Making a Pilgrimage with Kids in Tow
Before you think I’m a holy person, let me correct you; I’m not. And aren’t holy people the ones who go on pilgrimages? The word still strikes fear (or is that wonder?) in my not-raised-Catholic heart....
View ArticleOne Family’s Novena to Italy—There’s more to Pisa…
Travel Journal Day 6 — There’s more to Pisa than a tower that leans. Try to think of something else in Pisa besides the Leaning Tower. It’s hard I know. For sure the Tower is one of the most...
View ArticleOne Family’s Novena to Italy—From Pisa to Turin and the Shroud
Travel Journal Day 7 — Arrival in Turin When my fourteen-year-old daughter Teresa and I left Turin five years ago, I never expected to see the Shroud of Turin again in my lifetime. God had other plans...
View ArticleOne Family’s Novena to Italy—A Blessed Day in Turin
Travel Journal Day 8 — Final Day in Turin Most of the two million people who will see the Shroud of Turin this spring will wait sometimes hours just to stand for three minutes to pray before it; as we...
View ArticleOne Family’s Novena to Italy—Arrivederci Italia!
Travel Journal Day 9 — The Novena Ends Our family novena in Italy ended in Milan, Italy. As I began to write this final segment for ICL, four of us were aboard an American Airlines 767 at thirty-six...
View ArticleWorlds Apart
I am a father and a philosopher. This is not necessarily an unusual combination, but it does give me a range of interests that spans two rather distinctive worlds. I am interested in the family, its...
View ArticleYour “Most Solemn Obligation”
Without question, parents are the primary influence on the faith lives of their children. Study after study shows that when parents are strong spiritual leaders, and when fathers—yes, dads in...
View ArticleHanding On the Faith We Received
When I think back over my life, I am thankful for the many gifts the good God sent my way through people who knew and loved Him and who chose to share that knowledge and love with me. There are so many...
View ArticleHow One Child Transformed His Dad
Fathers make a difference. When they go missing, suffering is inflicted upon the family which then bleeds out into the community in so many ways. Children also make a difference in the lives of their...
View ArticleSeven Essential Lessons Dads Need to Teach their Children
Who Introduced You to the Lord? The first question I would like to pose, is simply this: “How did you come by your faith, whether it be weak or strong, new or old? Where and when did you first come to...
View ArticleTithing: Making Time, Talent, and Treasure Servants to Your Spiritual Leadership
“The point is this: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do as he has made up his mind, not reluctantly or under...
View ArticleSpecial Children, Blessed Fathers and The Profound Witness They Offer
She sat in the first pew, directly in front of our parish’s beautiful gold tabernacle. She was dressed for the occasion, donning a simple white dress and she had a small lace veil clipped into her...
View ArticleThe Three Views of the Human Person
There are two ways to view the world. We either attempt to see the world rightly as it was intended by the divine author, or we fancy ourselves the arbiters of truth and pronounce the nature of things...
View ArticleTurning Around the Crisis of Spiritual Leadership in Families
I’m sure you were as dismayed as I was at the recent, sobering findings of the CARA study on the spiritual health of Catholic families. Dr. Gregory Popcak wrote an important article about it here and...
View ArticleTo My Children: Eight Things I Want You to Remember this School Year
Dear Children, Over the last few weeks, I’ve spent hours ordering uniforms and supplies and schoolbooks. I’ve nagged you at least five hundred fifty-six times to finish your summer reading. I’ve...
View ArticleSuicide Prevention—Be COMFORT for those who Struggle
Suicide is a terrible thing, because it is the taking of a life and also because it leaves a lasting, troubling impact on others. Our faith tells us that the taking of one’s own life is objectively a...
View ArticleEach of These Children is a Blessing
“Those whose lives are diminished or weakened deserve special respect. Sick or handicapped persons should be helped to lead lives as normal as possible.” (CCC 2276) One of the few issues my wife and I...
View ArticleA Review of Head and Heart: Becoming Spiritual Leaders for Your Family
As the Synod on the Family continues in Rome, Catholic families around the world are refocusing on the importance of transmitting the faith in a vibrant, intentional way at home. At this particular...
View ArticleLove Starts at Home
Yes, love starts at home. Easy for me to say, I know. I’m far more excited to take a hot meal to the stranger from church who just had a baby than I am to serve it to my own clan. I’m hot with tears...
View ArticleRaising Independent Catholic Kids in an Age of Conformity
Sexting, drugs, alcohol, cyber-bullying, teen suicide, rampant materialism, technology addiction, and me-first mindsets – the list of challenges to young people today can seem overwhelming. As parents...
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