I didn’t choose my patron saint, she choose me. It was a breezy spring afternoon at wrap up week for National Evangelization Teams (NET) Ministries. Hanging out in Amery, WI at Camp Wapo was a chance to connect with friends and prepare ourselves to ‘face the real world’. As the crowd was gathering in the [...]
I can hardly tell you how often I’ve had the following thoughts lately: “She’s married with three kids and she is only a year older than I am, what am I doing with my life?“ “She’s traveled to six different countries in the last three years, what on Earth have I been doing?“ “He’s got a great [...]
On April 15, two bombs went off at the Boston Marathon killing three people and injuring 264. This latest in terrorist attacks struck fear into the entire nation, especially the Boston area, for four days until one of the suspected bombers was killed in a shoot-out and the other was arrested. The arrested suspect, Dzokhar [...]
You’re probably expecting me to say something about strapless dresses and not showing too much skin, but I’m not. Okay, I can’t resist so here’s my opinion on the subject: Don’t be trashy, The Dress is about your wedding day, not your wedding night. With wedding season upon us, what I really want to talk [...]
In my last article, I looked to the rosary as the Marian devotion par excellence. Some people may find the rosary difficult to pray, or they desire to honor Mary in another way or additional ways. Below are twelve other ways in which a person can honor Mary beside the rosary. By no means should [...]
I’m tired. I can’t think of one area of my life that isn’t taxed nearly to the breaking point. Energy is gone, finances are three days from following suit, and my pool of creativity is being used by some kids on skateboards. As I write, one of my boys is sick on the couch, zoned [...]
The other evening an episode of M*A*S*H came on. Now that’s a great show. Here’s why I like it.
Waiting on four pepperoni HARs (hot and readys) to be…well…ready (Little Ceasar’s was back-logged) I moseyed over to the bar next door to find a bar bathroom. I found and entered a small closet with two urinals and a stall and an older gentleman followed close behind and grabbed a urinal before I did. Now [...]
From a talk with my eldest. With her permission. Because teenagers need to know that they’re not alone. Another bonus of NFP…it makes it easier to promote chastity and abstinence to your children. I noticed the other day that you were listening with rapt attention to the girls at the pool as they talked about [...]
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recently issued a letter entitled “Marriage and the Supreme Court.” This bulletin insert, to be distributed nationwide, is nothing particularly earth-shaking. It describes the two cases presently before the court, and provides information on what people can do to advocate for marriage as defined by Christian Tradition. Of course [...]
What is Jared doing reading a woman’s magazine? Well, why is a woman’s magazine interviewing the Brett McKay, the founder of “The Art of Manliness”? So, enough of the questioning my masculinity for “liking” Verily on Facebook and let’s get onto our discussion of manliness. By the way, you can purchase a subscription to Verily [...]
When it was evening, the disciples of Jesus went down to the sea, embarked in a boat, and went across the sea to Capernaum. It had already grown dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.The sea was stirred up because a strong wind was blowing. When they had rowed about three or four [...]
I had the blessing of growing up in an incredible parish. Holy Cross bore many of the hallmarks of what we as a Church are beginning to recognize as the program for rejuvenating parishes. A perpetual adoration chapel. Beautiful liturgies. Dynamic preaching. Discipleship programs and evangelization retreats. A Catholic grade school that begins each day [...]
The world is constantly telling women that we aren’t good enough. We go unseen, unsought, unpursued, and this all leads us to believe that we are unworthy. Unworthy of what, you ask? Unworthy of happiness, joy, love, peace, and any good thing that life could offer us. These lies, straight from the mouth of Satan, [...]
Home has never been a place for me. I have been so many places in my life. I have a special nostalgia for the farming country of Upstate NY, especially in the Summer, and the Fall. And the Spring. And the Winter. That’s because I grew up there, and I guess in a certain sense [...]
For the last couple years I’ve been working behind-the-scenes on a huge new project, and last Monday it finally went live. The project is called Strange Notions, and it’s designed to be the central place of dialogue between Catholics and atheists. As a ‘digital Areopagus’, it features intelligent articles, compelling video, and rich discussion throughout [...]
I can hardly tell you how often I’ve had the following thoughts lately: “She’s married with three kids and she is only a year older than I am, what am I doing with my life?“ “She’s traveled to six different countries in the last three years, what on Earth have I been doing?“ “He’s got a great [...]
On April 15, two bombs went off at the Boston Marathon killing three people and injuring 264. This latest in terrorist attacks struck fear into the entire nation, especially the Boston area, for four days until one of the suspected bombers was killed in a shoot-out and the other was arrested. The arrested suspect, Dzokhar [...]
You’re probably expecting me to say something about strapless dresses and not showing too much skin, but I’m not. Okay, I can’t resist so here’s my opinion on the subject: Don’t be trashy, The Dress is about your wedding day, not your wedding night. With wedding season upon us, what I really want to talk [...]
