A PERFECT SAINT
Last week, a relatively young friend of mine died after a long battle with cancer. As his close friends, my wife, Christine and I were asked to offer words of reflection at his memorial service. As Christine spoke of her…
Category Feast Day
REPAIRING OUR HOUSE WITH ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI
If ever there was a time to rediscover the beautiful ministry and wisdom of St. Francis of Assisi, it is now. While we face the crisis of climate change, our devastating history of residential schools and even our anxiety in the…
DON’T FORGET YOUR WINGMAN!
The liturgical tradition does not have a ready ceremony for every scenario of loss but it does offer a rich ritual repertoire from which we can draw inspiration and hope. From September 2021 through June 2022, I aim to explore…
OUR LADY OF SORROWS
Today’s culture has begun to realize that recent decades of overzealous positivity have led to unsustainable expectations for happiness and success, often with dire consequences. The mantra in this burgeoning awareness of mental health is: “it’s okay not to be…
ST. CLARE OF ASSISI
In his book, St. Clare of Assisi: Light from the Cloister, Bret Thoman, OFS describes how St. Clare (1193-1253) referred to herself as the “Little plant of St. Francis.” When she was 18 years old, she heard a sermon by…
TRANSFIGURATION OF THE LORD
Have you ever been in a time and a place where everything seemed to be just perfect? Perhaps for just a few moments, on a beach at sunset or, perhaps, for a few years, a time when family life was…
WELL WOUNDED
This year, the feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola has an extra sparkle. Not only is today Ignatius Day for Jesuits around the world, it also comes nestled within the Ignatian Year. Five centuries ago, while fighting willfully a hopeless…
ST. MARTHA
The women of the Gospels are significant to us in so many ways. They are models of faith and discernment, and they give us a glimpse into the community of Jesus. Martha is an example and she is a significant figure for…
APOSTLE TO THE APOSTLES – AND TO US!
We can hardly be surprised that with so many women named Mary in the New Testament there is a little confusion around which event refers to which Mary. Add a number of accounts of un-named women and the confusion only…
IMMACULATE HEART OF MARY – PRACTICAL ADVICE
When it comes to our relationship with the Blessed Mother, it is valuable for our own prayer life to see how the liturgical celebration of the Immaculate Heart has been presented to us, and to see how the changes over…