Cerith Gardiner

4 days ago | aleteia.org | Cerith Gardiner

June 4 is the feast day of Maria Elizabeth Hesselblad, who was born to a poor Lutheran family in 1870 Sweden, growing up in a family of 13 siblings that went through economic hardships. As a teenager she immigrated to the United States to work as a nurse, caring for poor immigrant patients in New York City. In serving people of different backgrounds -- many Catholic -- she discovered a faith that inspired her, eventually leading to her conversion to Catholicism.

4 days ago | es.aleteia.org | Cerith Gardiner

Hubo un tiempo en el que pedirnos poner la mesa nos parecía una gran injusticia. Justo cuando nos estábamos acomodando para ver nuestra serie de televisión favorita o salir a correr con los amigos, llegaba la llamada de siempre: «¿Puedes poner la mesa, por favor?». Y con todos los suspiros y las miradas dramáticas que podíamos reunir, arrastrábamos los pies hasta la cocina, colocábamos los platos con estrépito y esperábamos que le pidieran a otra persona que recogiera después.

5 days ago | aleteia.org | Cerith Gardiner

There’s something about June that seems to lift the soul. Perhaps it’s the scent of summer in the air, the longer, lazier evenings, or the joyful sound of schoolchildren counting down the final days before vacation or the first days of freedom. But in the Church calendar, June is more than just the gateway to summer — it’s a month positively bursting with beauty, love, and heart. Quite literally — heart.

6 days ago | aleteia.org | Cerith Gardiner

In a parish in the region of Galicia, Spain, there is a special tradition that ties together two important events in the life of the Church: the Feast of the Ascension and First Holy Communions. Each year, the children of the parish receive their First Communion on Ascension Sunday, a meaningful choice that highlights the deep faith of this community. The Ascension marks the moment when Jesus returned to Heaven, but it is also a powerful reminder that He did not leave us alone.

6 days ago | aleteia.org | Cerith Gardiner

The month of June is a special month in the Church as it turns our gaze toward the Sacred Heart of Jesus — a feast overflowing with love, mercy, and divine tenderness celebrated on June 27 this year. In stained glass windows and quiet chapels around the world, His heart is depicted as radiant, wounded, and aflame — a powerful image of love that suffers, gives, and never ceases to call us back. The devotion to the Sacred Heart reminds us that God is not distant or cold. His love is not abstract.