I was baptized Catholic but found Jesus as an Evangelical. I reverted to Catholicism 21 years ago and while I’m grateful for my time as an Evangelical, I am so happy to have the fullness of the Catholic faith! Thank you, Matt; I love it when you go to a Catholic Church.
@@caveman_merk Jumping in for Teresa, and as a Catholic with Evangelical Baptist in-laws (functionally in-laws at least and one's a head pastor) and on my dad's side of the family, the big thing is tradition. The great danger posed by breaking with the Church and becoming so bible focused is that the traditions and context needed to interpret the Bible is almost always lost. Every sacrament we have has a biblical root, same as the Pope's authority, and ultimately the Church (and Orthodox traditions) existed before the Bible was codified. The lineage of understanding has become so muddled that you can very easily fall into cult like patterns and distorted beliefs. Fundamentally, all protestants are islands in their own interpretations. It makes it easy to get twisted about.
@@userJohnSmith hey “dude.” I mean John. While God IS everywhere we do NOT worship dirt. We worship the Eucharist. God isn’t a thing to “vibe” with and by the fact that you used the word “vibe” Im going to take the risk and assume you’re very young. Evangelicalism offers people emotionalism and entertainment but did God order us to seek that or Him and His truth? I wasn’t belittling the OP I was just doubtful that they didn’t encounter God in the Catholic Church but did so elsewhere. I’m glad they found God and I’m even happier they returned to the Church.
History and theology aside, the pain a mother must have felt watching her son be accused, convicted, beaten, crucified, and buried must have been unbearable.
And imagine noticing that nearly all of Jesus' friends and acquaintances had abandoned Him along the road to Calvary. Such a horrible moment to behold.
@@pacempax5236 Noooo! I don’t know if you know or not, but, in the Bible, there’s absolutely no mention to pray to some rosary or whatnot! What you totally need to do is bring your heart to Jesus Christ himself!
@@kennethneece4838lol! We dont pray TO a Rosary, we pray THE rosary. Do your research, the rosary is an evolution of how priests would pray the psalms. To keep track, they would use rocks, after each psalms they would throw a rock into a bucket. Then came prayer ropes, where people would tie knots after each prayer. The rosary is an evolution of that, prayer beads. Its rooted in tradition, something protestants dont have, so its hard for them to understand traditions of the original ways of worship.
@@matthewharjo7512 Well, all that stuff that you had mentioned is absolutely Not in the Bible( the rosary, rosary beads ) and whatnot! I would very highly suggest to you that you absolutely start praying to the most high Jesus Christ himself before it’s to late! You know that Jesus hated all of that before it’s not of him and all that stuff is all man made religion and such! I cannot emphasize enough of how God absolutely hates man made religion and even just straight religion as well, believing in God IS NOT about religion, but, it’s about having a relationship with God himself and doing his will and spreading his word throughout the world and bringing others to know God too!
I am a lifelong Roman Catholic and have never seen the Stations of the Cross as murals. Beautiful!! I also love that this wonderful Priest admits that he cannot remember everything!!
Fr. Sigmund is very sweet but I think he was not able to satisfy Matt’s quest for the knowledge of the symbolism of the Catholic faith depicted all around the church.
@@bryanbouzigard7019 You have no proof of that. The Greek word used for brothers can mean cousins. Also it’s also more likely they were step siblings from Joseph’s previous marriage. The fact that Jesus entrusted his mother to the Apostle John points in the direct that Joseph was dead and had no children with Mary to look after her.
@@bryanbouzigard7019 Hedge handles this already. But I'd like to reiterate the point. It would have been illegal and unethical to entrust Mary to John if she had others sons. Since Mary was entrusted to John, she did not have other sons.
I love that you are so respectful of the Catholic Church and that you have gained such a deep knowledge and appreciation of our faith and traditions. God bless you on your journey and in your ministry.
Also, not sure if it was clear....Catholics do not genuflect to acknowledge Christ as King in a general sense when we enter Church...but specifically because the Divine Presence is in the Church i.e. Jesus is truly present (body, blood, soul, and divinity) in the Eucharist within the tabernacle. No Eucharist in a Catholic Church? No genuflection.
You are absolutely right but at the same time the priest in the video was also right, just missing context. No one bends the knee at a photograph of a monarch, but they do in the true presence of one
Even as a cradle Catholic, I never understood genuflecting before the unconsecrated host. My impression was that the host simply remains bread and wine until the priest consecrates it during mass.
I love what he said about the Sunday Mass when everyone is trying to get here. It made me cry because it’s true, our life is a mess. Sometimes we’re not even sure if we deserve to come to Mass and receive Jesus in the Eucharist, but what the priest said is Jesus’ love for us means being with us. He came to the world and join us in this messy world to be with us because of love. We are all sinners, lost, selfish, ignorant but Jesus came to join our humanity to show us His love. That in this mess of life, He gives us hope from His act of Love. He comes, welcomes and embraces us no matter our situation is. We are loved, accepted and welcomed.
What a beautiful Church. I love the Romanesque style. I am in my early 40s, and so happy I've returned to the Church. Thank you for this video and respect shown for a denomination that is not your own.
Nice conversation and thorough description of this beautiful church. Matt - your best video to date was when you visited with Father Diaz at Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City.
@@bryanbouzigard7019 The saints are not dead. Like Jesus, when we pass away, we are made alive in the Spirit. Christians do not really die, we go to be with Jesus in Heaven.
Thank you for sharing this profound video, Matt. As a Catholic, I found myself deeply moved by your conversation with Fr. Sigmund. His theological insights into the rich symbolism within our faith-the sacred icons, the Stations of the Cross, and the Seven Sorrows of Mary-were truly illuminating. I was particularly struck by your reflection on the holy women, including Veronica, who stood by Jesus in His darkest hour, while the chosen apostles were scattered. This is precisely how we Catholics meditate on this sacred scene in Scripture. It powerfully underscores the steadfast love and fidelity of Mary, who remained with her Son to the very end, embodying perfect discipleship and maternal devotion. The symbolism you explored resonates deeply, stirring the heart and inviting a more profound contemplation of the mysteries of our faith.
The title Our Lady of Sorrows is a devotion to the seven sorrows Our Lady experienced in her life. The seven sorrows are: the prophecy of Simeon of the sword of sorrow which will pierce will pierce her heart, the flight and dwelling in Egypt, the distress of the loss for 3 days of Jesus when He was 12, the meeting of our Lady with Jesus as He carried His Cross, the witnessing of Our Lord's passion and death, the witnessing of the lance piercing the side and heart of Our Lord, and finally the laying of our Lord's body in the tomb. Every September is traditionally given to this devotion, and the recollection of these sufferings.
I appreciate you posting them to better reflect on what Fr. shared with guest (Matt) and us the viewers. Now I focusing and seeking the Holy Spirit to help me further reflect on the virgin Mary's suffering. I am in disheartening to even imagine how rarely does anyone die for our sins, yet Jesus died for all of our sins. Praise you Lord King Jesus!
@@marym.338 The prophecy of Simeon and the Presentation are the same. One focuses on the joyful aspect of the occasion and the other on Simeon’s prophecy that’s sword of sorrow would pierce Mary’s heart too just like her son’s.
@@christianmaestas4435 it might be that there is more than one list. The one I posted was from a 1959 prayer book, and I have seen it in other locations, but a devotion like this might have more than 1 expression.
@@bekabell1 that makes sense. I’ve been praying the rosary of the Seven Sorrows for a while now and for me it is like pulling thorns out of Mary’s heart by suffering the pinch myself and offering roses to her. It has really softened up my heart and improved my confessions to have this devotion.
Mrs. Homemaker is right. If Christ is not in the Tabernacle, we bow to the altar as it is the symbol of Christ. I think, not sure, that bowing to relics is only if they are on public display.
I grew up in this church. Missed out on the best part, the organ. This was the only church I’ve been to that after mass not many would leave because the organist would stray from the script and send us home with some of the most amazing music. That organ would shake the building! It was amazing.
