Everyone has made at least one impulsive purchase in his or her life. Pet shops and women’s clothing stores thrive on such buys. But not many of us would be tempted to buy an entire zoo on impulse. Ah, but in the movies there are no limits as to what can happen. In the film, […]
This story by Heather Gemmen Wilson is a dramatic testimony to the value of life–even life that results from a rape. It was featured in the Amazing Grace for Survivors book. It had been more than a year since Casey was stillborn, and it seemed Steve and I would never be able to have the third child […]
Recently, I began corresponding with a young man who once walked down a dark, destructive path. Eric is sentenced to twenty years in a Jamestown, North Dokota prison for his third drug offense. He tracked me down through Ascension Press, the publisher of my co-authored Amazing Grace books. After reading Amazing Grace for Survivors and […]
Minorities are not generally high achievers so the government has a responsibility to reduce their population. (Stay with me, I have a point to make.) Singleton children from highly educated, successful parents tend to be self-centered, so the government needs to address that unpatriotic situation. Rich families breed kids with tendencies for depression, so they […]
I once did not understand. So now, instead of getting upset when others don’t understand, I see it as an opportunity to inform or at least to pray for them. When I came to understand Catholic teaching on love and marriage, my heart grew to include the unborn children I once thought I did not […]
You are a dummy if you do not friend the Blessed Mother, the best thing this side of God. Mary is the very bestest friend we could ever have. Yet, there are some out there who don’t even bother accepting her friendship. In general, Protestants don’t include her in their social circles but there are […]
This article is by Regina Rico Ferreira as told in Amazing Grace for Mothers. “Mommy, where’s my daddy?” My four-year-old son Jacob asked me. The question was a jolt to our leisurly Sunday afternoon walk together. I always knew the question would one day come, but I was not expecting it so soon. “Dear God,” […]
Today, in “Annie’s Mailbox” newspaper column, a woman who admitted having no desire for children wrote: “Babies are messy, leaky, smelly and noisy, as well as demanding and expensive.” The woman is accurate. It is not logical to have a child. A baby will drain your bank account and rob you of sleep. It will […]
Quarters can’t buy protection against STD’s. Even without religion, the facts speak the truth. Peace of mind is free. When a former college president shared that he had installed vending machines with condoms in the girls’ dorms, my face must have betrayed disapproval. After a pregnant pause, (sorry, couldn’t resist) he further explained, “The girls […]
My own life did not take on a deep spiritual dimension until I was pregnant with my fourth child. But, once I turned seriously to prayer and saw the results, I became hooked. It began when my husband Mark lost his job. For the first time we consciously put our lives in God’s hands. Whenever […]
When you stop to count your blessings, do not forget to give God a big thank you to for all the difficult people in your life. Those cranks that cross your path and darken your doorway are just bursting with the potential to bless you. Every person who provokes you is an opportunity, but it […]
As a writer, I find that my thoughts quickly turn into articles in my head. A recent at-rest thought was: What are the worst ideas in the world? High heels were my first thought. Heels prove that vanity lacks wisdom. Feet are for walking; high heels are anti-walking so regardless of what’s in your shoe […]
If you do an Internet search for “Catholic Fatherhood” how much data would you find in comparison to Panda Bears, Applied Linear Algebra, and Welding Theory? According to John Clark, author of Who’s Got You, Catholic Fatherhood comes in last. The results respectively were 1,914, 1,706, and 284. Catholic Fatherhood netted 270 results. Clark surmised […]
During the Sixties, dime stores sold baby painted turtles. The little green sea creatures were displayed in a big open tank just next to the tropical fish. Children could pick them up or just watch them climb all over one another. I loved those little turtles and still to this day, they evoke a nostalgic […]
[wp_carousel]ID[/wp_carousel] For some people, the journey towards God begins through relationships with people. Mitch Albom, a Detroit Free Press sportswriter who wandered far from his Jewish roots, experienced God through two very different men: one a Jewish rabbi and the other an African American pastor of a poor, inner-city Detroit church. The story is dramatized […]
Yesterday, someone close to me shared the pain of his son’s incarceration due to drug abuse and brushes with the law. Also this week, I received a letter from a prisoner sentenced to twenty years for meth. He was a graduate of St. Mary’s High school where my kids go. After reading Amazing Grace for […]
It’s almost here! The new Mass — from the revised Roman Missal — is coming November 27, so we should not just get prepared but excited too. I do admit, however, that I have a preference to stick with what I already know. For instance, every new computer program and most of the technology in my world, […]
Is it better to be an ex-Catholic or cultural Catholic? An ex-Catholic is on the outside of the fullness of faith while a cultural Catholic is on the inside but not getting it–or rather not accepting it. An ex-Catholic has left a church he probably didn’t understand. Otherwise, he would not have walked away from […]
The Mighty Macs is the kind of film that makes you want to cheer from your seats. It’s a Cinderella in basketball sneakers story of an underdog earning the crown. The film is based on the true story of the 1971-72 Immaculata University women’s basketball team. This small — under 800 students — Catholic women’s […]
How would you like to be splashed with water as you walk down the street? In Poland, that’s how they say, “Happy Easter!” If you had read last Easter’s issue of St. Mary’s Messenger magazine for children, you would have known that. I recently stumbled upon St. Mary’s Messenger through a phone call from Kris […]
Some things are meant to be shared. Friendship with Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta is one of those things. I personally know three people who were friends with Mother Teresa and like a second-class relic, those second-class friendships leave me feeling somehow closer to her. Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle is one of those friends who was […]
Sometimes our journey is lined with detours. We think we know where God wants us to be but then he sends us in another direction. For Pete Bauer, every time he seemed to draw closer to his goal, he was sent down another road. In the end, however, every detour proved to be a time […]
I’m an animal lover. At this time, two dogs, a cat, and a hamster are part of our family. For ten years, I’ve uplifted the spirits of nursing home residents and staff by bringing dogs in to visit. My kids and I regularly witness the power of our furry friends. At one nursing home, there […]
The College of St. Mary Magdalen in Warner, New Hampshire, has had a make-over. On October 16 of 2010, this small liberal arts college rededicated itself to rigorous intellectual and spiritual formation while unveiling a new name: the College of Saint Mary Magdalen. The name was modified to serve notice that the Catholic identity remained […]
