Catholic. Pastoral. Trusted.
There is a common theme within the many letters people send me about their experiences of praying before the icon of Our Mother of Perpetual Help. I’m impressed that all of them comment about how the serenity of the icon captures their attention during their time of prayer. In the...
For me, sixty-eight is the perfect temperature. I joke that I’m going to retire in San Francisco, where the average yearly temperature hovers around fifty-eight (according to usclimatedata.com), with the annual high seldom exceeding seventy and the low rarely dipping below fifty. Sounds perfect, yes? Especially when temperatures in my...
Liguorian maintained its award-winning status at the June 2018 Catholic Press Association conference in Green Bay, WI. Liguorian received three awards for content published in 2017, including first place for Best Seasonal Issue or Section. The magazine’s honors, summarized below, were presented by the CPA, a trade association serving and...
A Guide for Our Families Mary can help us understand the meaning of our experiences and hear the message God wishes to communicate through the life of our families Surrounded by admirers since he was first elected, Pope Francis says he feels like a grandfather when youths lean close to...
Editor Elizabeth Herzing interviews Fr. Paul Bombardier to learn about the history and mission of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré, the oldest pilgrim site in North America. q. Please give a brief history of the shrine and its mission. a. It all started in 1658. There was a ship full of Breton fishermen who...
To Light a Fire on the Earth: Proclaiming the Gospel in a Secular Age Robert Barron with John L. Allen, Jr. Image Books $27 (hardcover) As a Bishop Barron fangirl, I was excited to dive into this book, which is as much a biography as it is an outline of Barron’s...
There is an obvious power struggle taking place in my household. It’s not between my husband and me, and none of our children are involved. It’s between our dogs. Envision a six-year-old, eleven-pound, white, long-haired Chihuahua/Papillion mix with giant brown eyes. He’s Chester, affectionately referred to as Chestnut by the...
Adoration. Community. Theology. Service. Editor Elizabeth Herzing interviews Deborah Alaniz Estrada, executive director of ACTS Missions in San Antonio, about its mission to spread the gospel message and its vision to “ignite Catholics worldwide with the eternal flame of the Holy Spirit…and bring about the New Evangelization by fostering love...
The parish I live and serve in provides a rich, culturally catholic environment. I am daily surrounded by all that it means to be Catholic, especially popular devotions. Very popular in Latin America, devotions abound celebrating Jesus, Mary, and the saints. In our parish, we have eight different celebrations that...
I haven’t always been devoted to Mary. Not only was I dismissive of her role as intercessor, but I also inferred that it was easy for her to be perfect because she was free from original sin. I couldn’t understand how Mary was relevant to my faith until I became...
I run a lifestyle blog for women called Her Story Goes in which I sometimes interview inspiring women in my community. While the conversation typically revolves around their passions, accomplishments, and daily rituals, I always end on the same question: “If you could have coffee with one woman, living or...
We can even bring light to that deep, dark place called terrorism Our series on peace, which we began in January 2018 with “Lighting the Way to Interfaith Peace,” now examines ways to counter one of the darkest of dark places—terrorism—with the peace of Christ. “Even though I walk through...
By Fr. Joseph Echano, CSsR My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,” declares the Blessed Virgin Mary during her visitation to her cousin Elizabeth (Luke 1:46). These are the opening words to the song of Mary, “The Magnificat” or “The Canticle of Mary.” Mary, whose soul magnifies the Lord, epitomizes...
This year, the feast of Pentecost takes place in May. It is a wonderful day to reflect on the place of Mary in the beginning of the life of the Church. In the Acts of the Apostles, St. Luke writes about a pre-ascension meeting of Jesus and his followers. “While...
Many a feverish debate has been had over whether the toilet paper roll should dispense over or under; if there is a right way to fold towels and load the dishwasher; and how to pinpoint the preferred coordinates of where to squeeze the toothpaste tube. Are these points of contention...
In his father’s household, the father never stopped seeing him as a beloved child. The son was greeted with a party, a ring on his finger, and the finest clothes on his back. The son’s betrayal did not dilute or change the love of his father. The father welcomed his...
Everything about Jesus, every action flows out of his experience and relationship with God. This is why Jesus repeatedly sought out moments of intimate, silent encounter with his Father. He was motivated, not out of obligation, but by a longing to drink from the well of Divine Presence that nourishes...
Recently CNN reported that courts in California are debating whether to put cancer warnings on coffee. On the flip side, late last year, I read that drinking three to four cups of coffee a day could have significant benefits, including improved liver and heart health. Of course, java isn’t the...
Inspiring insights and Scripture for February 14 through March 28 On winter mornings, I find myself looking for more light and life. Although now hidden, both will soon return with the onset of spring. Lent aligns with this seasonal change of the earth’s renewal, and I’m driven to seek something...
Jesus’ life and his awareness gave his followers hope for a change of heart that could perceive the Divine Presence that brought them all together. They caught this from Jesus and followed him because they realized they were better people just by being with him. Through his presence, Jesus was...