At 15:02, the Saint is Saint Anthony holding Christ and lilies (signifying purity). Research regarding the lilies: “In 1680, on June 13, in the church at Mentosca d'Agesco in Austria, someone placed a cut lily in the hand of his statue. For an entire year the lily remained fragrant and fully alive, without wilting. Then the following year it grew two more blooms, so that the church was filled with the fragrance of the flowers.” Great touring of this parish! Edit: The Father is accurate in the lilies signifying Saint Joseph! Had to search; so great a cloud of witnesses. ♥️
Yes, and I'm from San Antonio, TX which is named for Saint Anthony of Padua... A little more info: Anthony had a very close relationship with Jesus and had a great innocence (purity) of heart, so his spirituality included a special devotion to the Christ Child. It's said at one time that Anthony was staying in a place and another friar passed by Anthony's room late at night, noticing that he had been up all night in prayer. The friar saw Anthony devotedly holding a little child in his arms who was shining with a bright light, holding Anthony's face. The friar realized it was the Christ Child, appearing to Anthony in his prayer. The story eventually spread and that is why today he is depicted with the Christ Child and the Scriptures, as well as lilies.
If it's a beardless young man wearing a Franciscan habit, it's Saint Anthony. If it's an older man with a beard and vaguely ancient looking clothes, it's Saint Joseph.
The devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows renewed my faith entirely and consoling her heart in the Sorrows Rosary has completely reshaped my relationship with Christ. All of our devotion and love for Mary is ultimately for Christ, our remembrance of her sorrow draws us deeper into His sorrowful Passion. She is nothing without Him, she has no merit without Him, she is our mother because she was given to us at the foot of the Cross (Jn 19:26) I pray dearly that all souls would console Mary's heart without fear or hesitancy because every time we show love for our Mother, we honor Him who loved her first. Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!
Simeon said to Mary, ‘A sword will pierce your heart’. This pierced heart of Mary suffered perfectly submitting perfectly to the will of God. Just as God our Father offered his son Jesus to the world for our salvation, Mary offered her son Jesus for us for our salvation in perfect love and submission. That is why her heart is called Immaculate. When we offer our agony to ‘Our Lady of sorrows’ she gives us the strength the carry the cross graciously. Our sorrow is either taken away or given strength to suffer perfectly. The 7 sorrows of Mary devotion is a powerful novena.
its nice that you noticed everyone genuflect when they enter the church. I think this wonderful priest missed a key component of this practice. if you scroll to the 18:00 mark of the video you see a nice image of the altar with the Tabernacle in the center. That Tabernacle is where we put the unconsumed host. We believe that the bread durring the mass becomes the true presence of Christ. and any unconsumed bread is placed in the Tabernacle. When looking at the Tabernacle, to the left is a red candle. when that candle is lit, there is unconsumed host in the Tabernacle, and so in turn, Jesus is present in the building. so we genuflect in his presence because he is King. if the candle is not lit, there is no need to genuflect. it has nothing to do with the crucifix in the front of the building, and everything to do with the true presence of Christ. God Bless you. I truly love how you explore the diversity of Christian Faith.
Matt, your podcasts on Spotify are great, but I LOVE these videos.❤ You possess humility and the ability to take every thought captive and examine it. So rare in today's shallow world.
@@MattWhitmanTMBH I wish you could do a video like this of a Mormon church. I think at the very least, it would be interesting to hear their take on the Bible and how they see themselves in relation to Christianity.
@@zuperdee nope, any church that view Jesus doctrinally as only the counter part or another "person" of the archangel gabriel is "HERETICAL". And also, mormonism advertized "polygamy" before... So, you know.. 😊
I like this dude. I like where he goes at 17:25. His tone changes and you feel his passion for what he does. Thanks Matt for bringing Father Sigmund to us.
I love it when you go to the Catholic church! I was raised Methodist but have become Catholic, so I learn so much in these videos - plus, nod along with your Protestant observations.
This was such a beautiful interview and tour of this church. Fr. Sigmund's description of a perfect mass was such a gift. He must be a very kind priest and an obsrvant one of his flock.
I work with indigenous Catholics in Latin America. Our Lady of Sorrows is very special to them. It is probably the only advocation or saint they will not allow any syncretism with. One, because they know her deep pain and want to console her rather than combining her with some prehispanic celebration and two, because they have gone through their own pains and want spiritual company.
A perfect way to end! Father's reflection on his growth as a priest. He says his favorite mass is a typical Sunday mass where Jesus comes to meet his people where they are, in the middle of life.
I greatly appreciate Matt. He's such a genuine ambassador who on the one hand doesn't want to sweep away differences but on the other hand doesn't want to exaggerate them or get them wrong. I love it every time Matt does these meetings.
I am a Byzantine Catholic but I grew up as a Roman Catholic. I pray the Seraphic (Franciscan Crown) Rosary every day and one option for mediation is the 7 Sorrows of the Blessed Mother. She is also titled as the Queen of Martyrs.
Mary the Dawn, Christ the Perfect Day; Mary the Gate, Christ the Heav’nly Way! Mary the Root, Christ the Mystic Vine; Mary the Grape, Christ the Sacred Wine! Mary the Wheat-sheaf, Christ the Living Bread; Mary the Rose-Tree, Christ the Rose Blood-red! Mary the Font, Christ the Cleansing Flood; Mary the Chalice, Christ the Saving Blood! Mary the Temple, Christ the Temple’s Lord; Mary the Shrine, Christ the God adored! Mary the Beacon, Christ the Haven’s Rest; Mary the Mirror, Christ the Vision Blest! Mary the Mother, Christ the Mother’s Son. Both ever blest while endless ages run. Amen.
Fr. Sigmund is a retired priest who lives at the pariah. He's 85 years old! The very last minute or so of this video revealed a tremendous amount of the wisdom he has gained in his long life of service.
Yay, another church tour! Thank you for the time and effort you put into these videos!! Also I love Fr. spirit of humility and care for his flock. He seems so sweet :)
That statue 15:11 is of St Anthony of Padua a franciscan saint! A great saint revered to in almost every Catholic church! He is seen holding the baby Jesus in his hands - it was an apparition ! And that being the greatest thing that very few saints have experienced and people have witnessed through them, so they and he in particular is revered in almost all churches! And the one on the right is St Francis of Assisi the founder of the Franciscan Order Twon franciscan saints in one frame!
Now this is "S" Tier qualtiy stuff!!! I am not a catholic. I am a protestant but man oh man... To here him speak of Jesus in the way that he does is a beautiful thing. I hope to see the church I work with view their congregants the way he does. This was fantastic. Also, I am a bit partial to STL! Good Stuff Matt.
That was a thoughtful comment. I'm Catholic. If there's any questions you have about the Catholic Church you may have that I may be able to answer, feel free to reply to this comment. God is giving Matt an awesome mission. He's so respectful and genuinely interested. It's fun to see.
@@MWroses Thank you for the reach out and kind comment. I honestly have a good catholic friend where I live and we take time to ask each other question. Thank you and Have a fantastic Week!
After encountering God I was Baptized Catholic and came into the Church at 19 after being an atheist/agnostic. I have now been accepted to the Postulancy of the Lay Dominicans. You should meet with some Dominican Friars Matt, also the Nuns (contemplative) Sisters (contemplative and active) and the Lay Dominicans. We are one family. The Dominican Order is 800 years old and has never splintered we are very united in Christ and his Church. The ordee was begun by St Dominic and he knew St Francis, except St Dominic was Spanish and Francis was Italian. The Dominicans are called the Order of Preachers (OP) and their motto is Veritas. Their four charisms are; Contemplation, Preaching, Study and Community.. Dominicans really know their scripture and are big scripture scholars. St Thomas Aquinas was a Dominican. Dominicans are involved in Preaching, teaching and evangelization.
