Blog
Stories of saints, biblical events, angels, and sacred places.
Ezekiel's Vision of the Valley of Dry Bones
What Ezekiel saw in a valley full of dry bones, what the vision meant to a people in exile, and why it remains one of the Bible's most striking images of hope.
Moses — Leader of the Exodus, Receiver of the Law
How a fugitive shepherd became the man who confronted Pharaoh, led Israel out of Egypt, and carried the Ten Commandments down from Sinai.
Old Testament Prophets Every Catholic Should Know
A roundup of the major and minor Old Testament prophets — Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, and the twelve minor prophets — and what each one is remembered for.
Our Lady Gives the Rosary to Saint Dominic
The traditional account of Mary appearing to Saint Dominic and entrusting him with the rosary — a cherished legend, not a documented historical event.
The Betrothal of Mary and Joseph
What Mary and Joseph's betrothal actually meant under first-century Jewish law, what the Gospels say about it, and the later legend of Joseph's flowering staff.
The Creation of Light — "Let There Be Light"
What Genesis 1:1-5 actually says about the first divine command, why light comes before the sun, and what "Let there be light" means as an act of speech.
The Creation of the Sea and Sky
What Genesis 1:6-8 means by the "dome" that becomes the sky, how ancient cosmology shaped the verse, and why day two is the only day God doesn't call "good."
The Creation of the Stars and Moon
What Genesis 1:14-19 says about the creation of the sun, moon, and stars on the fourth day, and why the passage was a quiet argument against worshiping them.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
Why five bridesmaids were locked out of a wedding feast in one of Jesus's most unsettling parables, and what "keep your lamp full" has meant to readers ever since.
The Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi
Inside the Upper and Lower Church built over Francis of Assisi's tomb, why it houses Giotto's famous fresco cycle, and how it became a major pilgrimage site.
The Archbasilica of St. John Lateran
Why the Pope's actual cathedral in Rome isn't St. Peter's Basilica, and what makes St. John Lateran the "mother and head of all churches."
The Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth
Inside the church built over the traditional site of Gabriel's announcement to Mary, its 1969 design, and the courtyard's Marian mosaics from around the world.
The Basilica of the Nativity, Bethlehem
How a church built by Constantine's mother survived war after war to become one of the oldest churches still in use, over the traditional site of Christ's birth.
Chartres Cathedral
The history of Chartres Cathedral in France, its relic of Mary's veil, its famous blue stained glass, and the labyrinth set into its floor.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem
Inside the traditional site of Golgotha and Christ's tomb, and the centuries-old "Status Quo" agreement that governs who may touch what inside its walls.
Grotto of Massabielle, Lourdes
A cave near the town garbage dump, so unremarkable no one had named it — until a spring appeared and a fourteen-year-old's visions made it a major pilgrimage site.
Mont-Saint-Michel Abbey
The history of Mont-Saint-Michel in Normandy, from a bishop's dream and a hole in his skull to a tidal island crowned by a medieval abbey.
Monte Cassino Abbey — The Cradle of Western Monasticism
How Saint Benedict's hilltop monastery became the birthplace of Western monasticism, was destroyed four times across fifteen centuries, and rose again after 1944.
The Sagrada Família in Barcelona
How Antoni Gaudí's unfinished basilica in Barcelona became a working church, and what its soaring towers and forest-like columns actually symbolize.
Sanctuary of Our Lady of Fátima
How a barren field where three shepherd children saw a "lady brighter than the sun" became one of the largest Marian pilgrimage sites on earth.