Author Archive for Fr. Edward Looney

Edward Looney is a seminarian for the Diocese of Green Bay, Wisconsin and is a second year theologian at the University of St. Mary of the Lake—Mundelein Seminary. In 2011, he earned a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Philosophy, cum laude, from Conception Seminary College in Conception, Missouri. He is an associate member of the Mariological Society of America and has researched and written on various topics in Mariology. More specifically, he has researched, written, and spoken about the 1859 Marian apparition received by Adele Brise which is the first and only US approved apparition. He is the author of "The Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help—A Self-Guided Tour," a children’s book, "The Story of Sister Adele", and a rosary reflection book, "Praying the Rosary with Sister Adele". All are available from Tau Publishing. Visit Edward's personal website at: http://www.edwardlooney.com

A Gift for My Grandmother and Saint Anne’s Gift to Me
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A Gift for My Grandmother and Saint Anne’s Gift to Me

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The summer of 2008 was a summer of opportunity for me.  I was able to attend the International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City, Canada with other young adults from the state of Wisconsin through Catholic Youth Expeditions, a retreat ministry founded by Father Quinn Mann, a priest of the Diocese of Green Bay. As part […]

Spiritual Truths in <em>The Girl on the Train</em>
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Spiritual Truths in The Girl on the Train

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I am not an avid fiction reader. If I’m lucky I make my way through one or two novels a year. More often than not my nose can be found in theological texts, most likely Mariological in nature. My reading of novels might make an increase as I recently discovered the wonders of Audible and […]

Seeking a Relationship with God
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Seeking a Relationship with God

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When I meet with the Confirmation students in my parish one on one, I always ask them to describe their relationship with God. Some answer the question rather quickly without any assistance, while for others I sometimes guide their answer by qualifying, “Does your relationship seem really close or distant?” Some do answer distant, and […]

New Years Resolution
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Seven Spiritual New Year’s Resolutions

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I think most Catholics in the world would love to grow in their relationship with Jesus. People have a genuine desire to grow in holiness, even if they are not able to articulate their desires for it. On New Year ’s Day many people re-evaluate their lives. They examine how their lives were in 2015 […]

Learning from the Moms
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Learning from the Moms

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I’m a new priest and I have a lot to learn. Of course, working in a parish affords me many opportunities to work with different and diverse groups of people. A group of mothers approached me a few months ago and asked if I would be willing to lead a book discussion for them. I […]

Five Ways to Imitate Christ
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Five Ways to Imitate Christ

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In St. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians, he exhorts his readers to be imitators of God. I venture to say that St. Paul exhorts us to imitate Christ, who is God. After all, Paul had the encounter with the Risen Lord on the road to Damascus, which changed his life forever. How do we begin […]

Lessons From the Art Museum
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Lessons From the Art Museum

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It wasn’t until November 2012 that I visited my first art museum. Once before, as a college senior and tourist to Chicago, I attempted to visit the Chicago Art Institute, but the price of admission deterred me as a struggling college student. I have visited several art museums since that initial visit and each has […]

A Clean Heart
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A Clean Heart

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A clean heart create for me, O God, and a steadfast spirit renew within me. Psalm 51 The heart is one of the most essential organs in the human body because it pumps blood to every extremity. When it does not function properly and effectively, negative side effects occur. If we do not eat a […]

A Marian Heart
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A Marian Heart

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The other day my spiritual director challenged me to better emulate the heart of Mary in word and deed. As a person who claims to be devoted to the Blessed Virgin, I must admit, there are times my actions do not reflect my belief. From his simple, yet challenging comment, I realized my devotion to […]

Twelve Other Forms of Marian Piety
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Twelve Other Forms of Marian Piety

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In my last article, I looked to the rosary as the Marian devotion par excellence.  Some people may find the rosary difficult to pray, or they desire to honor Mary in another way or additional ways.  Below are twelve other ways in which a person can honor Mary beside the rosary.  By no means should this […]

Our Lady’s Three Rosaries
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Our Lady’s Three Rosaries

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In her apparitions to the shepherd children at Fatima, Mary revealed herself as the Queen of the Holy Rosary and encouraged the daily recitation of the rosary. This devotion to the Mother of God has been recommended to the faithful for centuries. In fact, when one is attached to habitual sin, oftentimes in the confessional […]

May is Mary’s Month: The Scriptural Foundation for Marian Devotion
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May is Mary’s Month: The Scriptural Foundation for Marian Devotion