The best Mass is the one where ordinary people come with their sorrows, brokenness and sins. Because Jesus sees our unworthiness and our pain and His Sacred Heart is so moved to great pity for us and He heals us. This good priest has the heart of the Good Shepherd. It's like Jesus was speaking through him. He is with us in every part of our lives even the most unpleasant ones. Thanks for this tour of the Church, Matt. I love your channel.
I enjoy your videos that teach us about all of the other denominations. It would be interesting to have a breakdown of your followers. I bet it would be surprising. Cradle Catholic here, but enjoy learning more about my own faith as well as others.
I didn't join, I was born into it, as stated by the word "cradle." Which denomination do you reside in? I think most can agree that we have more similarities than differences. I hope that you do not celebrate any of the holidays, or even the everyday calendar, founded and established by the RCC.
For anyone wondering about 19:00 in the video showing the Eye of God symbol where Fr. Sigmund doesn't describe the Hebrew - It's the Tetragrammaton. That is, Y-H-W-H read right to left.
Poor Solanus Casey wasn't allowed to be ordained a full priest because he failed his Hebrew & Greek language exams. I guess the Catholic Church has loosened its foreign language requirements over the years
Hey, Matt. I hope you remember me, but it's ok and understandable if you don't. I've been missing from the channel for a bit. I just wanted to say that seeing you treat other traditions with such respect and curiosity has done so much good for my heart. I'm very grateful for you. All the best!
When my husband and I married 50+ years ago, I described myself as non-Lutheran and he was non-Catholic. Tried as I might, I did not understand the Catholic traditions. This video was enlightening and interesting. Thank you. An added benefit for me was learning my attraction to the anchor!
I’ve admired this beautiful church passing by on Kingshighway but never been inside. Thank you for sharing this interesting and educational talk with Father Sigmund. Growing up Protestant I had never heard the Veronica story. Btw the Hebrew is the Tetragrammaton (YHWH, the holy name of God).
Saint Anthony of Padua holding the infant Jesus. That was the statue on the left. Hints throughout seem to show a Franciscan influence on that church’s establishment. If you know a little about Saint Anthony of Padua you know he wasn’t in Bethlehem with baby Jesus 2000 years ago. While praying the joyful mysteries of the rosary, infrequently on the third decade I cradle my arms and pretend to hold the infant Jesus to keep Him safe and warm. This can be a beautiful experience to pray the rosary with such imagination that your mind is transported through time and space and you might experience something special that you remember even years later. The rosary is a prayer anyone can pray if they want to and there is much more to it than merely reciting and repeating prayers. Saints are traditionally shown a particular way. St. Anthony of Padua is frequently depicted holding the infant Jesus. Matt if you continue to learn enough you may become Catholic. I did. Next time you lose or misplace something pray to Saint Anthony of Padua and promise to give a donation (perhaps $5 or cost of a loaf of bread) for the poor. And you will frequently find the item … don’t forget to put a donation in the poor box (or Salvation Army or similar). Saint Anthony of Padua’s story is quite interesting. Many years before Saint Anthony of Padua was another Christian now known as Saint Anthony of the Desert.
have been watching your channel for the last couple of years. You are ever more so polite now, but anyway, please keep up the work. I am sure the Good Lord is smiling upon you now, may he continue to bless your work in ecumenism!
St. Veronica is part of Orthodox tradition too, she's the same woman whose faith in Jesus healed her of her blood issue when she touched His garments. On the way to the cross she gave him a cloth to wipe His face and it left an image of His face on it, and the cloth with the face of Christ became a common symbol still used in Orthodoxy.
St Anthony of Padua, a Franciscan friar, is the one some people ask to find lost items or a spouse by putting him upside down. On a serious note, he was a scholar so St Francis rejected him. St Francis wanted only "simple people" to serve others humbly and thought a scholar wouldn't. When there was a debate with the Dominicans, who are scholarly, the Franciscans had no one to represent them. Other friars convinced St Francis of accepting St Anthony of Padua into their Order to send him. His knowledge & eloquence overwhelmed everyone. He was known as "the canary of God is" for his amazing preaching.
This was lovely thank you for coming to our churches and respecting them and helping others to see our religion in hopefully a more positive light in these dark times thank you 🙏🏼✝️🕊 if you’re looking for other places to go to a TLM or church would be really cool. I have never cried in any public place in my entire life but I could not stop the tears from flowing in my TLM parish so reverent so beautiful. Truly something to see at least once in everyone’s lifetime 🙏🏼❤️
Beautiful Church and sounds like a humble priest. The art in catholic and orthadox churches brings the bible to life and it teaches us about Jesus. Thank you Matt for being so respectful to other Christian traditions. Keep doing what your doing brother in Christ 🙏
I've been waiting forever for your videos of you visiting a church regardless of what type of Christian denomination. Please keep it coming. Thanks to your videos I converted to Anglican/Episcopalian
@@MattWhitmanTMBH The theological diversity of Anglicanism is I'd say the most distinctive thing about it. Different schools of thought within it emerged from different churchmanships, and even within each one there is considerable variety. Even within the ACNA and the rest of GAFCON who hold the 39 Articles as a binding confession of faith, it's not as binding and open to interpretation than the Book of Concord or Westminster Confession is for Lutherans or Presbyterians, respectively
@@MattWhitmanTMBH Perhaps one day you could make a visit for the Personal Ordinariate of the Catholic Church, which was meant for converts from Anglicanism in order to keep their anglican patrimony.
In my grad school days I was a teaching assistant for architecture history. So some may be confused by the reference to St. Peter's & St. Mary Major. He is referring to the originals built by Emperor Constantine (4th C. A.D.). This has little resemblance to the baroque churches you will see currently in Rome. St. Paul's yes. Also I prefer to call the style Late Roman, and reserve Romanesque for 9th Century up until the Gothic period starts 12th C.; but i'm being persnickety.
Nicely done! Encourage you, Matt, to look up St. Mary Margaret Alacoque and the revelation of the Sacred Heart devotion--perhaps a show on that subject--just a thought.
Matt, I would love to see you visit a convent of religious sisters and talk with them about their Catholic faith/convent space as well. The Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Cleveland, OH, would be a good one :)
Hey, you should come to St Wenceslaus in Cedar Rapids Iowa! It’s a Czech independent Catholic church, meaning it was started as a Czech national church, it’s independent from the eastern Iowan Bishop, and it celebrates the latin mass on Sundays at 8am, as well as in the evenings of Monday and Wednesday. It’s really beautiful, and small.
Christ is the only person in history to choose his own mother, and he chose Mary. Imagine getting to carry, birth, and raise a child that you know is God in the flesh. She was with Him to the end, with him after the resurrection, and with the Apostles at Pentecost. Mary was special, that is why she is venerated (never worshiped). She was the first Christian.
Matt, thank you for this video, what a beautiful parish! I am Roman Catholic and I appreciate your openness in wanting to know and understand what and why we do the things that we do. To further elaborate about why Catholic churches have all of this art, statues, stained glass, etc., is that we need to remember that most people in the early church were not educated and could not read, also if you could read there were no printing presses so you couldn't just go to Barnes and Noble and purchase a bible LOL, plus to obtain an entire bible it would have cost around a year's worth of wages (that's why for many years the bibles were chained so nobody would steal them) so the statues, art work etc., would be used to teach the people about the scriptures and the life of Christ. As father had mentioned how we come to mass with all our distractions from life, these images first help us to remember that we are now leaving the world for a short time and are entering into a sacred space and they help us to turn off all of the noise and distractions of everyday life so we can lift our minds and hearts to God and to seek His Face in prayer, to place ourselves in the scenes of the scriptures to help us ponder and contemplate the scriptures (whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things Phil 4:8). To help us seek what is above and not the things of earth (Col 3:2) during this time of prayer/worship that we will be entering into during the celebration of the mass.
My respect for catholicism had grown so much through your videos, Matt. So much beauty in the symbolism it evokes worship and contemplation. Thank you!
