Browsing Category
Parenting
The powerful witness of fatherhood
by Bishop Robert Reed I had two fathers when I was growing up. I know that sounds strange. The fact is, my birth father, William, was killed in a car accident just before I received my First Holy Communion. My mother remarried a…
Encouraging men about the value of fatherhood
In his book, How to be a Superman Dad in a Kryptonite World: Even When You Can’t Afford a Decent Cape (Guiding Light Books, 2017), John Clark, husband and father of nine, draws upon his own experiences to discuss the value of fatherhood.…
How to raise pro-life children
The No. 1 question Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life, hears from parents and grandparents is: “How do I talk to my kids about abortion?” It certainly isn’t an easy conversation for adults, but children have a natural love of…
Making back-to-school easier
Summer vacation is coming to a close. As a parent you have the opportunity to instill a positive attitude and a strong work ethic in your child for the upcoming school year. Ease into the routine Getting into the daily school-year routine…
The weighty cross and even weightier beauty of natural family planning
As a convert to Catholicism, the Church’s teaching on birth control has been — by far — the hardest one for me to accept. Sounds funny coming from someone with seven kids, right? But it’s true. I’ve literally struggled to accept the…
A Father’s love
I am a father and I love my children. Because of this, I want what’s best for them. But that goes without saying, doesn’t it? Love is, after all, willing the good of another. Growing up, I was blessed to be on the receiving end of this…
The faith of a child
“Let’s go to France,” my fiancée Laurel, said. We were planning our honeymoon and had airline miles donated to us. It was the perfect opportunity to see where she studied abroad and traveled extensively. Yet, symbolic of marriage, we…
Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day the Catholic way
According to television and the internet, St. Patrick’s Day was made for the 21-and-over crowd and is best celebrated with green beer. But, if you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’ve got children or grandchildren. And since you’re…
How having children changed Mass and why we keep going
There was a time in our life where Mass was a quiet place for worship. Time to reflect on life and all that has been given to us. Then, we had kids. These days Mass can be more like a three-ring circus, but without cotton candy — we have…
Ways to be a pro-life family
January marks the 46th anniversary of Roe v. Wade and the annual March for Life, so it's a natural time to promote respect for life from conception to natural end. But what does it mean to “respect life”? What does it mean to be “pro-life”?…
