Catholic. Pastoral. Trusted.
A director of religious education once told me that as grade-school children begin to process the world, they come to their parents and teachers with questions. We need to answer those questions, she said, because the window isn’t open all that long. If you don’t answer their questions honestly, somewhere around...
When Pope Francis announced the start of the Year of the Consecrated Life last November, he set forth three aims: To look to the past with gratitude, to live the present with passion, and to embrace the future with hope. While these aims were announced in the context of celebrating...
If I hear my car making a strange noise, I call my dad to ask his advice. He knows just about everything auto-related, so I trust his diagnosis and his opinion on the repair quotes from mechanics. If I have a question about my taxes, I call my mom. As...
If a young adult in your life is preparing to fly the coop and soar into college life, check out the advice of this seasoned dad. OK! Sweetheart, I see you’re all packed and ready for your very first day of college. I notice I didn’t have to beg you...
When I was a student at Franciscan University in Steubenville, OH, my faith gradually came to life. Already I had a good sacramental life. I participated in the eucharistic celebration every day, experienced reconciliation weekly, and studied the Catechism. In short, I was a good Catholic. But at the university I had the opportunity to...
I’ve recently been reading Laudato Si’ (praise be to you, my Lord), Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment. It’s an extraordinary document that gives us, as Catholics, some hard assignments. Encyclicals are detailed, thoughtful letters from the pope that are intended to guide addressees in making decisions. This encyclical is...
In an extraordinary reversal of centuries of anti-Semitism and intolerance, the Catholic Church officially repudiated “hatred, persecutions, [and] displays of anti-Semitism directed against Jews at any time and by anyone” in the Second Vatican Council’s 1965 declaration, Nostra Aetate, Latin for “in our time.” In October, Jews and Catholics will...
Excitement for the World Meeting of Families has been building on the East Coast since 2012, when Pope Benedict XVI announced to a million Mass-goers at the seventh such meeting in Milan, Italy, that Philadelphia would be the site of the next meeting. When Catholics in the City of Brotherly...
By: Andrew L. Minto, PhD Patiently?” she asked. “Yes,” I replied, “the virtue of patience is how one bears the wrongs that have been done to us.” “So if I am being patient, then what am I waiting for? What is supposed to happen when you are patient? And why...
Editor Elizabeth Herzing interviews artist Bert VanderMark about his work Visual Parables and its connection with faith. Q. What is your background as an artist, and what motivates you to reach out to others through art? I was born and raised in the Netherlands. My grandfather was an amateur painter. In my...
By Ronica Stromberg That day I had been attacked by a pack of rabid wolves, held at gunpoint by a mad cowboy, stabbed by a samurai, and dive-bombed by a deranged dictator. I couldn’t be more bored. I tossed aside my game controller and said to Sam and Liz, “Let’s...
By Lisa Grey As a child, I loved playing “mommy” to my dolls. I couldn’t wait to grow up and have my own children. Years later, my dreams of being a mom became tarnished. It happened when I realized that I found my eldest stepchild to be, well, challenging to...
The World Meeting of Families will occur September 22–27 in Philadelphia. As the preparations continue, it is important to reflect on the importance of family life. We pass on traditions that give our lives special meaning in our families. The signs and symbols that have meaning in our families form...
Over the last few months at Liguori Publications, we’ve been developing a new parish program designed to help couples prepare for the sacrament of marriage. The program includes a video of interviews with couples. Some have been married a couple of years, some for decades. In each interview, the husband...
It’s sometimes hard to measure up to the expectations we place on ourselves, let alone those of others. No day or hour goes by without our feeling the guilt of inadequacy. It seems we feel we never do enough and what we do is never done well enough. Generally the...
…Of fried-egg sandwiches, Dad’s relationship with his maker, and other treasured memories of childhood. It’s funny how different people and events influence our lives. One of my earliest memories is going fishing with my dad when I was about six years old and being exposed to the grandeur and glory...
He picked a great time of year to fish—a warm day in late fall. But could he tackle the real catch of the day? “OK, we’re done here. Thank you, all. ” As soon as the vice president left the room, the others followed like ducklings. Tom turned to Rob...
The month of May is significant. It is the month in which Mother’s Day is celebrated. It is the month of graduations. And, for Catholics, it is the month of Mary. For me, this May holds special significance, as it is the month in which my youngest child graduates from...
Do your children listen to you? Are they obedient? Are they respectful? Do they understand the role and meaning of authority? Do they know their place in the family? If you answered “no” to any of these questions, you might want to review what your children watch on TV. It...
And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart (Luke 2:19). The most familiar translation of that verse invokes the word treasured: Mary treasured these things and pondered on them in her heart. It’s a particularly poignant phrase because it resonates in the human experience. No doubt...