I live in St Louis and would recommend the two Basilicas. The one under the arch has important historical value and the new Basilica has the most beautiful mosaics this side of Rome.
*John.17:* 17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. *Jeremiah.7:* 2 “Stand at the door of the House of Yahweh and publish this word there: Listen, you men of Judah, who enter this door to worship Yahweh. 3 Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: Improve your course and your deeds, and I will stay with you in this place. 4 Do not trust lying words like these: Look at the Temple of Yahweh! Here is the Temple of Yahweh! This is the Temple of Yahweh! ...17 Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem? 18 The children pile up the wood, the parents light the fire, and the women knead the dough to make cakes for the queen of heaven. And then they pour wine in honor of foreign gods, so as to offend me. 19 But is it me, perhaps, whom they lower with that, says Yahweh? Is it not rather to themselves, to his own dishonor? *1John.2:* 21 I am writing to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because a lie cannot come out of the truth. *1 Corinthians 10:* 11 Everything that happened to them was our own history, and it was written to instruct those who would come in the last times, that is, us. 12 So let him who thinks he is standing take heed that he does not fall. 13 In fact, you have not yet suffered more than very ordinary tests. But God is faithful and he will not allow you to be tempted beyond strength. In the moment of temptation he will give you strength to overcome it. 14 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, flee from the worship of idols.
Agree the new Basilica (been around for almost 100 years but the mosaics were applied over decades) will take your breath away. One can imagine St. Mark's in Venice when it was "new". Just wow.
Loved the video but one thing: Jesus and Mary are not the only figures depicted with a special heart. Can’t forget about the Most Chaste Heart of Saint Joseph!
08:55 the hymn is “Will your anchor hold?” The chorus is: We have an anchor that keeps the soul, Steadfast and sure whilst the billows roll, Fastened to the rock that cannot move! Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love! An inspirational hymn.
@@MattWhitmanTMBH Ok Sir no problem, It was so similar to a hymn I’ve known from childhood😊 I will look yours up too. That’s how we learn together. God bless you and your work! Ian
Matt... I recently returned to church after an evangelical upbringing had soured me on Christianity. I've found an Episcopalian church near me that feels like it's where I should be. Your videos have really been a blessing in helping me choose where to go. One denomination I did research a bit (but alas no congregation nearby) was the Quakers. I'm wondering if you have done a video on them that I'm missing or if you plan to at some point
First christians church, is the right choise: that is Catholic Church. Read apostolic fathers of the Church, they teach what early christians believed. God bless you 🙏
My great grandmother was asked to dedicate a statue of Our Lady of Sorrows at her parish because she had lost several of her children in wars and accidents
The name Veronica means True Image. The station of the Cross with St. Veronica not only shows us the love and compassion a disciple of Christ ought to have for Our Savior Jesus Christ, but it summarizes the Gospel & the life of a Christian: to become a True Image of Christ.
St Veronica... Veronica means True Image. The tradition is likely apocryphal however a similar thing happened. The blood was important to Jews and so when being brought down from the Cross it is believed that a cloth was placed over his face and head, then taken off for his burial shroud to be wrapped. For more detail look at the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium
That was interesting your take on Veronica being extrabiblical so not being appropriate (not your words, but my sense of your thoughts) alongside the biblical stations. I think that's a big difference between Catholics and Protestants. I grew up Protestant and converted to Catholicism in my mid 20s (15 years ago-ish) and I actually liked all those ancient traditions. The Stations of the Cross was a local tradition of Christians in the Middle East, and if Veronica experienced something, I don't have a problem believing it just because it wasn't in the Bible. The Bible itself came out of these same early communities, as did guides to church life like the Didache.
I was baptized Catholic but found Jesus as an Evangelical. I reverted to Catholicism 21 years ago and while I’m grateful for my time as an Evangelical, I am so happy to have the fullness of the Catholic faith! Thank you, Matt; I love it when you go to a Catholic Church.
What woud you say evangelical Christians are missing?
@@caveman_merk Jumping in for Teresa, and as a Catholic with Evangelical Baptist in-laws (functionally in-laws at least and one's a head pastor) and on my dad's side of the family, the big thing is tradition. The great danger posed by breaking with the Church and becoming so bible focused is that the traditions and context needed to interpret the Bible is almost always lost. Every sacrament we have has a biblical root, same as the Pope's authority, and ultimately the Church (and Orthodox traditions) existed before the Bible was codified. The lineage of understanding has become so muddled that you can very easily fall into cult like patterns and distorted beliefs. Fundamentally, all protestants are islands in their own interpretations. It makes it easy to get twisted about.
Im sorry Ms. Teresa but you found Jesus in an evangelical church? Did you never attend Holy Mass? Jesus is present there in the Blessed Sacrament.
@@in_defense_of_the_church Dude, he's "present" in dirt too, not everyone vibes with mass early on. Don't be that guy.
@@userJohnSmith hey “dude.” I mean John. While God IS everywhere we do NOT worship dirt. We worship the Eucharist. God isn’t a thing to “vibe” with and by the fact that you used the word “vibe” Im going to take the risk and assume you’re very young. Evangelicalism offers people emotionalism and entertainment but did God order us to seek that or Him and His truth? I wasn’t belittling the OP I was just doubtful that they didn’t encounter God in the Catholic Church but did so elsewhere. I’m glad they found God and I’m even happier they returned to the Church.
History and theology aside, the pain a mother must have felt watching her son be accused, convicted, beaten, crucified, and buried must have been unbearable.
The pain is more because of the false accusations against Jesus
@@justthink8952 exactly
And imagine noticing that nearly all of Jesus' friends and acquaintances had abandoned Him along the road to Calvary. Such a horrible moment to behold.
@@jimmyintheswamp Everyone except Mary. That is why she is to be called blessed for all generations. Because of her obedience.
Mary Queen of Martyrs, pray for us.
As a mother whose daughter was stillborn last year, I tear up everytime I see the pieta. I really leaned into Our Lady of Sorrows during that time.
May God give you abundant grace.
I'm sure you have, but if you haven't, I suggest praying the rosary of the seven sorrows.
@@pacempax5236 Noooo! I don’t know if you know or not, but, in the Bible, there’s absolutely no mention to pray to some rosary or whatnot! What you totally need to do is bring your heart to Jesus Christ himself!
@@kennethneece4838lol! We dont pray TO a Rosary, we pray THE rosary. Do your research, the rosary is an evolution of how priests would pray the psalms. To keep track, they would use rocks, after each psalms they would throw a rock into a bucket. Then came prayer ropes, where people would tie knots after each prayer. The rosary is an evolution of that, prayer beads. Its rooted in tradition, something protestants dont have, so its hard for them to understand traditions of the original ways of worship.
@@matthewharjo7512 Well, all that stuff that you had mentioned is absolutely Not in the Bible( the rosary, rosary beads ) and whatnot! I would very highly suggest to you that you absolutely start praying to the most high Jesus Christ himself before it’s to late! You know that Jesus hated all of that before it’s not of him and all that stuff is all man made religion and such! I cannot emphasize enough of how God absolutely hates man made religion and even just straight religion as well, believing in God IS NOT about religion, but, it’s about having a relationship with God himself and doing his will and spreading his word throughout the world and bringing others to know God too!
Your videos helped me with Catholicism I was orthodox and was anti catholic thinking it was anti Christian now I’m catholic!!
God bless you, brother.
Praise God for your journey
How old are you
Why anti Christian?
Holy Orthodoxy is calling you back
I am a lifelong Roman Catholic and have never seen the Stations of the Cross as murals. Beautiful!! I also love that this wonderful Priest admits that he cannot remember everything!!
Fr. Sigmund is very sweet but I think he was not able to satisfy Matt’s quest for the knowledge of the symbolism of the Catholic faith depicted all around the church.
