Angelo Stagnaro

Angelo Stagnaro

Angelo Stagnaro ("Erasmus") performs as a stage magician and mentalist and divides his time between Europe and North America. He is the editor of “Smoke & Mirrors,” the Net's largest e-zine for professional magicians. He’s also the Guildmaster of the Catholic Magicians’ Guild and a professed member of the Secular Franciscans (Third Order Franciscans). Angelo has published articles in most of the major Catholic journals in the United States and Great Britain and had worked as a correspondent for the Catholic News Service having served as principle liaison for the wire service to the United Nations and to the Holy See's Office to the United Nations. Angelo has written six books on mentalism/cold reading including Conspiracy, Something from Nothing, The Other Side, Shibboleth and his upcoming Spur of the Moment. In addition, he’s written an instructional book for catechists which uses stage magic as a teaching tool for children and young adults entitled The Catechist's Magic Kit (Crossroad). His other books include How to Pray the Dominican Way (Paraclete) and The Christian Book of the Dead (Crossroad). His most recent book was released through Tau Publishing and is entitled A Lenten Cookbook for Catholics.

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Giusto de' Menabuoi, Ceiling of the Padua Cathedral Baptistery, c. 1377

Indulgences Remind Us That Christians Who Seek Holiness Are Never Alone

‘An indulgence is a remission before God of the temporal punishment due to sins whose guilt has already been forgiven, which the faithful Christian who is duly disposed gains under certain prescribed conditions through the action of the Church which, as the minister of redemption, dispenses and applies with authority the treasury of the satisfactions of Christ and the saints.’ (CCC 1471)

David Teniers the Younger, “St. Peter in Penitence,” ca. 1634

Live in God by Dying to Yourself

‘Fighting against evil, against every form of selfishness and hate, and dying to oneself to live in God,’ said Benedict XVI, ‘is the ascetic journey that every disciple of Jesus is called to make with humility and patience, with generosity and perseverance.’