Author Archives: Steve Benner

John Henry NewmanJohn Henry Newman was born in 1801. His intellectual brilliance saw him appointed to a Fellowship in Oxford at the young age of twenty-one. His Evangelical roots gradually gave way to a more Catholic view of the Church, particularly after liberal trends both in politics and theology appeared to undermine the Church of England’s authority.Continue reading “Oremus for Saturday, August 9, 2025”

DominicDominic was born in Spain about 1170. He had great sympathy for those critical of the wealth and corruption of the church in Europe at the time. He felt called to preach to those who wanted to aban-don the church for the popular but heretical ascetic sects such as the Albigensians and Waldensians. He formedContinue reading “Oremus for Friday, August 8, 2025”

Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/22vexxaw Like the deer that yearns for running streams,so my soul is yearning for you, my God;my soul is thirsting for God, the living God. Psalm 42 Music: https://tinyurl.com/ycn4djk5 O Lord, open my lips.And my mouth will declare your praise.Make haste, O God, to deliver me;make haste to help me, O Lord.Glory be to the Father, andContinue reading “Oremus for Thursday, August 7, 2025”

Anniversary of the Bombing of HiroshimaOn this day in 1945, the United States hastened the end of World War II in the Pacific by dropping the first nuclear bomb on the Japanese city of Hiroshima. Three days later, it bombed the city of Nagasaki. The Japanese surrendered shortly thereafter. Given what we now know aboutContinue reading “Oremus for Wednesday, August 6, 2025”

John Mason NealeJohn Mason Neale was born in 1818 and, whilst an undergraduate at Cambridge, was influenced by the ideas of the Tractarians. He was a founder of the Cambridge Camden Society, which stimulated interest in ecclesiastical art and which played a part in the revival of Catholic ritual in the Church of England. WhilstContinue reading “Oremus for Tuesday, August 5, 2025”

Enrique AngelelliEnrique Ángel Angelelli Carletti was a bishop of the Catholic Church in Argentina who was assassinated during the Dirty War for his involvement with social issues. Angelelli, whose commitment to the “Church of the Poor” offered a model for the future Pope Francis, was murdered two months after U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger gaveContinue reading “Oremus for Monday, August 4, 2025”

Antiphon 1 Ant. You gave us bread from heaven, O Lord,having in it all that is delicious,and the sweetness of every taste.V. Give ear, my people, to my teaching; *incline your ear to the words of my mouth.I will open my mouth in a parable *and utter hidden lessons of the past. Wisdom 16, Psalm 78 Praise to you,Continue reading “Oremus for Sunday, August 3, 2025”

LydiaLydia was Paul’s first European convert. She was a Gentile woman in Philippi who, like many others, was attracted to Judaism. As what the Jewish community called a “God-fearer” she was undoubtedly accorded respect by the Jewish community, but still would have been marginalized. Paul encountered her on a riverbank where she and a groupContinue reading “Oremus for Saturday, August 2, 2025”

Joseph of ArimatheaJoseph of Arimathea was a member of the Jewish Council who graciously provided a tomb for the burial of Jesus. He came from the town of Arimathea, north-west of Jerusalem. He was well-to-do and is presented in the Gospels as sympathetic to Jesus’ mission, though not an open disciple. FATS Antiphon https://tinyurl.com/78ujert8 Let theContinue reading “Oremus for Friday, August 1, 2025”

Ignatius of LoyolaBorn in 1491, the son of a Basque nobleman, Ignatius served as a soldier and was wounded at the siege of Pamplona in 1521. During his convalescence he read a Life of Christ, was converted and lived a life of prayer and penance, during which he wrote the first draft of his SpiritualContinue reading “Oremus for Thursday, July 31, 2025”