speakers includes Catholic authors Jason Evert, known for his work on chastity, and Father Timothy Gallagher, OMV, a Catholic priest known for his books on Ignatian spirituality. Other speakers include Deacon Ed Shoener, president of the Association of Catholic Mental Health Ministers, and Dr. Aaron Kheriaty, psychiatrist and director of the Program in Bioethics and American Democracy at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. 

Several other archbishops and bishops are scheduled to speak at the conference, including Archbishop Borys Gudziak of the Ukrainian Eparchy of Philadelphia; Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas; Archbishop Nelson Perez of Philadelphia; and Bishop Donald Hying of Madison, Wisconsin.

In addition to a long list of speakers, the conference offers practical guidance “for mental and spiritual peace,” according to the press release. The conference will also provide contact information for professional mental health help as well as one-on-one discipleship opportunities in the months following the event.

Coleman called the Divine Fulfillment Conference “a unique fusion and special opportunity.”

“The fruits have been outstanding,” he said. “Greater peace, greater joy, vocations!”

For more information on the conference and to register, click here.

Archbishop of Paris Laurent Ulrich knocks on the door of Notre-Dame Cathedral during a ceremony to mark the reopening of the landmark cathedral in central Paris on Dec. 7, 2024. / Credit: Christophe Petit Tesson/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

CNA Newsroom, Dec 7, 2024 / 20:15 pm (CNA).

The doors of the newly restored Notre-Dame of Paris Cathedral were officially reopened to the public during a ceremony Saturday evening just over five years after a blaze ravaged the iconic structure’s roof, frame, and spire.

The celebration, which began at around 7:20 p.m. local time, was attended by some 1,500 people, including about 40 heads of state, including U.S. President-elect Donald Trump and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York and Maronite Patriarch Bechara al-Rai of Antioch were among the 170 bishops from France and around the world who attended the ceremony, which featured a message from Pope Francis, who did not travel for the occasion.

Authorities mobilized a massive security force of some 6,000 police and gendarmes for the event, citing a “very high level of terrorist threat.” Space was provided for up to 40,000 people outside the cathedral.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who was initially scheduled to speak on the cathedral’s forecourt to respect the law of separation between the church and the state, wound up speaking inside the building due to inclement weather, as previously announced in a press release from the Archdiocese of Paris.

Expressing “the gratitude of the French nation” to the cathedral’s rebuilders during his address, Macron asserted that Notre Dame “tells us how much meaning and transcendence help us to live in this world.”

Breaking five years of silence, the bell of Notre-Dame, known as the “bourdon,” rang out across Paris. This was the first step in the reopening office, initiated by three knocks on the cathedral’s central portal, the Portal of the Last Judgment, by the archbishop of Paris, Laurent Ulrich. The opening of the doors was set to the music of the polyphonic piece “Totus Tuus,” composed in 1987 by Henryk Gorecki during Pope John Paul II’s visit to Poland and sung by the 150 young members of the Maîtrise de Notre Dame.

“May the rebirth of this admirable church be a prophetic sign of the renewal of the Church in France,” Pope Francis said in a letter read by the apostolic nuncio of France, Archbishop Celestino Migliore, after a tribute to the firefighters who saved the 800-year-old cathedral from the flames and the French president’s speech.

“I invite all the baptized who will joyfully enter this cathedral to feel a legitimate pride and reclaim their faith heritage,” he added.

There followed the awakening and blessing of the great organ, a three-century-old instrument whose pipes had remained clogged with lead dust following the 2019 fire.

“Notre-Dame has known darkness; now it is back in the light. It has known silence, and now it rediscovers the joy of our chants,” said Ulrich, who took possession of the Paris cathedral for the first time, two years after his nomination as head of the Paris Archdiocese, succeeding Archbishop Michel Aupetit.

In his brief homily, Ulrich emphasized that “it is not only princes, chiefs, and notables who have their place in the Church” but that “the door is open to all,” including foreigners and nonbelievers.

After singing the Magnificat and reciting the Our Father, the ceremony concluded with a final blessing and the singing of the Te Deum.

At the end of the religious ceremony, a concert organized and broadcast by France Télévisions and Radio France featured internationally renowned artists including Chinese pianist Lang Lang, South African soprano Pretty Yende, and Franco-Swiss tenor Benjamin Bernheim.

The consecration Mass for the cathedral’s new main altar was scheduled for Sunday at 10:30 a.m. local time, again in the presence of the French president and religious leaders. The cathedral itself was not desecrated by the blaze, as Aupetit celebrated a Mass there two months later.

