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The Solitude of St. Patrick

Mar 17 18 • G. Tracy Mehan, III • 2 comments

I rise today with the strength of the sky, with the light of the sun, with the splendor of the moon, with the brilliance of fire, with the blaze of lightening, with the swiftness of wind, with the depth of the ocean, with the firmness of earth, with the firmness of rock. — From the […]

Beauty From Ashes: <em>I Can Only Imagine</em>, the Backstory

Beauty From Ashes: I Can Only Imagine, the Backstory

Mar 16 18 • Susan Soesbe • 0 comments

In 2004, I was making my way through the canned goods aisle at my local supermarket when I heard the opening chords of MercyMe’s hit song “I Can Only Imagine” being broadcast over the store’s sound system. I had two conflicting responses: 1) this song doesn’t belong in a grocery store, and 2) I think […]

A Day in the Life of a Crazy Fool: Part 3

Mar 16 18 • Kim Heilman • 0 comments

Welcome back to “A Day in the Life of a Crazy Fool.” In Part 2, I ended with Quiet Time, which is usually over around 1pm, as the children begin sneaking upstairs to see what I’m doing. At this time a couple of things happen: Outdoor Recess and Afternoon School. As the four middle children […]

<em>I Can Only Imagine</em> Opens in Theaters

I Can Only Imagine Opens in Theaters

Mar 15 18 • Patti Maguire Armstrong • 0 comments

Pain is powerful when it’s transformed by redemption, hope, faith, and God. It is the story that inspired the song, I Can Only Imagine the best-selling Christian single of all time, selling 2.5 million copies. The touching ballad which considers what heaven and meeting God will be like, is the only song ever to go […]

Redemption for Lent: Sin, Soul Searching and Salvation

Mar 14 18 • Monica Hannan • 1 comment

There’s a famous story in St. Augustine’s Confessions in which he and a group of youngsters looking for mischief steal pears, just for the thrill of the theft: We carried off a huge load of pears, not to eat ourselves, but to dump out to the hogs, after barely tasting some of them ourselves. Doing this […]

A Day in the Life of a Crazy Fool: Part 2

Mar 9 18 • Kim Heilman • 0 comments

Welcome back to a day in my life, which can be a bit crazy, being the mother of now 7 little children, all under the age of 12. In Part 1, I ended by mentioning Mid-Morning Prayer Time, which is where I’ll pick up today. 10am Mid-Morning Prayer At around 10am, when the children are […]

The Holy Spirit’s Gifts Must Be Opened and Used

Mar 9 18 • Barb Lishko • 0 comments

My husband is hard to shop for. He has simple tastes and knows what he likes. Over the years I have tried and tried to find the perfect gift he would really love and use. I’ve attempted to be clever, tapping into his interests, hoping to come up with something he would enjoy. I have […]

Sacred Space

Mar 8 18 • Rose of Sharon • 2 comments

There is a sacred space So nurturing and warm There is a sacred space Where Breath gave you your form Within this sacred space Your heart beat strong and true Within this sacred space You ate, and swam, and grew Within this sacred space You sensed, and listen’d, and learned Within this sacred space You […]

Billy Graham’s Saving Message

Mar 6 18 • Monica Hannan • 1 comment

The Rev. Billy Graham had a simple message–give your life to Jesus. And that’s exactly what he did. He may have counseled presidents, he may have been the first religious leader to lie in state in the nation’s Capitol, he may have founded a media dynasty, but he always knew who he was. In many […]

A Day in the Life of a Crazy Fool: Part 1

Mar 2 18 • Kim Heilman • 0 comments

I might be a Crazy Fool. After all, I have 6 children under the age of 12, I’m a Catholic, I homeschool, and I’m pregnant. Goodness gracious! To most in our culture, I am a crazy fool. Why would I do such things? The short answer? Because my heart is full of love. The long […]

The Greatest Human Rights Abuse in the World Continues

Feb 22 18 • Adam Cassandra • 0 comments

In the past 45 years, an estimated 60 million innocent human beings have been killed in the United States with the consent of our government, and this crime against humanity continues to this day. I’m speaking of the number of human beings killed through abortion since Roe v. Wade was decided by the U.S. Supreme Court on […]

Is Castration an Acceptable Punishment for Sex Offenders?