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,”
1 Timothy 2:5
Joseph and Mary had more children after the VIRGIN BIRTH OF JESUS not SINLESS virgin birth
@@bryanbouzigard7019 You have no proof of that. The Greek word used for brothers can mean cousins. Also it’s also more likely they were step siblings from Joseph’s previous marriage. The fact that Jesus entrusted his mother to the Apostle John points in the direct that Joseph was dead and had no children with Mary to look after her.
@@bryanbouzigard7019 Hedge handles this already. But I'd like to reiterate the point. It would have been illegal and unethical to entrust Mary to John if she had others sons. Since Mary was entrusted to John, she did not have other sons.
I love that you are so respectful of the Catholic Church and that you have gained such a deep knowledge and appreciation of our faith and traditions. God bless you on your journey and in your ministry.
Awesome episode! As a Protestant currently going through RCIA, this was super interesting! What a beautiful church!
Welcome we are glad you are here with us 🙏🏼🥰✝️
Welcome home! Lookup the 7 sorrows of Mary devotion. Many graces are given if you do it daily
I did it over 20 years ago; welcome home!
Thank you for coming into the Catholic Church, God love ya!
Don’t be afraid to take her home.
Welcome home
Also, not sure if it was clear....Catholics do not genuflect to acknowledge Christ as King in a general sense when we enter Church...but specifically because the Divine Presence is in the Church i.e. Jesus is truly present (body, blood, soul, and divinity) in the Eucharist within the tabernacle. No Eucharist in a Catholic Church? No genuflection.
You are absolutely right but at the same time the priest in the video was also right, just missing context. No one bends the knee at a photograph of a monarch, but they do in the true presence of one
So glad you clarified that, what a missed opportunity!
Correct. We genuflect in the Holy presence of God in the Tabernacle.
Even as a cradle Catholic, I never understood genuflecting before the unconsecrated host. My impression was that the host simply remains bread and wine until the priest consecrates it during mass.
Eucharist is wrong.. Jesus sacrifice is done centuries ago.. Hes sacrifice is not every week.. thats is illogical.
I love what he said about the Sunday Mass when everyone is trying to get here. It made me cry because it’s true, our life is a mess. Sometimes we’re not even sure if we deserve to come to Mass and receive Jesus in the Eucharist, but what the priest said is Jesus’ love for us means being with us. He came to the world and join us in this messy world to be with us because of love. We are all sinners, lost, selfish, ignorant but Jesus came to join our humanity to show us His love. That in this mess of life, He gives us hope from His act of Love. He comes, welcomes and embraces us no matter our situation is. We are loved, accepted and welcomed.
What a beautiful Church. I love the Romanesque style. I am in my early 40s, and so happy I've returned to the Church. Thank you for this video and respect shown for a denomination that is not your own.
Welcome back to the Church!
Nice conversation and thorough description of this beautiful church.
Matt - your best video to date was when you visited with Father Diaz at Cathedral of the Madeleine in Salt Lake City.
“For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus,”
1 Timothy 2:5
NOT MARY or spirits of dead people
@@bryanbouzigard7019 The saints are not dead. Like Jesus, when we pass away, we are made alive in the Spirit. Christians do not really die, we go to be with Jesus in Heaven.
satan hates Jesus and Mary
satan hates Holy Eucharist and Rosary
The last question and answer was beautiful. You could hear the passion he has for his flock.
Thank you for sharing this profound video, Matt. As a Catholic, I found myself deeply moved by your conversation with Fr. Sigmund. His theological insights into the rich symbolism within our faith-the sacred icons, the Stations of the Cross, and the Seven Sorrows of Mary-were truly illuminating. I was particularly struck by your reflection on the holy women, including Veronica, who stood by Jesus in His darkest hour, while the chosen apostles were scattered. This is precisely how we Catholics meditate on this sacred scene in Scripture. It powerfully underscores the steadfast love and fidelity of Mary, who remained with her Son to the very end, embodying perfect discipleship and maternal devotion. The symbolism you explored resonates deeply, stirring the heart and inviting a more profound contemplation of the mysteries of our faith.
I was a member of that parish and married there in 1966. It’s a beautiful church.
The title Our Lady of Sorrows is a devotion to the seven sorrows Our Lady experienced in her life. The seven sorrows are: the prophecy of Simeon of the sword of sorrow which will pierce will pierce her heart, the flight and dwelling in Egypt, the distress of the loss for 3 days of Jesus when He was 12, the meeting of our Lady with Jesus as He carried His Cross, the witnessing of Our Lord's passion and death, the witnessing of the lance piercing the side and heart of Our Lord, and finally the laying of our Lord's body in the tomb.
Every September is traditionally given to this devotion, and the recollection of these sufferings.
I appreciate you posting them to better reflect on what Fr. shared with guest (Matt) and us the viewers. Now I focusing and seeking the Holy Spirit to help me further reflect on the virgin Mary's suffering. I am in disheartening to even imagine how rarely does anyone die for our sins, yet Jesus died for all of our sins. Praise you Lord King Jesus!
@@marym.338 The prophecy of Simeon and the Presentation are the same. One focuses on the joyful aspect of the occasion and the other on Simeon’s prophecy that’s sword of sorrow would pierce Mary’s heart too just like her son’s.
I thought number 6 was her receiving into her arms the body of Jesus taken down from the cross. I could be mistaken though
@@christianmaestas4435 it might be that there is more than one list. The one I posted was from a 1959 prayer book, and I have seen it in other locations, but a devotion like this might have more than 1 expression.
@@bekabell1 that makes sense. I’ve been praying the rosary of the Seven Sorrows for a while now and for me it is like pulling thorns out of Mary’s heart by suffering the pinch myself and offering roses to her. It has really softened up my heart and improved my confessions to have this devotion.
We genuflect before the holy eucharist that is positioned behind the altar. That little red light says that Jesus in this church.
Exactly ✝️
Right. We genuflect when Christ is in the Tabernacle. We would bow to the altar if He was not in the Tabernacle.
@@Mrs_Homemaker Most Catholic altars have a relic of a Saint in them - that's why we bow
Mrs. Homemaker is right. If Christ is not in the Tabernacle, we bow to the altar as it is the symbol of Christ. I think, not sure, that bowing to relics is only if they are on public display.
@@sgabig I think it is still proper to bow to the altar even if there is no relic present.
I grew up in this church. Missed out on the best part, the organ. This was the only church I’ve been to that after mass not many would leave because the organist would stray from the script and send us home with some of the most amazing music. That organ would shake the building! It was amazing.
This is so important for parents that have lost their children. Religious or not, mothers know that pain.
At 15:02, the Saint is Saint Anthony holding Christ and lilies (signifying purity). Research regarding the lilies: “In 1680, on June 13, in the church at Mentosca d'Agesco in Austria, someone placed a cut lily in the hand of his statue. For an entire year the lily remained fragrant and fully alive, without wilting. Then the following year it grew two more blooms, so that the church was filled with the fragrance of the flowers.” Great touring of this parish!
Edit: The Father is accurate in the lilies signifying Saint Joseph! Had to search; so great a cloud of witnesses. ♥️
In India St Antony is super famous!
Saint Anthony, the miracle worker and doctor of the Church
@@BertRussie he is doctor of church? Didn't knew that. Thank you for information.
Yes, and I'm from San Antonio, TX which is named for Saint Anthony of Padua... A little more info: Anthony had a very close relationship with Jesus and had a great innocence (purity) of heart, so his spirituality included a special devotion to the Christ Child. It's said at one time that Anthony was staying in a place and another friar passed by Anthony's room late at night, noticing that he had been up all night in prayer. The friar saw Anthony devotedly holding a little child in his arms who was shining with a bright light, holding Anthony's face. The friar realized it was the Christ Child, appearing to Anthony in his prayer. The story eventually spread and that is why today he is depicted with the Christ Child and the Scriptures, as well as lilies.
If it's a beardless young man wearing a Franciscan habit, it's Saint Anthony. If it's an older man with a beard and vaguely ancient looking clothes, it's Saint Joseph.
