Columns
By Mary Beth Bonacci
A few years ago, I brought a friend to Mass with me. She grew up with no religious faith but had fond childhood memories of attending Catholic pancake breakfasts. The Mass itself was a new experience for her. After 30 minutes of standing, sitting, kneeling and reciting prayers, the Mass ended and we left. On …
4/18/24
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By Elizabeth Foss
I walked down to my church the morning after Easter Sunday. I pulled open the door and slipped inside about 15 minutes before daily Mass was to begin. The lights not yet lit; it was still dark inside. As I approached the altar, I couldn’t help but smile. The flowers — so lovely the day …
4/18/24
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By Christina Capecchi
Jenna Wright has come a long way from being an NFL cheerleader to a First Communion catechist. Now, rather than sporting a skimpy outfit at the Super Bowl, she’s selling white gowns to second-grade girls and their families — and making it a memorable part of their sacramental preparation. It’s the perfect fit for the …
4/18/24
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By Fr. Joseph M. Rampino
From her most ancient days, the church has taken this time after Easter for a practice known as mystagogy, during which she would teach the newly baptized Christians what had taken place when they received the sacraments. This is actually part of why we still hear the stories of the risen Christ’s appearances to the …
4/13/24
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By Fr. Richard Miserendino
(Jn 20:19-31) Would you consider yourself a Christian Scientist? For most readers, the answer is “probably not.” At least, it would depend on what’s meant by the term. While a few might belong to the Protestant denomination of the same name, or others might be actual biologists or chemists who confess Christ as Lord, our …
4/6/24
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By Russell Shaw
Holy Week and Easter bring with them liturgies of great beauty and solemnity suitable to the momentous significance of the events they recall. That significance is of course redemption. And for assistance in explaining it, I turn to three highly qualified commentators — Blaise Pascal, St. John Henry Newman, and St. Augustine. Start with Pascal. …
4/4/24
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By Lucia A. Silecchia
Recently, I was in the happy company of a 7-year-old. She asked me the delightfully shocking and shockingly delightful question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The question was shocking to me because it has been decades since someone asked me this question with the earnest sincerity of my young interlocutor. …
4/4/24
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By Deacon Gerard-Marie Anthony
We often hear the saying, “April showers bring May flowers” connecting these months due to the weather. But what if there was a saying to connect the months of April through June not just to weather, but to our Blessed Mother? Well, there is: “Immaculate Heart of Mary, bring us to the peace of Jesus …
4/4/24
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By Nancy Briggs
The day our son was ordained to the priesthood, a good friend of ours, who is also a priest, pulled me aside and said: “Now you are a sister of Mary, for you both are mothers of priests. Meditate on this.” Of course, I was somewhat taken aback by this comment. I could understand that …
4/3/24
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The Good Shepherd
The Good Shepherd Read More »