Using laser beams, archeologists working in Rome recently uncovered what are believed to be the oldest surviving frescoes of the Apostles Peter, Andrew, John, and Paul. Dating from the 4th century these works of art are located in the catacombs of St. Tecla. They've known that there were frescoes there, but they were covered with a thick layer of centuries old calcium build-up. It took...

In the Catholic Church, today is the Feast of Corpus Christi, a day we commemorate Christ's desire to remain with us always in the Eucharist.This special feast began centuries ago in the Umbrian town of Orvieto. The story is somewhat lengthly, and I think I'll save it for another time. Today, I wanted to write about the town of Orvieto and it's great Cathedral, two of my favorite places to...

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together.And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were.Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them.And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the...

A funny thing happened last night. Someone actually called me wanting to know when I was going to post my blog entry. I would have never guessed that I'd now start getting pressure about the speed of my postings. I thought blogging was supposed to be relaxing and good therapy :)Actually, that call, plus speaking to someone else today, just excites me more about this use of communication....

At church on Sunday, a young man I've known for many years came up to talk with me. Seth had just returned from a semester in Florence. We had talked excitedly before his trip. I love to tell people about some of the more obscure places to visit when they're in Tuscany. Florence is filled with them.Seth lived and took his classes in the center of Florence near Santa Croce. Built in 1294, this...

It's the end of a long day, and I feel like I've been racing through it all. Our programs are winding down for the school year, I've been interviewing people for our open position, I took a group out to dinner to thank them for all their hard work, etc., etc., etc. You know how it goes. You've probably had the same kind of day. I'm looking forward to heading home to get some rest. And then it...

The Road To Sienawritten by Edmund Gardener. I'll leave it to you to find out more about Catherine. I just wanted to bring her up because, as I learned through reading this biography, she was one tough person who rose above the difficulties of her time and became a shining example of holiness.Sometimes, actually, I think most of the time, every generation thinks that they have it worse than...

Several years ago, I had the chance to visit the Grand Tetons with my family. I asked "how come no one ever told me about this place?" I had never heard of this mountain range before, and it was one of the most beautiful places I had ever seen. It would be on my "top ten things to see before you die list." Make the trip!It seems like the last few days have been very chaotic. Things are just...

img class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-106" title="DSC08753" src="http://makingallthingsnew.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/dsc08753.jpg" alt="" AmenPlease pray for Fr. Tyson's safe return, scheduled in the next several weeks. God bless him and our troops.

This image of Christ washing the feet of His Disciples is from a series of frescos painted by Giotto and found in the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua. I have been blessed to have seen the originals more than once, and they are precious and powerful, and the story about how they survived World War Two is miraculous. They are, however, not the main story today.Tonight, the Church commemorates the...