McGrath Institute Blog

Corby Hall is the primary residence for the priests and brothers who work at the University of Notre Dame. It is our home in the heart of campus. Most members of Corby Hall actually live in student residence halls, which means that Corby Hall is not a house in the typical sense. Instead of a shared roof, what brings the men of Corby Hall together is our practice of having prayer and meals in common. It is through our worship and fellowship that we are restored and renewed for our ministry at Notre Dame.  

I was recently invited to be a guest on Church Life Today, the McGrath Institute’s radio program and podcast, where I chatted with my colleague and show host Lenny DeLorenzo about Advent music and Christmas movies. Here is my personal list (emphasis on personal!) of 25 films that I watch nearly every holiday season. For the most part, I’ve ranked them in an order that contains a sort of ‘progressive solemnity’—moving from vaguely holiday-adjacent movies toward those that delve deeply into ‘the meaning of Christmas.’ 

This Thursday, December 17, the Church will begin praying what are known as the “O Antiphons” each evening during Vespers, or Evening Prayer. Outside of Vespers, the O Antiphons are more familiar in their adapted form as the verses for the quintessential Advent hymn, “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” 

“No estoy yo aquí que soy tu Madre?” Estas palabras fueron pronunciadas por Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe a un hombre indígena mexicano hace casi cinco siglos, y cambiaron el curso de la evangelización en el nuevo mundo. Los españoles ya llevaban varios años intentando convertir al nuevo mundo, pero nada funcionaba. La hostilidad entre los indígenas y los conquistadores era lo único que resultaba de los muchos intentos. En medio de este ambiente de hostilidad, Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe vino al rescate de los necesitados. Ella vino a San Juan Diego y le dio todo su amor y compasión maternal.

“Am I not here who am your Mother?” These very words were spoken by Our Lady of Guadalupe to a Mexican indigenous man nearly five centuries ago, and they changed the course of evangelization in the new world. The Spanish had already spent several years trying to convert the new world, but nothing was working. Hostility between the indigenous people and the conquistadores was the only thing coming out of their many attempts. Into this environment of hostility, our Blessed Mother came to the aid of those in need. She came to St. Juan Diego and gave him all of her motherly love and compassion. Now, she is known as the Queen of Mexico and Empress of America.