I didn’t choose my patron saint, she choose me. It was a breezy spring afternoon at wrap up week for National Evangelization Teams (NET) Ministries. Hanging out in Amery, WI at Camp Wapo was a chance to connect with friends and prepare ourselves to ‘face the real world’. As the crowd was gathering in the [...]
I can hardly tell you how often I’ve had the following thoughts lately: “She’s married with three kids and she is only a year older than I am, what am I doing with my life?“ “She’s traveled to six different countries in the last three years, what on Earth have I been doing?“ “He’s got a great [...]
On April 15, two bombs went off at the Boston Marathon killing three people and injuring 264. This latest in terrorist attacks struck fear into the entire nation, especially the Boston area, for four days until one of the suspected bombers was killed in a shoot-out and the other was arrested. The arrested suspect, Dzokhar [...]
You’re probably expecting me to say something about strapless dresses and not showing too much skin, but I’m not. Okay, I can’t resist so here’s my opinion on the subject: Don’t be trashy, The Dress is about your wedding day, not your wedding night. With wedding season upon us, what I really want to talk [...]
From a talk with my eldest. With her permission. Because teenagers need to know that they’re not alone. Another bonus of NFP…it makes it easier to promote chastity and abstinence to your children. I noticed the other day that you were listening with rapt attention to the girls at the pool as they talked about [...]
In honour of Mother’s Day… A fellow writer recently asked somebody to write something positive about motherhood. She said “Some of us not-yet-moms are scared of motherhood because all we hear is that you’re miserable and debilitated for nine months, then have a day of the most excruciating pain ever, then you don’t sleep for [...]
“I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it is very difficult to find anyone.” —J. R. R. Tolkien People are scared of having adventures. This is true, even for the people whose hearts want to explore. Something’s holding them back–the what if? questions, fear that we will return [...]
The other evening an episode of M*A*S*H came on. Now that’s a great show. Here’s why I like it.
Waiting on four pepperoni HARs (hot and readys) to be…well…ready (Little Ceasar’s was back-logged) I moseyed over to the bar next door to find a bar bathroom. I found and entered a small closet with two urinals and a stall and an older gentleman followed close behind and grabbed a urinal before I did. Now [...]
Today the Church commemorates the beginning of Our Lady’s apparitions in Fatima, Portugal on May 13, 1917. In her apparitions to the shepherd children, Mary revealed herself as the Queen of the Holy Rosary and encouraged the daily recitation of the rosary. This devotion to the Mother of God has been recommended to the faithful [...]
Imagine for yourself: A 13-year-old middle-eastern girl sitting at home, minding her own business. Maybe she’s doing chores. Maybe she’s studying. It won’t matter in a few moments what she is doing, because her life is about to change forever. An angel comes to her. Now, she’s heard about angels from her parents and from [...]
Have you ever seen the letters “WWJD?” The phrase “What Would Jesus Do” appears on bumper stickers, wristbands, coffee mugs and various other tchotchkes from time to time. As a young mother, however, I often find myself asking, “What Would Mary Do?” To me, Mary, the Mother of God, is an amazing model of perfect motherhood. She was [...]
The celebration of the feast of the Ascension of Our Lord has been transferred to the following Sunday in many dioceses, but the 40th day after the resurrection remains a Holy Day of Obligation. This allowance to transfer the celebration has confused many Catholics, and so it seems worthwhile to examine this phenomenon. On Facebook [...]
“Think about what would happen if New Advent, Catholic Answers, Busted Halo, and Ignitum Today all fused together into one website for youth…” I teach 7th grade. Don’t worry, I’m completely sane, even at the end of the school year when my students’ hormones are raging and the scent of summer fills their nostrils. Granted, [...]
Pentecost is nine days away, which in ‘Catholic-ease’, means novena! There are several different novenas floating around online from which to choose, like EWTN’s Novena to the Holy Spirit for the 7 Gifts, or the Novena by Presentation Ministries, or novenas by parishes like Christ the King in Ann Arbor, Michigan. One of the most difficult [...]
How do you measure greatness? We all want it. We all have a certain desire within us to do something different. We do not want to just fall into the routine of life with a mediocre job and settle for less than we are capable of. Just because we all have this desire doesn’t necessarily [...]
This is the concluding part of Be Careful about St. Paul (Part 1) It is said that we should not Rob Peter to pay Paul. That is true, we should heed Peter to understand Paul and by so doing eliminate any fatal consequences. By heeding Peter, let us consider one of his letters to the [...]
I find it very intriguing that so many people today are having kids with their significant other or living with them but seem deathly afraid of the commitment of marriage. I say this because for me the decision to get married, even though it was a lifelong commitment, was much less daunting than when I [...]
It happened again. Oh, I thought this time would be different. But, then I saw it, that pretty little pink box, peeking out from in between the hairspray and nail-polish remover, greeting me so warmly from the bathroom drawer where it waits. I was only trying to get some lotion, I wasn’t looking for it, [...]
Q. How do you pronounce “ignitum”? A. Well, you have some options. The Romans would have said ig-NEE-toom. In church, we’d say “in-YEE-toom.”
Why?
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