Catholic. Pastoral. Trusted.
His Mother inspired him to serve Q. How did you discover your vocation? A. God called me to diaconal ministry via four persons placed in my path: My mother, Maria Nguyễn Thị Được, who raised my siblings and me as Catholics on her own after my father’s passing when she...
I recently experienced one of the greatest joys of motherhood thus far: being present—completely and fully present— for my eldest daughter’s big day! Her husband is loyal, hard-working, and unfeigned; he loves her unreservedly. What more could a mother ask for? I knew he was committed when he readily accepted...
Consider the rhetoric heard during any political ad season, whether prior to a municipal, midterm, or presidential election. Bear in mind, I live in Texas, where the laws of the old Wild West resonate throughout as “Texas values.” My ears are assaulted with a myriad of attack ads from the...
The word mother can evoke many ideas and images. When we think of Mary, the Mother of God, we may picture a passive, quiet woman. Most artistic depictions of the annunciation illustrate her reflexively saying yes to God in accepting the angel’s invitation to be the mother of Jesus. When...
The prospect of aging can cause feelings of fear and dread. In a society where the measure of a person’s value and worth fall heavily on the side of work and productivity, it’s no surprise that some elderly people feel irrelevant, useless, invisible, and unloved. If we go to the...
Several months ago, my husband had both knees replaced. The after-surgery care and commitment were more challenging than either of us could have imagined. I likened it to bringing home a newborn from the hospital. Constant attention was required; the tiniest detail made a substantial difference. I quickly learned to...
“PRAYER IS OUR CONSENT TO GOD’S PRESENCE IN US.” Q. How did you discover your vocation? A. My pursuit of my vocation to the diaconate began in 2014 when I received a letter saying a deacon class was scheduled, and I was suggested as a possible candidate. I laughed and...
In the cosmos of wounded kids at children’s hospitals, some hearts pound with joy; others come to rest at a butterfly memorial Home from the Air Force, I was standing in the kitchen preparing breakfast when I heard someone at our back door. Mary, our next-door neighbor, was frantically looking...
We are in the season of renewal. Watching nature unfold and come to life in the sunlight is a lovely reminder that we too are called to experience a beautiful rebirth. As long as we remain in the light of the Holy Trinity, we will not perish from sin. Do...
This year has flown by! Summer begins in June, the halfway mark of our publishing year, and we need to call out to you, our readers. Last year, we initiated the first Liguorian Readers’ Choice Awards, and we’d like to continue the tradition. We understand life is busy, so we’re...
On May 13, 1917, three children who were cousins—Jacinta, Lucia, and Francisco—received the first of a number of privileged visits from the Virgin Mary. They, and the world, would never be the same. Nations awaited the end of the “war to end all wars” as our Lady’s call for prayer...
“I receive more than I…will ever be able to give.” Q. How did you discover your vocation? A. For as long as I can remember, I felt that God was calling me to service within the Church. At age twenty-two I responded to the vocation of marriage by marrying Debbie,...
The Essential Role of the Laity in the Church Today In this year of our Lord 2022, what is your experience of Church? Unquestionably, COVID-19 has shifted the reality. We have experienced the lockdown of churches for weekend Masses. It’s now common for Sunday celebrations of the Eucharist to be...
There’s a moment in our lives when we are faced with the question: Is it worth it to love another person? When we are young, it seems falling in love is easy. There is romantic love to discover, new friends to make who seem to offer us something new and...
Every year I look forward to the Easter Vigil. It is the most wonderful of liturgies. The initiation sacraments are the heart of the celebration. Young and old, individuals and families, with their unique and diverse life experience, are welcomed fully into the Church. Smiles and tears, hugs and kisses,...
A variation on that old adage, “You are what you eat,” is a line I heard on a recent podcast: “You are what you think.” English philosopher James Allen wrote this: “As a man thinks, so he is; as he continues to think, so he remains.” Perhaps this truth resonated so...
Christ “frees us from the prison of our shame” Q. How did you discover your vocation? A. How did a young boy born to Buddhist parents on the island of Borneo end up being a Catholic deacon for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston? This is the story of how God showed...
The eleventh day of March marks two full years since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic. I am stunned by this reality. Still. And what’s more shocking, in my opinion, is that we, as a nation, don’t have a better handle on the situation. Near the end...
His little-known true story of courage—in his own words I spent a St. Patrick’s Day in County Limerick, Ireland, a few years back as a house guest of my aunt, Kay. She awakened me on the holiday with a cheery “top of the mornin’,” a safety pin, and a shamrock....
As we commence our forty days of prayers, fasting, and almsgiving in March, we will also commemorate the feast of St. Joseph (March 19) and the Annunciation of the Lord (March 25). With these solemnities, we see what it means to exercise our faith in body, mind, heart, and soul,...