His quote about the "best mass" was absolutely wonderful. Thank you Matt for another excellent church tour video.
I always enjoy your Catholic church tours. You are always so kind, respectful and insightful.
I have been a life long parishioner here, and my husband loves this parish as much as I do. Fr. Sigmund grew up in this parish!
The devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows renewed my faith entirely and consoling her heart in the Sorrows Rosary has completely reshaped my relationship with Christ. All of our devotion and love for Mary is ultimately for Christ, our remembrance of her sorrow draws us deeper into His sorrowful Passion. She is nothing without Him, she has no merit without Him, she is our mother because she was given to us at the foot of the Cross (Jn 19:26) I pray dearly that all souls would console Mary's heart without fear or hesitancy because every time we show love for our Mother, we honor Him who loved her first.
Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us!
Couldn’t have said it better myself , people need to know why we love our blessed mother , thank you !
Amen
Simeon said to Mary, ‘A sword will pierce your heart’. This pierced heart of Mary suffered perfectly submitting perfectly to the will of God. Just as God our Father offered his son Jesus to the world for our salvation, Mary offered her son Jesus for us for our salvation in perfect love and submission. That is why her heart is called Immaculate.
When we offer our agony to ‘Our Lady of sorrows’ she gives us the strength the carry the cross graciously. Our sorrow is either taken away or given strength to suffer perfectly. The 7 sorrows of Mary devotion is a powerful novena.
I love that this church has not ripped out the Communion rail. So many churches have done that and it’s heartbreaking to see.
its nice that you noticed everyone genuflect when they enter the church. I think this wonderful priest missed a key component of this practice. if you scroll to the 18:00 mark of the video you see a nice image of the altar with the Tabernacle in the center. That Tabernacle is where we put the unconsumed host. We believe that the bread durring the mass becomes the true presence of Christ. and any unconsumed bread is placed in the Tabernacle. When looking at the Tabernacle, to the left is a red candle. when that candle is lit, there is unconsumed host in the Tabernacle, and so in turn, Jesus is present in the building. so we genuflect in his presence because he is King. if the candle is not lit, there is no need to genuflect. it has nothing to do with the crucifix in the front of the building, and everything to do with the true presence of Christ. God Bless you. I truly love how you explore the diversity of Christian Faith.
Matt, your podcasts on Spotify are great, but I LOVE these videos.❤ You possess humility and the ability to take every thought captive and examine it. So rare in today's shallow world.
It's easy to put together a good conversation when get to interview the quality of people I keep running into at these churches.
@@MattWhitmanTMBH I wish you could do a video like this of a Mormon church. I think at the very least, it would be interesting to hear their take on the Bible and how they see themselves in relation to Christianity.
After listening to the last NDQ I am tempted to post about a hat to see if my comment gets blocked…
@@zuperdee nope, any church that view Jesus doctrinally as only the counter part or another "person" of the archangel gabriel is "HERETICAL".
And also, mormonism advertized "polygamy" before... So, you know.. 😊
Beautiful Stations!!!!
I like this dude. I like where he goes at 17:25. His tone changes and you feel his passion for what he does. Thanks Matt for bringing Father Sigmund to us.
Always a good day when I see you exploring Catholicism more. Great video.
such a wonderful tour, I mistook the Father for being boring, when in all reality he was down to earth and gentle!
I love it when you go to the Catholic church! I was raised Methodist but have become Catholic, so I learn so much in these videos - plus, nod along with your Protestant observations.
Catholicism is pagan garbage, not Christianity.
This was such a beautiful interview and tour of this church. Fr. Sigmund's description of a perfect mass was such a gift. He must be a very kind priest and an obsrvant one of his flock.
I work with indigenous Catholics in Latin America. Our Lady of Sorrows is very special to them. It is probably the only advocation or saint they will not allow any syncretism with. One, because they know her deep pain and want to console her rather than combining her with some prehispanic celebration and two, because they have gone through their own pains and want spiritual company.
A perfect way to end! Father's reflection on his growth as a priest. He says his favorite mass is a typical Sunday mass where Jesus comes to meet his people where they are, in the middle of life.
I greatly appreciate Matt. He's such a genuine ambassador who on the one hand doesn't want to sweep away differences but on the other hand doesn't want to exaggerate them or get them wrong. I love it every time Matt does these meetings.
Fr. Sigmund baptized my youngest child and taught my older children so much about the beauty of the Mass. What a wonderful video. Thank you.
@@bvolmert380 does he do a Novus Ordo Mass or TLM usually?
@@ronald556 Ive only ever seen him do the novus ordo mass.
I am a Byzantine Catholic but I grew up as a Roman Catholic. I pray the Seraphic (Franciscan Crown) Rosary every day and one option for mediation is the 7 Sorrows of the Blessed Mother. She is also titled as the Queen of Martyrs.
Mary the Dawn, Christ the Perfect Day;
Mary the Gate, Christ the Heav’nly Way!
Mary the Root, Christ the Mystic Vine;
Mary the Grape, Christ the Sacred Wine!
Mary the Wheat-sheaf, Christ the Living Bread;
Mary the Rose-Tree, Christ the Rose Blood-red!
Mary the Font, Christ the Cleansing Flood;
Mary the Chalice, Christ the Saving Blood!
Mary the Temple, Christ the Temple’s Lord;
Mary the Shrine, Christ the God adored!
Mary the Beacon, Christ the Haven’s Rest;
Mary the Mirror, Christ the Vision Blest!
Mary the Mother, Christ the Mother’s Son.
Both ever blest while endless ages run.
Amen.
What hymn is this? I love how beautiful it is
@@shilatozier4254" Mary the Dawn" is its name.
Very nice hymn
Fr. Sigmund is a retired priest who lives at the pariah. He's 85 years old! The very last minute or so of this video revealed a tremendous amount of the wisdom he has gained in his long life of service.
Yay, another church tour! Thank you for the time and effort you put into these videos!!
Also I love Fr. spirit of humility and care for his flock. He seems so sweet :)
Agreed. Kind off camera and on camera.
That statue 15:11 is of St Anthony of Padua a franciscan saint! A great saint revered to in almost every Catholic church! He is seen holding the baby Jesus in his hands - it was an apparition ! And that being the greatest thing that very few saints have experienced and people have witnessed through them, so they and he in particular is revered in almost all churches!
And the one on the right is St Francis of Assisi the founder of the Franciscan Order
Twon franciscan saints in one frame!
Now this is "S" Tier qualtiy stuff!!! I am not a catholic. I am a protestant but man oh man... To here him speak of Jesus in the way that he does is a beautiful thing. I hope to see the church I work with view their congregants the way he does. This was fantastic. Also, I am a bit partial to STL! Good Stuff Matt.
That was a thoughtful comment. I'm Catholic. If there's any questions you have about the Catholic Church you may have that I may be able to answer, feel free to reply to this comment. God is giving Matt an awesome mission. He's so respectful and genuinely interested. It's fun to see.
@@MWroses Thank you for the reach out and kind comment. I honestly have a good catholic friend where I live and we take time to ask each other question. Thank you and Have a fantastic Week!
Well, man oh man I hope you join us. I'd bet you would make a great Catholic.
After encountering God I was Baptized Catholic and came into the Church at 19 after being an atheist/agnostic.
I have now been accepted to the Postulancy of the Lay Dominicans. You should meet with some Dominican Friars Matt, also the Nuns (contemplative) Sisters (contemplative and active) and the Lay Dominicans. We are one family. The Dominican Order is 800 years old and has never splintered we are very united in Christ and his Church. The ordee was begun by St Dominic and he knew St Francis, except St Dominic was Spanish and Francis was Italian. The Dominicans are called the Order of Preachers (OP) and their motto is Veritas. Their four charisms are; Contemplation, Preaching, Study and Community.. Dominicans really know their scripture and are big scripture scholars. St Thomas Aquinas was a Dominican. Dominicans are involved in Preaching, teaching and evangelization.
