On Smiling Angels and Joy-Filled Hearts
It is difficult to be a parent today, especially if you have a child or children with special needs. The days are emotional roller coaster rides often filled with frustration and only fleeting glimpses...
View ArticleWhen Christmas Hurts: Coping for those who have lost a child
The Advent and Christmas seasons can be difficult for anyone who has lost a loved one, but uniquely so for those who are mourning the death of an infant through miscarriage. I know because in 1986, in...
View ArticleWhat your family can learn from the Holy Family
The Feast of the Holy Family celebrates the holiness and joy of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph of Nazareth. Each year, this celebration occurs on the Sunday following Christmas Day, unless...
View ArticleOn Accepting Help
I was in desperate need of Confession recently. When I finally decided I couldn’t put off the spring-cleaning my soul so desperately needed any longer, I scoured the Internet looking for a local church...
View ArticleSet Your Teen Up for a Life Of Virtue
In the style of Dorothy Sayers, I write this post to help parents raise their teenagers to be virtuous adults. While my kids are younger, I was once a teen myself. Furthermore, I teach eighth and ninth...
View Article“All are Equal in Dignity in the Sight of God”
“By reason of their Baptism, all Catholics are equal in dignity in the sight of God and have the same divine calling.” (Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities;...
View ArticleA Courageous Example and a Loving Parish
This past Sunday, I had an opportunity to witness a very special moment at my parish. An eighteen-year-old man with high-functioning autism was taking his first turn as a lector at Mass. The lector...
View ArticleThe Good News About Imperfect Families
Do we have to go to church?” my five year old, Camille, whined as we readied for the Good Friday Stations of the Cross. “It’s boring and stupid,” she said, tears dripping down her cheeks and...
View ArticleThese Children are 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 ArticleThe Right Perspective—Raising Children Who Will Turn to God
“Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; See, I am doing something new! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isaiah 43:18) Country music singer Joey Feek...
View ArticleThe Four Keys to Everlasting Love
Most of us didn’t receive an instruction manual when we became engaged. We likely participated in the required pre-Cana classes at our parish and completed the FOCUS test. But that may have been the...
View ArticlePerspective — Going Back
“A humble soul does not trust itself, but places all its confidence in God” (St. Sister Faustina). I registered my eighth child at the high school of my youth today. A familiar smell which brought me...
View ArticleIn the wilderness I will make a way
“In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth—and the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and a mighty wind sweeping over the waters—Then God said: Let there...
View ArticleGod in the dugout…
Two eleven-year-old kids on the baseball team are sitting in the dugout while their team is up to bat. Charlie, the first shortstop, turns to William, the catcher. “Does your school say anything about...
View ArticleIs Motherhood a Choice?
I recently stumbled upon a series of memes about womanhood and motherhood. They were posted on Facebook by a friend’s daughter, and the one that immediately caught my eye was: “Rose decided not to...
View ArticleSeven Essential Lessons for Dads
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 ArticleCelebrating Our Father
During the month of June, the United States and fifty-five other countries around the world honor the roles fathers play in the family and the community. This modern secular holiday invites us to ask...
View ArticleWomen’s Leadership Conference Reveals the Gift of Feminine Genius
In a culture that lauds feminist ideology, many lay and women religious chose to respond to St. John Paul II’s definition of “feminine genius” this year instead. In early June, a new women’s...
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...
View ArticleWhat are Obstacles to Catholic Authenticity?
Why is it difficult to be the same person at work, home, church and with our friends? I have observed this problem for several years, but lately I have become more aware of the challenges people have...
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