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On May 1st the Church celebrated the memorial of St. Joseph the Worker. May 1st also inaugurated the Month of Mary. The memorial of St. Joseph almost seems fitting as we begin a month dedicated to Mary because we remember how St. Joseph provided for the Holy Family as a carpenter. To celebrate St. Joseph […]

Help Mary in Her Mission -- Offer Your Communion
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Help Mary in Her Mission — Offer Your Communion

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Fr. Emil Neubert, SM, one of my favorite Mariologists, wrote many books on Mary including Mary and the Priestly Ministry and My Ideal, Jesus, Son of Mary. Recently, the Franciscans of the Immaculate, through their publishing house, Academy of the Immaculata, have renewed interest in Father Emil Neubert by translating his French works from the 1950’s into English. […]

The Priest’s Sacrifice and Yours
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The Priest’s Sacrifice and Yours

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“You received Holy Communion this morning and that is well, but you must do more, make a general confession and offer your communion for the conversion of sinners.” These were the words the Queen of Heaven spoke in 1859 to a Belgian immigrant named Adele Brise in Champion, Wisconsin. In 1917 the children in Fatima […]

Looking to the Star of the New Evangelization
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Looking to the Star of the New Evangelization

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Stars are significant in the Christian tradition.  For example, God promised Abraham descendants more numerous than the stars of the sky (Genesis 22:17).  And yesterday a star played a prominent role in our celebration of the Epiphany when a star guided the Magi to the stable (Matthew 2:9-11).  Additionally, the Church has had a longstanding […]

Votive Candles: Lights of Faith and Hope
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Votive Candles: Lights of Faith and Hope

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An elderly woman stands at the votive candle area and lights eight large candles. She says a prayer and then finds her place in the pew. On exiting the Church, a young girl, no more than ten years old, lights a small candle with her dad watching on. Her dad told her to say a […]

 Three Common Misconceptions About the Immaculate Conception
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Three Common Misconceptions About the Immaculate Conception

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Today, December 8th, the Church would observe the feast of the Immaculate Conception. This year the feast is transferred to Monday the 9th, giving precedence to the Second Sunday of Advent. In my experience, the Immaculate Conception is one of the most misunderstood teachings of the Church. Today, I’d like to address three common misconceptions […]

Promoting the Angelus as an Advent Devotion
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Promoting the Angelus as an Advent Devotion

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Farmers pause in their fields at midday and bow their heads in prayer. [i] Businessmen and women overhear the ringing bells during their lunch break in the downtown business district. And neighbors to Catholic Churches may hear the church bells toll at six, noon, and six as an invitation to pray the traditional devotion of […]

The Power of Tears
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The Power of Tears

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I have witnessed the tears of many people. Some have been tears of joy for an answered prayer. Others have been tears of sorrow when mourning the death of a loved one who just died of cancer or unexpectedly. Some tears were shed when someone shared a personal story that called to mind painful memories, […]

Before I Was Born, Jesus Knew Me
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Book Review: Before I Was Born, Jesus Knew Me

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Karin Niemeyer has penned her first children’s book.

Re-Evaluating Television: Questions of Morality
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Re-Evaluating Television: Questions of Morality

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One of my fondest memories of my grandmother is watching Little House on the Prairie with her when I was a child.  Knowing she loved Little House on the Prairie, one Christmas I decided to purchase the first season of The Waltons for her.   I am not entirely sure if she ever watched any of […]

Under the Mantle: Book Review
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Under the Mantle: Book Review

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Catholics throughout the world might be familiar with Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC as a frequent conference speaker. In many of his talks he shares the story of his radical conversion to the Catholic faith, recounted in another book, No Turning Back: A Witness to Mercy. Due to his frequent conference appearances he has developed a […]

Pope Francis' First Angelus Address
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Pope Francis’ First Angelus Address

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On Sunday, March 17th, 2013, Pope Francis delivered the first Angelus address of his pontificate.  Given that he spoke before and after a Marian prayer, the Angelus, one should not be surprised that Our Lady was invoked in some way. He shared three pertinent things regarding Mary. 1.  Pope Francis relayed the story of an […]

Pope Francis, Mary and the Urbi et Orbi
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Pope Francis, Mary and the Urbi et Orbi

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Pope Francis in his initial remarks following his papal election led those gathered at the Vatican and those watching on television or online, and listening via radio in a prayer for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, asking the Lord to bless him and Our Lady to protect him.  The prayers he led were traditional prayers, the […]