Articles & Newsletters

Remembering the October days in which we celebrated Our Lady’s Rosary, we pray that she will continue to draw each of us into greater love for her Son.

As we enjoy the fruits of so many summer blessings, we look forward to a new academic year. Celebrating the feast of Saint Dominic, “man of an apostolic heart,” we remember that the love we have received is to be given freely. May each of us give Christ to those we encounter!

Prayer can be beautiful in more ways than one. Not only is there spiritual beauty in the act of prayer, there is also beauty in the prayer aids available. The Dominican Sisters of Saint Cecilia Congregation have joined with Saint Benedict Press to release their new book A Short Guide to Praying as a Family: Growing Together in Faith and Love Each Day. This book succeeds in joining prayer and stained glass resulting in a stunningly, beautiful volume.

The human heart cannot be satisfied without love, without union with the beloved. As in the Eucharist, so also in the family, we cannot experience the joy of communion unless there is first presence, a presence that is real and abiding. It is no secret that the family faces many serious challenges today...

"Family prayer can move the world,” Philadelphia’s Archbishop Charles J. Chaput writes in the foreword to a new book, A Short Guide to Praying as a Family: Growing Together in Faith and Love Each Day.

“Lord, show me how you want me to be part of what You want to do.” Isn’t this exactly the perspective the Church asks us to bring to our efforts in the New Evangelization? Our world, our culture, is so in need of God; so in need of truth and love; so in need of compassion and healing and joy. So much so that only the Lord Himself can fill and satisfy the needs we see around us. How does He want to use us, in the daily situations in which He places us? This is actually the perspective from which we want to share with you in this issue of Veritas…

This is not your usual prayer book. Earlier this year—on the Solemnity of St. Joseph, to be exact—the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia released a new prayer book entitled A Short Guide to Praying as a Family. This book compiles prayers familiar to most Catholics and brings them together in a way that is intelligent, beautiful, and timeless. Let me tell you how.

As we conclude this month in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary, we thank the Lord for her maternal care for us and ask that we may continue walking with Mary every day of the year.

“Draw close to God, and he will draw close to you” (James 4:8). St. James reminds us that God is very near to us, and as we grow close to God, our desires are conformed to his. Through the celebration of the Paschal Mystery, we get a glimpse into God’s desire: oneness with us. May the Lord bless you and your family this Easter season and make his presence known to you.

Prayer nurtures the life of the family. It opens hearts, melts away resentments, fosters gratitude, and becomes a fount of grace, peace, and joy for the entire family. A Short Guide to Praying as a Family, written by our sisters as an aid for families who desire to grow in their lives of prayer, is illustrated with photographs of stained-glass windows from many different areas in the world. In simple and engaging language, the book directs families step-by-step in beginning to pray together and in deepening their prayer. Families who have used this book say that they have found especially helpful the sections on how to begin family bedtime prayers, the monthly family meeting, and praying with one’s spouse...