Dominicans are on 5 continents and have thousands of professed members (those who have taken lifetime vows).
An interview with Matt and Fr Gregory Pine would be awesome…
@@billmartin3561 Fr Pine is on The Catholic Talk Show. 👍👍👍👍. I believe Matt Frad interviewed him as well. Best wishes.
Again you post the best content I can imagine for myself-a genuinely interested Protestant
BLESS YOU Fr
Agreed. Great guy.
Your drone footage really does elevate your production value
Thanks Peter. I'm not good enough with a drone to get shots of that quality. Credit goes to my friend Nate for everything that looks cool.
The best Mass is the one where ordinary people come with their sorrows, brokenness and sins. Because Jesus sees our unworthiness and our pain and His Sacred Heart is so moved to great pity for us and He heals us.
This good priest has the heart of the Good Shepherd. It's like Jesus was speaking through him. He is with us in every part of our lives even the most unpleasant ones.
Thanks for this tour of the Church, Matt. I love your channel.
Very educational video without any judgements. Highly impressed with quality of questions and openess of both participants
I enjoy your videos that teach us about all of the other denominations. It would be interesting to have a breakdown of your followers. I bet it would be surprising. Cradle Catholic here, but enjoy learning more about my own faith as well as others.
I didn't join, I was born into it, as stated by the word "cradle." Which denomination do you reside in? I think most can agree that we have more similarities than differences. I hope that you do not celebrate any of the holidays, or even the everyday calendar, founded and established by the RCC.
St Joseph is also depicted with a heart, the most chaste heart of St Joseph.
Yes! My family has a devotion to the Holy Family through their hearts. 🥰 Sacred, Immaculate, and Chaste.
For anyone wondering about 19:00 in the video showing the Eye of God symbol where Fr. Sigmund doesn't describe the Hebrew - It's the Tetragrammaton. That is, Y-H-W-H read right to left.
Poor Solanus Casey wasn't allowed to be ordained a full priest because he failed his Hebrew & Greek language exams. I guess the Catholic Church has loosened its foreign language requirements over the years
Thank you for showing us these beautiful sacred spaces! I am tired with our plain, modernist, unelevating multipurpose room churches
Hey, Matt. I hope you remember me, but it's ok and understandable if you don't. I've been missing from the channel for a bit. I just wanted to say that seeing you treat other traditions with such respect and curiosity has done so much good for my heart. I'm very grateful for you. All the best!
I got a pro life ad! Hallelujah
When my husband and I married 50+ years ago, I described myself as non-Lutheran and he was non-Catholic. Tried as I might, I did not understand the Catholic traditions. This video was enlightening and interesting. Thank you. An added benefit for me was learning my attraction to the anchor!
I’ve admired this beautiful church passing by on Kingshighway but never been inside. Thank you for sharing this interesting and educational talk with Father Sigmund. Growing up Protestant I had never heard the Veronica story.
Btw the Hebrew is the Tetragrammaton (YHWH, the holy name of God).
Wonderful visit Matt more please
Very cool I went to the attached grade school and this church when I was younger
Saint Anthony of Padua holding the infant Jesus. That was the statue on the left. Hints throughout seem to show a Franciscan influence on that church’s establishment.
If you know a little about Saint Anthony of Padua you know he wasn’t in Bethlehem with baby Jesus 2000 years ago. While praying the joyful mysteries of the rosary, infrequently on the third decade I cradle my arms and pretend to hold the infant Jesus to keep Him safe and warm. This can be a beautiful experience to pray the rosary with such imagination that your mind is transported through time and space and you might experience something special that you remember even years later. The rosary is a prayer anyone can pray if they want to and there is much more to it than merely reciting and repeating prayers.
Saints are traditionally shown a particular way. St. Anthony of Padua is frequently depicted holding the infant Jesus.
Matt if you continue to learn enough you may become Catholic. I did.
Next time you lose or misplace something pray to Saint Anthony of Padua and promise to give a donation (perhaps $5 or cost of a loaf of bread) for the poor. And you will frequently find the item … don’t forget to put a donation in the poor box (or Salvation Army or similar).
Saint Anthony of Padua’s story is quite interesting. Many years before Saint Anthony of Padua was another Christian now known as Saint Anthony of the Desert.
I hope they catch the moment on recording when Matt realizes Jesus is in the Eucharist 😉😇🙏
Thank you Matt.
Side note, I will now be singing all day, 🎵 The Anchor Holds🎶 all day. Great song
Impressed you remember that one. I found out after that was a song by George Beverly Shea. Who know?
I love Our Lady of Sorrows 💖 she brought me back to the Faith on her Feast day Sept. 15th
How beautiful 🌹 I will be there one day 🙏
have been watching your channel for the last couple of years. You are ever more so polite now, but anyway, please keep up the work. I am sure the Good Lord is smiling upon you now, may he continue to bless your work in ecumenism!
St. Veronica is part of Orthodox tradition too, she's the same woman whose faith in Jesus healed her of her blood issue when she touched His garments. On the way to the cross she gave him a cloth to wipe His face and it left an image of His face on it, and the cloth with the face of Christ became a common symbol still used in Orthodoxy.
Praying for you 🙏
Catholic forever, Love my Catholic faith. The true church. 👍
St Anthony of Padua, a Franciscan friar, is the one some people ask to find lost items or a spouse by putting him upside down. On a serious note, he was a scholar so St Francis rejected him. St Francis wanted only "simple people" to serve others humbly and thought a scholar wouldn't. When there was a debate with the Dominicans, who are scholarly, the Franciscans had no one to represent them. Other friars convinced St Francis of accepting St Anthony of Padua into their Order to send him. His knowledge & eloquence overwhelmed everyone. He was known as "the canary of God is" for his amazing preaching.
This was lovely thank you for coming to our churches and respecting them and helping others to see our religion in hopefully a more positive light in these dark times thank you 🙏🏼✝️🕊 if you’re looking for other places to go to a TLM or church would be really cool. I have never cried in any public place in my entire life but I could not stop the tears from flowing in my TLM parish so reverent so beautiful. Truly something to see at least once in everyone’s lifetime 🙏🏼❤️
Beautiful Church and sounds like a humble priest. The art in catholic and orthadox churches brings the bible to life and it teaches us about Jesus. Thank you Matt for being so respectful to other Christian traditions. Keep doing what your doing brother in Christ 🙏
Love you Jesus Christ my lord. Thank you Jesus Christ my lord. Mother Marry pray us. Hallelujah.
I've been waiting forever for your videos of you visiting a church regardless of what type of Christian denomination. Please keep it coming.
Thanks to your videos I converted to Anglican/Episcopalian
I've found myself very compelled by aspects of Anglicanism, and the video I have coming up of an ACNA church is going to resonate with many I suspect.
@@MattWhitmanTMBH oooo can’t wait for that one!
@@MattWhitmanTMBH The theological diversity of Anglicanism is I'd say the most distinctive thing about it. Different schools of thought within it emerged from different churchmanships, and even within each one there is considerable variety. Even within the ACNA and the rest of GAFCON who hold the 39 Articles as a binding confession of faith, it's not as binding and open to interpretation than the Book of Concord or Westminster Confession is for Lutherans or Presbyterians, respectively
@@MattWhitmanTMBH Perhaps one day you could make a visit for the Personal Ordinariate of the Catholic Church, which was meant for converts from Anglicanism in order to keep their anglican patrimony.
@@MattWhitmanTMBH Look forward to that!
In my grad school days I was a teaching assistant for architecture history. So some may be confused by the reference to St. Peter's & St. Mary Major. He is referring to the originals built by Emperor Constantine (4th C. A.D.). This has little resemblance to the baroque churches you will see currently in Rome. St. Paul's yes. Also I prefer to call the style Late Roman, and reserve Romanesque for 9th Century up until the Gothic period starts 12th C.; but i'm being persnickety.
