Foundations of Faith

St. Hilary of Poitiers

January 17, 2023

Hilary of Poitiers was a convert to Christianity who ended up a doctor of the church, meaning he was a theologian of the highest degree. Also known as Hilarius, Hilary […]

Honoring the family from Nazareth

December 30, 2022

This is a feast that usually falls on a Sunday. But this year, it will be honored on Friday. Which feast is it? If you guessed by the artwork on […]

Moravian star factory offers 125 years of Christmas, paired with geometry

December 20, 2022

HERRNHUT, GERMANY?— Almost 800,000 Moravian stars in various sizes and colors will leave the factory in the German state of Saxony this year. At least one member of the production […]

Advent hymn has roots in funerals

December 4, 2022

“O Come, O Come …” Next weekend (Nov. 26-27), you will probably start hearing one of the most beloved Advent hymns: “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” (“Veni Veni, Emmanuel” in […]

Statue of St. Francis Xavier from Beijing, China

Advent brings two novena opportunities

November 23, 2022

This Advent brings us at least two opportunities for praying novenas. A novena is a type of prayer that is most often offered as a series of nine days of […]

Image of cross atop tombstone with sky in background

Symbols on tombstones

November 11, 2022

When did you last walk through a cemetery? During the month of November — traditionally the month of All Souls — Catholics are asked to make special efforts to pray […]

Christ Pantocrator icon within dome of the Orthodox Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Tirana, Albania

The blessing hand of Christ reveals both his name and his identity

October 21, 2022

We all know the hand gestures for “OK” and “good job” and “call me.” Some of us even know the “hang loose” Hawaiian hand gesture, called the Shaka sign. But […]

The Cathedral of Notre-Dame de Chartres in Chartres, France, at sunset.

‘Rosary churches’ stand as permanent markers of devotion to Mary

October 7, 2022

October is traditionally the month of the rosary in the Catholic Church. The feast of Our Lady of the Rosary falls on Oct. 7. Besides the familiar string of beads […]

four office plastic markers on a yellow surface

Highlighting the marks of the church

September 23, 2022

 These reminders come up in the creed every Sunday Don’t you love markers? Remember getting a new set of markers for the start of a new school year? I went […]

human hands holding a cross by Bigstockphoto.com

Do other Christians use the sign of the cross, or just Roman Catholics

September 14, 2022

Do other Christians use the sign of the cross, or just Catholics?” This question arrived at The Compass via email a while back. It’s something many of us may wonder. […]

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