Catholic. Pastoral. Trusted.
My father was in the US Army. As children, he sent my sisters, brother, and me off to school each morning with a “call and response” chant reminiscent of boot camp. “What’s the key to good grades?” he would shout. We would call back, “Participation!” I carry that “key” with...
The wildly popular blessing of animals has put the feast of St. Francis of Assisi on a par with Ash Wednesday, Palm Sunday, and the St. Blaise blessing of throats. Some might even consider missing the October 4th blessing as worthy of confession, penance, and absolution. Truly, there is no...
Estrangement by a defiant daughter puts the strength of hope to the test. It was late afternoon, and Hattie knew Michael would arrive soon. He and his friend, Dave, had delivered the few furniture pieces she would need at her small apartment at Comfort Care Lodge. Hattie sighed as she...
I enjoy shopping for gifts. However, I wouldn’t say I like buying any readily available, reasonably priced gift or a standard item on every gift list, like a pen, book, or a popular CD. I prefer to take my time, looking for something I believe the recipient would need or...
School Daze On the first day of school, a new second-grade student entered the classroom and handed the teacher a note that read: “Dear Teacher, the opinions expressed by this child are not necessarily those of his exasperated parents. Thank you in advance for your patience.” To read more, subscribe...
Remember when we were learning how to drive and how enthusiastically we prepared for the exams we had to pass in order to obtain a license? The road test was nerve-racking, to be sure. But before that, the written examination meant studying a book of rules and regulations that all...
I was recently pondering in quiet prayer time—and struggling with—the words on loss and grief from Thomas à Kempis’ Imitation of Christ: “If you can be still and suffer awhile, you shall without doubt see the help of God come in your need.” A short time later, I heard the...
I suspect I am not alone in associating September with attack. Even after twenty-two years, 9/11 is burned in my mind as a slow-motion unraveling of a horror-filled day. But the recollection always ends at our candlelit church, filled all night with people at prayer. We got a bitter taste...
Rewards and heartaches—but more successes than you can count—mark the school days of immigrant students and a devoted faculty and staff at St. Frances Cabrini Academy in St. Louis It’s 7:15 in the morning and my first-graders have begun to arrive. Some go directly to the cafeteria, where breakfast is...
Generation Z—those born between 1996 and 2010—and people younger than them are increasingly drifting away from institutional religions like the Catholic Church. Some go toward being “spiritual but not religious” while others move completely away from the rituals, practices, and beliefs of all religious institutions. How should we minister to...
Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. “My grandmother subscribed to Liguorian for decades.” “My parents always had a copy of Liguorian in our home when I was growing up.” Did your loved ones introduce you to the Liguorian magazine? Honor their memory...
Timothy Cardinal Dolan, archbishop of New York, is one of the most recognizable leaders of the Catholic Church in the United States. Known for his easygoing manner, welcoming strangers as if they were lifelong friends, and his exceptional memory for people’s names and the details of their lives, he is less intimidating than a person in his position might be.
Modesty means to refrain from bragging, and it carries other definitions of value. “Today I will speak about the virtue of modesty,” a sophomore announced to his classmates from the podium during a public-speaking class at a Catholic college. Some of his peers looked quizzical, as if they had never...
Life stories flowed as dad turned the pages of a Leather-bound treasure; then it was her turn.
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To say “no” is instinctual, self-determining, and self-actualizing. To say “no” is to protest, and it is as natural as eating, sleeping, and breathing. It’s how we defend ourselves, survive, and thrive. Take Descartes’, “I think, therefore I am” and adapt it based on what we have all seen from...
It’s treacherous to live in Honduras, migrating can be deadly, so care is vital for all who remain in this Central American country I had spent time in Honduras as part of my Jesuit formation, and I loved the people, but…live with them? Of course, I started looking for loopholes!...
My reflection is based on a portion of John’s Gospel. Mary, the sorrowful mother, stands beneath the cross of her Son as the dying Jesus calls to her: “Woman!” Of course, this is not the first time that Scripture quotes him speaking to his mother. When the wine runs out...
In May, we celebrate Mother’s Day. In June, Father’s Day. So, across both months, why not celebrate Catholic Family Day? A family of ten once lived near the constant sea breeze sweeping in from the Atlantic. Occasionally a long weekend away from work allowed the father to indulge in his...
As we make our way through Lent and prepare for Easter, our Lord gives us a glorious opportunity to reset and repurpose our lives. Now is the time to cleanse and renew. Now is the time to revive ourselves in the holy Eucharist. We are in the midst of a...