Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, takes place at the beginning of the month of Tishrei, which is actually the seventh month of the Jewish year (counting from Nisan in the spring). It is both a time of rejoicing and of serious introspection, a time to celebrate the completion of another year while also taking […]
Yom Kippur is the holiest day ofthe year, when we are closest to the Lord and to the essence of our souls. YomKippur means “Day of Atonement,” as the verse states, “because on this dayatonement will be made for you, to cleanse you. Then, before the Lord, you willbe clean from all your sins.” (Leviticus […]
A celebration of the fall harvest that begins five days after Yom Kippur, Sukkot is named after the booths or huts (sukkot in Hebrew) in which Jews are supposed to dwell during this week-long celebration. According to rabbinic tradition, these flimsy structures represent the huts in which the Israelites dwelt during their 40 years of […]
Simchat Torah is a joyful feast that marks the end of the old Torah reading cycle and the beginning of a new cycle. All the synagogue's Torah scrolls are removed from the ark and are carried around the sanctuary in a series of seven hakafot (circuits). Although each hakafa need only encompass one circuit around […]
Mawlid al-Nabim, celebrated on the 12th of Rabiulawal, marks the birth of Muhammad in A.D. 570. The holy day is celebrated in different ways by different Islamic sects. Mohammed (ca. 570–632) is considered by Muslims to be the prophet and messenger of Allah. Mohammed was raised an orphan in Mecca. As a young man he […]
Chanukah is the Jewish eight-day,wintertime “festival of lights,” celebrated with a nightly menorah lighting,special prayers and fried foods.In the second century BCE, the HolyLand was ruled by the Seleucids (Syrian-Greeks), who tried to force the peopleof Israel to accept Greek culture and beliefs instead of mitzvah observance andbelief in the Lord. Against all odds, a […]
Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration held in the United States and in other nations of the Western African diaspora in the Americas. The celebration honors African heritage in African-American culture, and is observed from December 26 to January 1, culminating in a feast and gift-giving. It was created by Maulana Karenga, and was first celebrated in […]
The Jewish “New Year of the Trees”is celebrated with observances that connect humankind to the natural world.This holiday has special significance because "Man is the tree of thefield" (Deuteronomy 20:19). Through cultivating strong roots – faith andcommitment to the Lord – we produce many fruits. On this day it is customary to eatthe fruit with […]
For more information go to https://www.franciscanmedia.org/blessed-luke-belludi/ Saint of the Day is used with permission from Franciscan Media (www.FranciscanMedia.org).
The Isra and Mi'raj (Arabic: الإسراء والمعراج, al-’Isrā’wal-Mi‘rāj) are the two parts of a Night Journey that, according to Islam, the Islamic prophet Muhammad took during a single night around the year 621. Within Islam it signifies both a physical and spiritual journey, and is remembered in prayer.
The festival of Purim is celebrated every year on the 14th of the Hebrew month of Adar, in late winter or early spring. It commemorates the salvation of the Jewish people in ancient Persia from Haman’s plot “to destroy, kill and annihilate all the Jews, young and old, infants and women, in a single day,” as […]
Each year, corresponding with the ninth month of the lunar calendar, Muslims spend a month in daytime fasting. This observance is called Ramadan. From dawn to sunset during this month, Muslims abstain from food, liquids, smoking, and sex. This fast is an extremely important aspect of the Muslim faith: in fact, it is one of […]
