Catholicism Archives - Starlight and Saucepans

Upcoming Canonizations

You may already know this, but the new news in the Catholic world is that Blessed Carlo Acutis and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati are going to be canonized on September 7! Bl. Pier Giorgio especially is one of my 'special…

By Lizzie Hexam August 18, 2025Spiritual Life6 Comments

Bookishness Spiritual Life

Inklings // June 2025 (The Great Divorce)

The Inklings prompt for June (see Heidi's post here for rules to link up!) is a scene with running water in book or film. Heidi already chose a (fantastic, of course) C.S. Lewis selection for this prompt, and I am…

By Lizzie Hexam July 28, 2025Bookishness, Spiritual Life13 Comments

Spiritual Life

Seeking the Glory of the Lord

In my Sacred Scripture class this past semester, we spent some time tracking the movement of the glory of the Lord throughout Scripture. In Exodus, we see the glory of the Lord is very close to His people Israel. God…

By Lizzie Hexam April 20, 2025Spiritual Life8 Comments

Period Dramas Spiritual Life

Inklings // March 2025

The prompt for the March Inklings (check out the rules for linking up here!) is a scene with strangers meeting / becoming acquainted. Since we are in the beginning of Holy Week, leading up to the most holy time of…

By Lizzie Hexam April 15, 2025Period Dramas, Spiritual Life3 Comments

ceramic rabbit sitting on top of a stack of books

Bookishness Spiritual Life

“It will be an inducement to her to read more herself. … She means it, I know.”

...or in which Lizzie rambles about books she wants to read, because Lack of Time In General also means Lack of Time to Write Actual Intelligent Blog Posts, and this will be quick and fun to write (and hopefully at…

By Lizzie Hexam April 5, 2025Bookishness, Spiritual Life26 Comments

Spiritual Life

The Surprising Joy of Ash Wednesday

In a few minutes from now I'll be leaving for a quiet, somber Mass with almost no singing, no Gloria, and at which we in the congregation will receive on our foreheads blessed ash in the shape of a cross.…

By Lizzie Hexam March 5, 2025Spiritual Life7 Comments

Spiritual Life

My 10 Favorite Advent Hymns

What ho, readers all! I apologize profusely for abandoning the blogosphere for so long; end-of-semester papers paired with some less-than-stellar time management will do that sort of thing sometimes. It's been so long since I last posted that we are…

By Lizzie Hexam December 12, 2024Spiritual Life8 Comments

Easter painting of the women finding the empty tomb

Spiritual Life

Happy Easter!

I don't just wish you a happy Easter; I wish you a deeply joyful Easter, an Easter whose meaning soaks into your innermost consciousness and which envelops every part of you - physical, mental, and spiritual. Worship the Lord in…

By Lizzie Hexam March 31, 2024Spiritual Life8 Comments

Quote from an ancient homily for Holy Saturday: "Something strange is happening - there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in the flesh and He has raised up all who have slept ever since the world began. God has died in the flesh and Hell trembles with fear."

Spiritual Life

Short Ramblings on Holy Saturday

In December I think, "You know, Christmas really is my favorite time of year." And now, as we approach the Triduum, I'm saying, "Um...actually...you know what...I think this is my favorite time of year." I love Holy Week. I love…

By Lizzie Hexam March 27, 2024Spiritual Life9 Comments

The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis book cover

Bookishness Spiritual Life

Heaven and Hell in The Great Divorce

Today's blog post was slotted to be something quite different (its elegant title in draft was "First Drafts & Writer's Block & Snippets"), but then I stumbled upon the Grim Writer's Remember, O Thou Man Lent link-up...and that put an…

By Lizzie Hexam March 8, 2024Bookishness, Spiritual Life11 Comments