As an African-American Catholic, I revel in the opportunity to share that my father, a convert to the Catholic faith, was initially drawn to Catholicism through the witness of President John F. Kennedy Jr., our first – and, to date, only – Catholic president, who contributed to the setting of the civil rights legislation that […]
In a culture that values what is new over what is old, excitement over routine, style over substance, it is not surprising that instability plagues many lives, and that those who are constantly seeking their peace in different experiences, jobs, places and people, never seem to find it. This wanderlust-of-heart, ever restless until we rest […]
Being diagnosed with cancer is always a dreaded event. There are many fears: will it be terminal? How much suffering will be endured? What painful treatments will be needed? The anxiety can become overwhelming because there are a lot of unknowns. There becomes an acute awareness of the brevity of this life. A sense of […]
When Jesus invites us to die to ourselves, He is not referring to some pious act of self-sacrifice which will make us look or feel holy. No, He has something much more radical in mind. The kind of inner transformation Christ desires will literally rip the rug up from under our feet and shatter our […]
Pope St. John Paul II begins the encyclical Fides et Ratio with the admonition “Know Yourself”. Most apparently, we are material creatures and as such are mutable. We change. Change is time. In contrast, God is immutable, eternally so. He does not change. This essay is a meditation on time, on our nature as material […]
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 5:3) Poor in spirit. It is amazing how easy it is to gloss over Jesus’ epic red letter words in the Bible. We read his exhortations and commandments through our tainted human lenses and forget that He wants nothing more than […]
Social media is present everywhere you look. While it has its downfalls, if utilized properly, social media can be an amazing tool in strengthening your faith. Pope Francis revealed his insights into social media in a message, entitled Communication, and Mercy: A Fruitful Encounter, for the 50th World Day of Social Communications released by the […]
The Faithful Are Abandoning Ship “Crisis of faith” is a popular term bandied about to describe what is going on in the Church today. The Catholic Church had been the faithful’s arc of safety and spiritual refuge up until recently. The crisis of faith among the faithful and our clergy is alarming. Conflicting statements and […]
Marcus speaks with a quiet authority, with the air of a contemplative craftsman. Founder of Marian Caskets, his avocation in life is now his family business. He makes beautiful wooden caskets. Moved by the funeral rites of Pope John Paul II in 2005, particularly the plain wooden casket of the late great Holy Father, Marcus […]
Given the times in which we live, calling anyone an extremist is not really a very good thing. When most people hear the term, their minds turn to some sort of radical, criminal, and nearly always murderous behavior – bombings, mass shootings, etc. Synonyms for extremist include fanatic, radical, and ultraist. The Oxford dictionary defines an extremist as […]
Abraham Lincoln said that “A House divided against itself cannot stand”. Thomas Ewing Sherman was born into a House divided by religion on October 12, 1856. He was the son of William Tecumseh Sherman, at the time an obscure former Army officer, and Ellen Ewing Sherman. Ellen Sherman was a devout Catholic, and, I think, […]
These days, we often view our faith as something private, something that’s just between us and God. We go to Church on Sundays, we say our prayers every night, and we do our charitable deeds, but all too often, those practices stay hidden from the people around us. We live our lives according to the […]
I entered the Catholic Church in 2010, but my wife and I turned slowly away from the popular ideological goals and dreams of this world a few years before that. She has leapt ahead of me now in this progress towards eternity, which is fitting as she also lead me in life by her understanding […]
“And Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart.” (Luke 2:19) When we read the words above from the Gospel of Luke, we see Mary reflecting on all that has happened surrounding the birth of her Son, Jesus. But this is not the only time the Gospel’s author stops to tell us Mary […]
Within every one of us, there is a question that takes a while to answer. I don’t believe there is a right or wrong response to what has been asked. The level of intimacy required to produce an honest response makes it impossible to answer incorrectly. Before you start pondering the answer yourself, bear with […]
Back in the early 1900s The St. Anthony of Padua chapel railroad car traversed North America bringing the Sacraments to folks in areas of the country where there were no Catholic Churches. It was also responsible for more than few conversions during its 17 years of rollin’ along. In 1939, Oklahoma City’s Bishop Francis Kelley […]
The word “rigid” has become something of a pejorative term in the common parlance of some clerics and theologians in recent years. The Holy Father himself suggested that young Catholics who prefer the Traditional Latin Mass suffer from a psychological rigidity that must be encountered and healed through a process of “digging.” Another example of […]
The first turning point came when our car initially broke down in Hawaii. I was 6,000 miles away in Delaware, caring for my 90 year-old-parents. Well, really, just my Dad. Mom had a few falls but still made mashed potatoes from scratch and watched over Dad to make sure he ate. She has done this […]
As stated in Part I, I will now show you how I saw the Resurrection as not just possible but probable, so probable that I cannot in good conscience deny it. This will not be in full detail. I will have reading suggestions at the end of this article that are devoted to the problem. […]
Once upon a time there lived three theological virtues named Faith, Hope and Love. Their house was modest, and just the right size for them to dwell and exercise their respective entities while living in common. They moved in a way that accommodated each other in a wonderful choreography. They deferred to one another in […]
The Catholic Church’s Commitment to Counteracting Racism
As an African-American Catholic, I revel in the opportunity to share that my father, a convert to the Catholic faith, was initially drawn to Catholicism through the witness of President John F. Kennedy Jr., our first – and, to date, only – Catholic president, who contributed to the setting of the civil rights legislation that […]
Let Christ Rip The Rug Up From Under You
When Jesus invites us to die to ourselves, He is not referring to some pious act of self-sacrifice which will make us look or feel holy. No, He has something much more radical in mind. The kind of inner transformation Christ desires will literally rip the rug up from under our feet and shatter our […]
Marcus Daly: Mercy and the Denial of Death
Marcus speaks with a quiet authority, with the air of a contemplative craftsman. Founder of Marian Caskets, his avocation in life is now his family business. He makes beautiful wooden caskets. Moved by the funeral rites of Pope John Paul II in 2005, particularly the plain wooden casket of the late great Holy Father, Marcus […]
What They Didn’t Tell Me About the Church
I entered the Catholic Church in 2010, but my wife and I turned slowly away from the popular ideological goals and dreams of this world a few years before that. She has leapt ahead of me now in this progress towards eternity, which is fitting as she also lead me in life by her understanding […]
A Catholic Holy Roller: The Story of the St. Anthony Chapel Car
Back in the early 1900s The St. Anthony of Padua chapel railroad car traversed North America bringing the Sacraments to folks in areas of the country where there were no Catholic Churches. It was also responsible for more than few conversions during its 17 years of rollin’ along. In 1939, Oklahoma City’s Bishop Francis Kelley […]
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