Catholic Symbols week in Review

Here’s a review of posts of interest from other blogs:

  • Exegetically - 2.1 Roman Catholic traditions; 2.2 Protestant traditions. 3 Judaism. 3.1 Midrash; 3.2 Mikra. 4 Indian philosophy; 5 Islam; 6 Exegesis in a secular context; 7 Bibliography. 7.1 Old Testament Introductions; 7.2 New Testament Introductions …
  • Union of Catholic Asian News » News Archive » Church Stages … - He expected the performance to help the children appreciate local Catholic traditions. The drama, Rajathun Kattuwa (three kings), is based on the biblical story of the Three Kings, or Magi, who offered gold, …
  • Should Ontario Expand or Abolish Public Funding for Religious Schools? - With the Ontario election campaign beginning to show signs of life, the long-debated issue of faith-based education has once again re-surfaced. And once again, the issue is polarized along partisan lines. On the one hand, …

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The Catholic Symbol of Ash Wednesday

“Remember, man, that you are dust and unto dust you shall return”.

These are the words the priest recites to each and every person who receives ashes on Ash Wednesday.

Ash Wednesday is the official first day of Lent and starts 46 days of preparation for the passion, death and Resurrection of Jesus Christ at Easter.  On this first day, Catholic faithful confess and repent for their sins and receive the sign of the cross upon their foreheads as a symbol of penance and mourning.  The priest places the sign of the cross using a mixture of blessed ashes and holy water.

These ashes are made by burning leftover palm plants from the previous year’s Palm Sunday and mixed with water and incense.  The receiving of ashes on Ash Wednesday dates back to the 900’s AD.

Tradition has it that once these ashes are placed on the forehead they are not washed off until after sundown.  This is a profession of faith to others.

The day is also observed by fasting or abstaining from meat.  In 2009, Ash Wednesday will be celebrated on February 25th.

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Catholic Symbols Guest Article

Author Morgan Hamilton submits a guest post on Catholic Symbols talking about great Catholic gifts available online:



As someone who has been a devout practitioner of Catholicism for as long as I’ve been breathing, it stands to reason that many of my family and friends are Catholics as well. People always gravitated to those who share similar values. This is comforting on many levels, and helps reinforce my faith all the more.

In addition, these are the people that I really care about and cherish in my life and I know what they hold dear. For the most part, because I know them so well, I can be sure that they’ll appreciate receiving Catholic gifts on special occasions. It’s becoming increasingly difficult for me to find stores in my area that carry Catholic gifts in their inventory, but because of the marvels of the Internet, I’m always able to find quality items. These days, there are numerous websites that are dedicated solely to selling Catholic gifts, which is great if you are shopping for baptisms, first communions, confirmations, Christmas. Whenever one of these occasions comes up for someone in my circle of family and friends, I always go online because I know there will be a plethora of high-quality and affordable Catholic gifts to choose from.

Are you curious to know what types of Catholic as I can purchase online? Well for starters anything you can buy at a regular store you can buy on the Internet. For example, there are many websites that offer reading materials such as inspirational books, faith-based living guides, Bibles, and more. There are books that are written for all ages from 3 to 93, so right there alone is a huge treasure trove of appropriate gift ideas.

Jewelry is another category of Catholic gifts that is always popular and always appreciated. Probably the most popular next to artwork. Again, there is a huge collection of choices, ranging from the very basic to the very exquisite. Necklaces in the form of gold or silver crosses, crucifixes, and medals are appropriate for both men and women, which really opens up the gift giving universe. Other jewelry products that make for fantastic Catholic gifts include chastity rings, prayer bracelets, and rosaries. Most of these items can be personalized with an inscription of your choice to truly make them a meaningful keepsake.

There are also Catholic gifts that would make wonderful decorations for the home. I’m talking about items such as wall hangings, framed prints, statues, figurines, plaques, and even holy water fonts. You can get all these products online and have them conveniently shift right to your door. This and that a lot better then jumping in the car and driving all over the place not nine if you can find anything to your satisfaction?

The next time the thought of giving Catholic gifts comes to mind, he did not advise and check out the World Wide Web. You might be surprised at all the terrific and affordable products that you can order right there at your fingertips!

Morgan Hamilton offers his findings and insights regarding religion. You can get interesting and informative information here at Catholic gifts.

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Youth Catholic Symbols - Parvuli Dei

Like many boys growing up in the sixties, I was a scout; a cub scout and a boy scout.  One of the awards we strove to achieve was the Parvuli Dei Award.

Parvuli Dei means “Children of God” and is an award established by the National Catholic Committee on Scouting to foster family and church values in young Catholic boys.

The award was first conceived by the Rev Gerard A McWilliams, a priest at Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Bethesda, Maryland.  The first recipient was cub scout Patrick Bell of Pack 300 on February 8, 1953.  The idea spread rapidly to other parishes and it officially became a National Award in 1956.

The program to achieve the award has been appropriately updated throughout the years and is now organized around the seven sacraments of the Roman Catholic Church.

Nearly half a million Cub Scouts have earned the Parvuli Dei emblem since it was made available.

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Catholic Symbols looks at decline of priests

This video from YouTube and reposted here on Catholic Symbols:

The late Pope John Paul II was one of Poland’s most famous exports.

In fact, Polish Catholic priests used to go on missions all over the world.

But the church in Poland is reporting a decline in the number of people turning to priesthood, as Nadim Baba reports now from Krakow.



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