Celebrations surrounding the reopening of Notre-Dame will continue until Dec. 16, with each day devoted to welcoming different communities and groups, including firefighters and patrons. At the end of this octave, the cathedral will return to its usual schedule. 

The fire, the causes of which have yet to be determined, has sparked a wave of emotion around the world, including in the United States, which has the largest number of foreign contributors to the restoration and reconstruction work, amounting to almost 700 million euros ($740 million).

Michel Picaud, president of the Friends of Notre-Dame de Paris, said in a recent interview that American donors accounted for 90% of 50,000 euros’ (about $53,000) worth of international donations received by the charitable association. The five years of work involved a total of 250 companies and hundreds of craftsmen.

With almost half of the French population already planning to visit the breathtaking and now-immaculate cathedral, rebuilt in the style of the one designed by 19th-century architect Eugène Viollet-le-Duc, extended opening hours will be offered until next Pentecost, with a new free online booking system.

At a press conference in Paris on Nov. 13, the cathedral’s rector, Monsignor Olivier Ribadeau Dumas, announced that some 15 million visitors would now be expected to visit the cathedral each year, compared with about 12 million before the fire.

“Now is the time to return to Notre-Dame!” he declared.

Pope Francis arrives for a consistory at St. Peter's Basilica with visible bruising on his face, Vatican City, Dec. 7, 2024. Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni explained that the pope suffered a contusion after hitting his chin on a bedside table the previous morning. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA

CNA Newsroom, Dec 7, 2024 / 15:39 pm (CNA).

As the iconic Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris reopened its doors five years after a devastating fire, Pope Francis on Saturday called the church’s restoration a “prophetic sign” of the Church’s renewal in France.

In a message read by Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the apostolic nuncio to France, during Saturday’s reopening ceremony, Pope Francis expressed his joy at joining “in spirit and prayer” with the faithful gathered for the historic occasion.

The pope recalled the “terrible fire” that severely damaged the cathedral in April 2019, saying: “Our hearts were heavy at the risk of seeing a masterpiece of Christian faith and architecture disappear, a millennial witness to your national history.”

“Today, sadness and mourning give way to joy, celebration, and praise,” the Holy Father wrote in his message, addressed to Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris.

The pope particularly praised the firefighters “who worked so courageously to save this historic monument from collapse” and acknowledged the “determined commitment of public authorities” along with the “great wave of international generosity” that made the restoration possible.

This outpouring of support, Francis noted, demonstrates not only an attachment to art and history but also “the symbolic and sacred value of such an edifice is still widely perceived, from the smallest to the greatest.”

Looking to the future, the pope emphasized the cathedral’s role as a beacon of faith: “Dear faithful of Paris and France, this house, which our Heavenly Father inhabits, is yours; you are its living stones.”

The pontiff expressed hope that Notre Dame would continue to welcome visitors from all backgrounds, noting it would soon “be visited and admired again by immense crowds of people of all conditions, origins, religions, languages, and cultures, many of them in search of the absolute and meaning in their lives.”

The message concluded with Pope Francis imparting his apostolic blessing and invoking “the protection of Notre Dame de Paris over the Church in France and the entire French nation.”

The reopening marked the culmination of an intensive five-year restoration project following the April 2019 blaze that threatened to destroy the historic Gothic cathedral, which has stood as a symbol of French Catholicism for over 850 years.

Ahead of the event, Ulrich told CNA that the reopening of Notre Dame is “a renaissance, a rediscovery for the priests and faithful of Paris who have been waiting for this moment for five years.” On Saturday night, Ulrich commenced the reopening ceremony by striking the doors with his crozier three times.

The cathedral welcomed over 2,500 faithful and dignitaries on Saturday, including U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, Britain’s Prince William, Tesla founder Elon Musk, and Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Outside, the word “merci” — thank you — was projected onto Notre Dame’s facade, honoring those who saved and restored the cathedral.

Sharing the image on X, Macron expressed his gratitude to “our firefighters and all the forces that saved Notre-Dame, to all the craftsmen and companions who have made it even more beautiful, to the patrons and generous donors from around the world, to all those who helped keep the promise.”

The inaugural Mass at Notre Dame will be celebrated on Dec. 8 at 10:30 a.m. local time. The new high altar designed by Guillaume Badet will be consecrated.

The Mass will be full of symbols: Holy water will be sprinkled on the people, then on the altar and the pulpit as a sign of purification of these elements intended for sacred use. 

Nearly 170 bishops from France and around the world will participate in the Mass, as will a priest from each of the 106 parishes of the Archdiocese of Paris and a priest from each of the seven Eastern-rite Catholic Churches.

This story was last updated on Dec. 7, 2024, with further details of the event.