The feast of Mary Magdalene coincides with the anniversary of my mother’s death, a fitting intersection given the spiritual inspiration I’ve gained from each woman. Like Mary Magdalene, my mother’s faith ran deep and her life served witness to that…
South Korea will soon be blessed with a visit from Pope Francis. The highlights of the Aug. 14-17 trip include the beatification of 124 martyrs and the celebration of the closing Mass for the Asian Youth Day, where the pope…
For more than 1,500 years, Benedictine monasteries and convents around the world have operated under the Rule of Saint Benedict, a set of simple precepts designed to help religious communities lead an ordered, prayerful life. Saint Benedict’s guidelines address five…
Everyone loves a summer wedding; pass any church on a given Saturday and you’re bound to see the happy couple in their wedding finery, surrounded by friends and family. What isn’t visible is all the planning and preparation that has…
We are excited about the release of Greening Your Church: A Practical Guide to Creation Care Ministry for Parishes, Dioceses and Religious Communities by Norman Lévesque. Greening Your Church explores the Church’s teaching about creation care and offers us practical ways of living in…
Many of us question God’s presence in our lives, particularly in times of crisis or suffering. And that is perfectly normal. How could one not, when suffering or great difficulty often leaves us feeling a bit alone and lost? Yet…
As a child I always perceived saints as rather extraordinary women and men. Their faith and holiness always appeared well beyond my ability. Years later I discovered that many of the saints’ lives were much more alike our own. Many…
In 2002, St. John Paul II announced the annual World Day of Prayer for Priests and its respective celebration on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. St. John Paul II and his successors, Popes Benedict XVI and Francis, have…
Everyone loves a parade. If you search the world, you will find Eucharistic processions of almost every description to mark the feast of the Body and Blood of Christ. In Rome the procession goes down one of the major streets,…
Ask any student of theology about the Trinity and the answer you’re likely to receive is this: “It’s a mystery.” To the uninitiated, that may sound trite, if not a downright attempt to avoid offering an answer to a theological…