CHARLOTTE — Blessings and graces abounded at the Latin High Mass on the Vigil of the Epiphany of the Lord in the chapel at Charlotte Catholic High School Thursday night.
Father Jason Barone, school assistant chaplain, blessed the school after Mass with blessed chalk and Epiphany Holy Water.
Before celebrating a Latin High Mass at Charlotte Catholic High School on the Vigil of the Epiphany this evening, Father Barone blessed Epiphany Water, salt and chalk for the faithful to use in their homes.
Dozens of students attended the Latin High Mass at the school’s chapel.
The blessing of Epiphany Holy Water is an ancient custom and is more powerful than ordinary holy water as it contains several prayers and exorcisms in the blessing.
The Feast of the Epiphany, also called Three Kings Day or Theophany, is traditionally celebrated on the 12th day after Christmas, on Jan. 6. In the dioceses of the United States, this feast has been moved to the Sunday between Jan. 2 and Jan. 8.
Celebrate the feast of the Epiphany by planning a blessing of your home, as a witness of your Catholic faith and for protection against evil.
Ask a priest to bless a piece of chalk, then draw a cross over your front door along with the following characters: 20+C+M+B+17.
The 20 and the 17 stand for the new year, and the letters C, M and B are both the initials of the three Magi (Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar) as well as the initial letters of the Latin phrase "Christus mansionem benedicat," which means "Christ bless this house."
— Catholic News Herald. Photos by SueAnn Howell, Catholic News Herald
KANNAPOLIS — Unbound, a ministry which equips local churches and ministries to pray for the spiritual and emotional freedom of others, will host the Unbound Freedom in Christ Conference March 10-11 at St. Joseph Church.
Unbound is a non-confrontational ministry which focuses on the love, mercy, healing and forgiveness found in Jesus Christ. It was co-founded by Neal and Janet Lozano of Heart of the Father Ministries, Pa. The Lozanos have more than 30 years of pastoral experience helping people find freedom in Jesus Christ. Neal Lozano is an international speaker and a leader of evangelistic outreach to students. Janet Lozano leads the training team and missions.
The session on Friday, March 10, which will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., is a training session for those who wish to apply this ministry in their parishes. The training consists of a teaching and a ministering session. A teaching entitled “UNBOUND: Principles and Practice” will be presented, then reinforced during the conference as each of the principles is examined in depth.
Participants will use their training on Saturday, March 11, on the ministry team. One person will lead the group as those recently trained pray for those from the seminar who request prayer using the model that had been taught. The ministry team will pray during each session of the conference, so attendance is necessary at the entire conference.
Attendance at the Friday training session requires a special registration process.
The Saturday conference will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. It is open to everyone, with no special registration requirements. The day will include praise, talks by Neal Lozano, prayer time and the Father’s blessing.
Interested attendees are strongly encouraged to read Neal Lozano’s book “Unbound: A Practical Guide to Deliverance from Evil Spirits” before attending the training session or conference.
For more information and to register, go to www.unboundchltnc.org/conference.html. Questions may be directed to Julie Jahn, ministry leader, at 704-560-9202 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
— SueAnn Howell, senior reporter