St. Valentine teaches us to love

Showering those we love with cards, candy and roses are popular ways to celebrate St. Valentine's Day in the United States. This tradition seems to come from a belief in England and France during the Middle Ages that birds begin to pair on Feb. 14, which just happens to be the feast day of St. Valentine, according to the Catholic Education Resource Center. The connection of romantic love to the Catholic saint can be traced back to Geoffrey Chaucer's Old English poem: "Parliament of Foules." In it he wrote, “For this was sent on Seynt Valentyne’s day More

Diocesan offices to reopen Feb. 2

The offices of the Catholic Diocese of Little Rock will reopen to the public Monday, Feb. 2 with its regular business hours of 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The offices were closed Jan. 26-30 because of a winter storm. To email a member of the staff, visit the staff directory, which is listed in alphabetical order. Look for the name of the person you wish to contact and click on the red button under his or her photo to send an email. Or leave a phone message by calling (501) 664-0340. He or she will respond as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience. For information about More

Celebrate Presentation of Lord on Feb. 2

The Church celebrates the feast of the Presentation of the Lord 40 days after the birth of Jesus. Before 1969, the feast was known as the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, or Candlemas. It was celebrated in the earliest times in the Church in Jerusalem and from there the observance spread throughout the Christian world. According to the law of Moses, a woman was ritually unclean for 40 days after childbirth. Therefore, Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple to present him to the Lord and offer sacrifice for purification. "... just as it is written in the law of the Lord, 'Every male that More