Matt, I would love to see you interview Father Mike Schmitz and/or Jackie & Bobby Angel from Ascension Presents!
His sharing his favorite mass brought tears to my eyes.
I really enjoyed this one. Beautiful church and really liked his humility.
I loved this. Thank you for sharing. Fr. Sigmund was lovely to listen to. :)
Really enjoy your visits to other churches and learning about other expressions. Wonderful job, Matt!
Nicely done! Encourage you, Matt, to look up St. Mary Margaret Alacoque and the revelation of the Sacred Heart devotion--perhaps a show on that subject--just a thought.
Catholic here❤ Our Lady of Sorrows, pray for us 🙏❤
Matt, I would love to see you visit a convent of religious sisters and talk with them about their Catholic faith/convent space as well. The Mercedarian Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament in Cleveland, OH, would be a good one :)
Yes!
Hey, you should come to St Wenceslaus in Cedar Rapids Iowa! It’s a Czech independent Catholic church, meaning it was started as a Czech national church, it’s independent from the eastern Iowan Bishop, and it celebrates the latin mass on Sundays at 8am, as well as in the evenings of Monday and Wednesday. It’s really beautiful, and small.
Wonderful work. Thank you.
Christ is the only person in history to choose his own mother, and he chose Mary. Imagine getting to carry, birth, and raise a child that you know is God in the flesh. She was with Him to the end, with him after the resurrection, and with the Apostles at Pentecost. Mary was special, that is why she is venerated (never worshiped). She was the first Christian.
Well done Matt, I love when you do these. As others have said, it was great to hear the Father's passion for the people.
Hope you visit more Catholic Church and talk to as many priest you can talk to 🥰
Matt, thank you for this video, what a beautiful parish! I am Roman Catholic and I appreciate your openness in wanting to know and understand what and why we do the things that we do. To further elaborate about why Catholic churches have all of this art, statues, stained glass, etc., is that we need to remember that most people in the early church were not educated and could not read, also if you could read there were no printing presses so you couldn't just go to Barnes and Noble and purchase a bible LOL, plus to obtain an entire bible it would have cost around a year's worth of wages (that's why for many years the bibles were chained so nobody would steal them) so the statues, art work etc., would be used to teach the people about the scriptures and the life of Christ. As father had mentioned how we come to mass with all our distractions from life, these images first help us to remember that we are now leaving the world for a short time and are entering into a sacred space and they help us to turn off all of the noise and distractions of everyday life so we can lift our minds and hearts to God and to seek His Face in prayer, to place ourselves in the scenes of the scriptures to help us ponder and contemplate the scriptures (whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things Phil 4:8). To help us seek what is above and not the things of earth (Col 3:2) during this time of prayer/worship that we will be entering into during the celebration of the mass.
My respect for catholicism had grown so much through your videos, Matt. So much beauty in the symbolism it evokes worship and contemplation. Thank you!
I live in St Louis and would recommend the two Basilicas. The one under the arch has important historical value and the new Basilica has the most beautiful mosaics this side of Rome.
*John.17:* 17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
*Jeremiah.7:*
2 “Stand at the door of the House of Yahweh and publish this word there: Listen, you men of Judah, who enter this door to worship Yahweh.
3 Thus says Yahweh, the God of Israel: Improve your course and your deeds, and I will stay with you in this place.
4 Do not trust lying words like these: Look at the Temple of Yahweh! Here is the Temple of Yahweh! This is the Temple of Yahweh!
...17 Do you not see what they do in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
18 The children pile up the wood, the parents light the fire, and the women knead the dough to make cakes
for the queen of heaven.
And then they pour wine in honor of foreign gods, so as to offend me.
19 But is it me, perhaps, whom they lower with that, says Yahweh? Is it not rather to themselves, to his own dishonor?
*1John.2:*
21 I am writing to you, not because you do not know the truth, but because you do know it and because a lie cannot come out of the truth.
*1 Corinthians 10:*
11 Everything that happened to them was our own history, and it was written to instruct those who would come in the last times, that is, us.
12 So let him who thinks he is standing take heed that he does not fall.
13 In fact, you have not yet suffered more than very ordinary tests. But God is faithful and he will not allow you to be tempted beyond strength. In the moment of temptation he will give you strength to overcome it.
14 Therefore, dear brothers and sisters, flee from the worship of idols.
I would also recommend St. Francis de Salles by the institute of Christ the King!
Agree the new Basilica (been around for almost 100 years but the mosaics were applied over decades) will take your breath away. One can imagine St. Mark's in Venice when it was "new". Just wow.
Thank you for doing this! So beautiful! ^_^❤
Thank you for your content. I always edified after watching one of your videos.
Loved the video but one thing: Jesus and Mary are not the only figures depicted with a special heart. Can’t forget about the Most Chaste Heart of Saint Joseph!
Oh wow. That ending smacked me.
Same. Great ending
08:55 the hymn is
“Will your anchor hold?”
The chorus is:
We have an anchor that keeps the soul,
Steadfast and sure whilst the billows roll,
Fastened to the rock that cannot move!
Grounded firm and deep in the Saviour’s love!
An inspirational hymn.
I believe the specific lyric I recalled is from the song "In Times Like These" by George Beverly Shea. I had to look it up.
@@MattWhitmanTMBH Ok Sir no problem, It was so similar to a hymn I’ve known from childhood😊 I will look yours up too. That’s how we learn together.
God bless you and your work!
Ian
Were you ever in the Boys Brigade? We sang this a lot in the BBs and the motto is Sure and Steadfast, and the symbol is an anchor.
@@spraffman I was indeed Sir, 1st Bangor Company, Belfast Battalion, Northern Ireland.
Saved my life ✝️❤️🙏
Sure and Steadfast!
Ian
@@bugler75 Wonderful, 1st Loanhead Company, Edinburgh, Leith & District Battalion, Scotland
This is an incredibly beautiful church
Matt... I recently returned to church after an evangelical upbringing had soured me on Christianity. I've found an Episcopalian church near me that feels like it's where I should be. Your videos have really been a blessing in helping me choose where to go. One denomination I did research a bit (but alas no congregation nearby) was the Quakers. I'm wondering if you have done a video on them that I'm missing or if you plan to at some point
As long as you keep seeking with honesty, I hope you will find the Church that is most reasonable to be the true Church
Aren’t the Episcopalians quite liberal? As in, ordaining LGBTQ?
First christians church, is the right choise: that is Catholic Church. Read apostolic fathers of the Church, they teach what early christians believed. God bless you 🙏
My great grandmother was asked to dedicate a statue of Our Lady of Sorrows at her parish because she had lost several of her children in wars and accidents
I loved hearing the priest explaining his favorite Sunday… where people are living a messy world, but coming to church to meet with Jesus.
St. Francis De Sales is an absolute must see next time your in St. Louis!!!
The name Veronica means True Image. The station of the Cross with St. Veronica not only shows us the love and compassion a disciple of Christ ought to have for Our Savior Jesus Christ, but it summarizes the Gospel & the life of a Christian: to become a True Image of Christ.
21:17 Beautiful, thank you Fr. Sigmund.
St Veronica... Veronica means True Image. The tradition is likely apocryphal however a similar thing happened. The blood was important to Jews and so when being brought down from the Cross it is believed that a cloth was placed over his face and head, then taken off for his burial shroud to be wrapped.
For more detail look at the Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium
Growing up I bet I passed this church a thousand times and never noticed it. Next visit home I make sure to attend mass there!
That was interesting your take on Veronica being extrabiblical so not being appropriate (not your words, but my sense of your thoughts) alongside the biblical stations. I think that's a big difference between Catholics and Protestants. I grew up Protestant and converted to Catholicism in my mid 20s (15 years ago-ish) and I actually liked all those ancient traditions. The Stations of the Cross was a local tradition of Christians in the Middle East, and if Veronica experienced something, I don't have a problem believing it just because it wasn't in the Bible. The Bible itself came out of these same early communities, as did guides to church life like the Didache.