Feb 21 18 • Patti Maguire Armstrong • 5 comments

Should sex offenders be castrated? Oklahoma legislators are considering a controversial bill to authorize chemical castration as condition of release for convicted sex offenders. Seven other states have similar legislation already in place, although reportedly, it’s used infrequently. Backers say the bill will dramatically reduce the incidence of sexual violence and end repeat offenses. It […]

A Conscience-Stinger for Lent

Feb 20 18 • Kim Heilman • 1 comment

Anyone want a good conscience-stinger for Lent? Recently I just reread Thomas Dubay’s Happy Are You Poor. And my conscience was stung. I have too much stuff, and my children have too much stuff. And this stuff gets in the way of knowing Jesus. And it’s time to clean house and make space for Him. Now as […]

Thy Kingdom Come: Why We Shouldn’t Fear the End Times

Feb 19 18 • Monica Hannan • 0 comments

Hurricanes, earthquakes, terrorist threats, mass shootings – if you watch the news these days you could be tempted to go hide under the bed. These events bring on talk of the end times that we are warned about in the New Testament. The apostles expected Jesus to return at any moment, though He told them […]

Lent: It’s Upon Us

Feb 14 18 • Kim Heilman • 0 comments

Sober up, people! How are you going to prepare for the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? The 3 Pillars of Lent: Prayer, Fasting, & Almsgiving Prayer If you’re not already setting aside a specific time every day to pray, you need to. I am the mother of six little children. If I can do […]

Shine Your Light with Facebook Friends as a Spiritual Work of Mercy

Feb 13 18 • Patti Maguire Armstrong • 0 comments

Would go to the lion’s den for your faith? I’m guessing everyone has asked themselves this question. These days, in this country, we are more likely to go to court than the lion’s den. Standing up for our faith is having social and legal consequences, sometimes huge ones. For most of us, it’s about having […]

This is Why We Can’t Have Nice Things! ‘Inclusiveness’ Ruins Wholesome Event

Feb 7 18 • Patti Maguire Armstrong • 0 comments

When I was a kid attending Catholic school, if someone was caught with gum, or candy, a typical response from a teacher who was usually a Dominican nun, would be: “Do you have enough for everyone?” If we had been clever enough to prepare ahead of time, pulling out enough gum or candy for the […]

Celebrating More Than Just a Groundhog

Feb 2 18 • Sr. Christina M. Neumann • 0 comments

What is February 2nd known for? In secular society, it’s ‘Groundhog’s Day.’ While there’s nothing wrong with remembering this little rodent and speculating on whether or not he’ll see his silhouette created by the sun, I’d invite us to go a little deeper. While the sun is a beautiful thing, and certainly necessary for life, […]

Modern Man’s Most Magnificent Mass

Jan 25 18 • Trent Beattie • 1 comment

Which of the two forms of the Roman Rite, as Pope Benedict XVI called them, best encourages active participation, is most emotionally satisfying, and unequivocally equips the worshiper with the graces necessary to confront the modern world? Dr. Peter Kwasniewski’s answer may surprise you. In his book Noble Beauty, Transcendent Holiness: that the Mass of […]

The Value of a Single Human Life

Jan 19 18 • Judie Brown • 0 comments

David Perry, the father of a son with Down syndrome, writes, “I’ve spent many years now asserting the need to re-order how we ascribe value to diverse human lives.” St. John Paul II, on the other hand, taught: “Even in the midst of difficulties and uncertainties, every person sincerely open to truth and goodness can, […]

Dear Struggling Marriages

Jan 18 18 • Barb Lishko • 3 comments

In my work preparing couples for marriage, I have had to account for the unexpected implosion of a marriage where I was once part of the preparation. Sometimes I hear about the troubles first hand, other times when I see one of them meeting with the Nullity Minister. It saddens me every time when those […]

A Time for Change

Jan 11 18 • Randal Agostini • 2 comments

Every person deserves dignity, especially to be recognized as equal creations of God, as we all are. Yet we are created individually and differently, which is a huge part of the challenge presented to us by Jesus in the Second Commandment — to Love our neighbors as ourselves. The only way we are able to […]

Epiphany: The Nations Shall Walk By Your Light

Jan 6 18 • Marcellino D'Ambrosio, Ph.D. • 0 comments

Up until now, all has been quite humble. A donkey-ride to a dusty town south of Jerusalem. Hotel rooms all booked up. Giving birth in a stable and laying the baby in a feed trough instead of a cozy cradle. Into this scene of obscure poverty suddenly bursts an exotic entourage from a far-off land. […]

Ukraine: ‘Most Important Mission of the Church is to Bring God to the People’

Jan 4 18 • ACN-USA News • 0 comments

MANY PEOPLE in the Ukraine are destitute, especially older people and families. The armed conflict taking place in the eastern part of the country also continues to claim victims. The suffering Church receives both pastoral and material aid. Nonetheless, the Church should not get so wrapped up in its charitable commitments that it forgets that […]