Chatter in the Vestibule

With the annual return of Oktoberfest comes the eternal question: What shall I drink? To help with an answer, we list five beers that any Bavarian would be happy to imbibe—even if they are not all from his region. What is more, because these beers have the additional grace of being historically connected to the life of the Church, you’ll be able to infuse your own observance of the festivity, be it at a Biergarten or in your own backyard, with spiritual and cultural meaning. Maredsous. Maredsous Abbey, a Benedictine monastery founded in Denée, Belgium in 1872, has at least two claims to...

When my husband and I decided to live more liturgically our first question was where to start!? There are so many rich traditions in the world-wide Mother Church that it was overwhelming at first to suddenly add all this history, planning, and spirituality to our daily life. We decided to pick one aspect and “test it out” for a few months to see how it fit into our busy lives. Since I love the saints and their stories I decided to start there. We made a list of saints we especially love and the list has grown exponentially since then!...

Cherries September 3 is the feast of St. Gregory the Great. His feast is associated with cherries. One year, on the feast of St. Mark, St. Gregory was overwhelmed with a craving for cherries and a hill of cherry trees was miraculously full of the fruit. End the summer with a big bowl of cherries.   Polenta You love Italian food. On the feast of St. John XXIII, October 11, enjoy one of his favorite. A break from pasta will be a welcome change. You can even take your favorite marinara and meatballs and spread it over this healthy alternative!...

St. Joseph adopted my husband and I, years ago when we were just dating. In the first few months of meeting, I learned my now husband was of an Italian Catholic background, although not Catholic at the time, and Joseph was their family name. When March 19th arrived, 6 months after meeting him, I couldn’t help but celebrate. Especially, since St. Joseph’s Day has a longstanding Italian tradition. In the beginning, my husband’s faith went as far as helping his dad with music ministry at their protestant church. So, the feast day started out very small, just as a way...