As my children have gone through school – all in Catholic schools – I often found myself disappointed with the lack of depth in their
Sometimes in hindsight, I look back and wonder: “should I have done this instead of that, gone uphill instead of downhill? The counterargument, which brings
Half a century of sitting in Catholic parishes and getting assaulted by painful attempts at relevance qualifies me to reflect on what a thriving parish
The Catechism: An Underrated Resource The Catechism of the Catholic Church may not seem like a priority in these crazy times. Keeping up with breaking
I asked a friend this evening, “Do people read books anymore?” “No. They don’t,” he replied. “What’s the point, then?” I asked. “The people who read books like
After spending over 18 years in school, I never had a single class on parenting. Of course, how to take care of a child physically
Even though Catholic life in the United States is gradually beginning to bloom again as we return to ‘normal’, the faithful will always treasure the
I have been called many things in my life: a good soldier, a solid worker, a model employee, and even a good husband. Those things
The news cycle is fickle. A big news story is only big until a new big story comes along. This is true even with Catholic
An exhortation to develop an interior life or to deepen one’s relationship with Jesus—is, in and of itself, good. Yet, simply attempting to persuade someone
The family celebrations are over. The guests are gone, and we are getting back to the daily routines of life. Among Catholics celebrating Christmas or Easter
Preach the Gospel at all times. Use words if necessary. – attributed to St. Francis of Assisi It seems ironic that a great saint who
There’s a certain value to nonconformity, to separation from the rest of society. In “If 6 Was 9”, Jimi Hendrix wrote of “white collared
When people hear the term Kung Fu they probably think of the martial arts and guys like Bruce Lee or Jackie Chan, or even the
Over the past few months, ‘bullying’ has become a recurring topic of discussion among the members of Fusion, our youth ministry at Immaculate Heart of
Although you won’t find “Acts of the Disciples” in the Bible, every baptized Christian that was, is now, and ever will be could be included
At the very beginning of the new year, over 8,000 attendees, most of them young people from across the country, gathered together in downtown Chicago
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
Defending the Truth Blessed John Henry Newman said, “…it is our plain duty to preach and defend the truth in a straightforward way…” This quote
It is all too common to hear stories about fallen away Catholics, and how fewer are attending Mass and following their faith. Many blame theirs
It has been almost 50 years since the New Evangelization was launched at Vatican II. Despite a growing enthusiasm for evangelization, there is a serious
With its roots in Vatican II, the New Evangelization is a recognition that a crisis exists in the Church because large numbers of baptized Catholics