Father Edwin Graves, 84, died Oct. 6

Father Clarence “Ed” Edwin Graves, a diocesan priest for 33 years who was known for his love of art and music, died Oct. 6 in Little Rock. He was 84. Father Graves was born on Jan. 2, 1941, in Birmingham, Ala., to Clarence and Frances Graves. He had one sister, Judy Finley. He grew up in Jacksonville, Fla., before his family moved to Memphis. He earned a bachelor of fine arts in painting from the Memphis College of Arts and a master of fine arts in painting from the University of Mississippi in Oxford. His discernment of a vocation to the priesthood was nurtured in his family More

Rosary is powerful devotion to embrace

In addition to being Respect Life Month, October is also dedicated to the rosary primarily because the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary is celebrated Oct. 7. Two years after Pope St. Pius V endorsed praying the rosary, he asked the faithful to pray the rosary and seek the intercession of the Blessed Mother during the Battle of Lepanto, off the coast of Greece in 1571. Despite being vastly outnumbered, the Christian fleet prevailed on Oct. 7 and the Holy Father established the day as the feast of Our Lady of Victory. In 1573, Pope Gregory XIII changed the name of the feast More

St. Francis inspires care for all creation

St. Francis of Assisi (1182-1226), patron saint of animals and ecology, is known for his love for God's creation. In his "Canticle of the Creatures," he reveals how all creation is connected in one family under God's loving care. His feast day is celebrated Oct. 4. In his 2015 papal encyclical, “Laudato Si’” (“Praise Be to You”), Pope Francis showed he has a lot in common with his namesake, by challenging all to care for God's creation. Last year, on St. Francis of Assisi's feast day, the Holy Father released “Laudate Deum” (“Praise God”), an apostolic exhortation to follow up More