Lent Resources From The Holy See Itself

The Holy See’s web site has really improvedin recent years. They still need to get rid of that text-obscuring background, and it’s still poorly organized and hard to navigate, but at least they’re starting to get a lot of useful resources on the site.

Take, for example,

THESE EXCELLENT RESOURCES FOR LENT.

I wish I’d known about these at the beginning of Lent, ’cause I would have advertised them then, but they’re still really cool and could add a bunch to your celebration of Lent.

One thing I’d especially like to compliment is their inclusion of a whole series of mp3 files of Lenten music that you can listen to online or–via a simple right-click–download and listen to on your computer or mp3 player. Even if they are all in Italian, music can touch the heart across the langauge barrier.

THEY ALSO HAVE MP3S IN LATIN HERE.

(It’s after writing sentences like that that I find myself contemplating explaining to a medieval ecclesiastic the concept of downloading a Latin mp3 from the Vatican web site. They’d never have guessed that the Holy See would be doing this one day.)

Enjoy!

Author: Jimmy Akin

Jimmy was born in Texas, grew up nominally Protestant, but at age 20 experienced a profound conversion to Christ. Planning on becoming a Protestant seminary professor, he started an intensive study of the Bible. But the more he immersed himself in Scripture the more he found to support the Catholic faith, and in 1992 he entered the Catholic Church. His conversion story, "A Triumph and a Tragedy," is published in Surprised by Truth. Besides being an author, Jimmy is the Senior Apologist at Catholic Answers, a contributing editor to Catholic Answers Magazine, and a weekly guest on "Catholic Answers Live."

17 thoughts on “Lent Resources From The Holy See Itself”

  1. Yes, the .VA content is, very slowly improving, though the gaps in what is supposed to be there are major. That said, its organization remains dismal. And that eye-straining ersatz parchment everywhere has GOT to go, this, from somebody who is not adverse to parchment on websites.

  2. Ditto on the parchment. I also wish that serif fonts (e.g., Times New Roman) could go by the wayside (no offense Jimmy!). Serif fonts are great for printed media, but our eyes have a harder time reading them on computer screens – it makes for poor web design. With that said, I have been presently surprised by the amount of information available on the Vatican’s site. I would also recommend a better means of searching the site.

  3. right J. i don’t like arial, but it’s easier to read on screen, so i use for about 80% of my site. sorry, my beloved times new roman!

  4. They still need to get rid of that text-obscuring background, and it’s still poorly organized and hard to navigate, but at least they’re starting to get a lot of useful resources on the site.
    The background I don’t mind so much and, in fact, like.
    However, the Vatican website being ‘poorly organized and hard to navigate’ is certainly so unfortunately true!
    In fact, I can’t stand their search engine!
    Forgive the trite expression, by trying to conduct a successful search on the website is as difficult like trying to pull teeth!

  5. thanks for linking this! Very nice to have, esp the downloads. I’m not crazy about organ music, but there is a lot that does not include organs.

  7. Notice the picture of the Roman practice of putting ashes on the TOP OF THE HEAD, rather than on the forehead!
    I wonder why?
    Forehead would make sense to me.
    But, there’s got to be a reason why they do it on the head.

  9. Jimmy and Co.,
    I feel guilty during Lent (a little) (and I am serious).
    I live in Chicago and Fridays I look forward to without the red meat.
    The Mexican place has potato tacos, fish tacos, potato patties, fish soup etc.
    The Italian place has a grrreeaaattt pepper and egg sandwich, plus breaded eggplant, vegetarian lasagna. But the Pepper and egg takes the best.
    Pepper and egg is almost tooo good to be a sacrifice or mortification. The potato tacos are incredible.
    Is it a sin to get a Pepper and Egg sandwich and put Italian beef juice on it???
    I actually look forward to Lent and enjoy it. Many places only do the Pepper and Egg (Italians) or the Potato tacos (Mexicans) during Lent and you cannot get them during the rest of the year.
    Plus I am becoming a little uncharitable to the Irish Catholics and to a lesser extent the Polish (who do have good pre-Lenten Catholic food traditions). Racism is a sin and it becomes borderline. Also, I am enjoying Lent too much–
    thoughts??? anyone? Jimmy

  12. Thanks Some Day and Fr. Stephanos!
    I never actually knew about that!
    Forehead was all I knew until now!
    Appreciate it & God Bless You Both!!!

  15. Slightly off topic, but does anyone know of a place to find an MP3 of the Exsultet in Latin? Didn’t see it at the Vatican site, but maybe I wasn’t looking carefully.

  17. Ed Peters, you might try Georgia for serif type. It was created, along with Arial, Tahoma, and Verdana, for the Internet. I would think that it and the other three are available in most word processors. Hope this helps.

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