The beer glasses were chilling in the freezer, awaiting the arrival of the aficionado who loves his hops in a frosty mug. A plastic bucket was also stashed in there, packed with ice cream, waiting for the little girl who would invariably…

August is an august month for our Blessed Mother! August is dedicated (in addition to the Blessed Sacrament) to her Immaculate Heart. On the 15th, we celebrate her assumption into heaven and on the 22nd, we honor her queenship. This month,…

BY KAREN EDMISTEN When a deathbed conversion is reported, a common reaction is, “That doesn’t sound real. Does it count? Is that even fair?" Writer, playwright, and notorious hedonist Oscar Wilde said, “One’s real life is so often the life…

Explore the origin and meaning of this popular sacramental

Sometimes I feel like breaking up with Lent. (It’s not you, Lent … really, it’s me.)  It’s not that Lent has done anything wrong (other than being demanding, relentlessly there every, single year, with no regard for my emotional state as I…

I want no long-faced saints. — St. John Bosco

In these days, therefore, let us add something beyond the wonted measure of our service . … Let each one, over and above the measure prescribed for him, offer God something of his own freewill in the joy of the Holy Spirit. — St. Benedict

It is always springtime in the heart that loves God. — St. John Vianney

Do not give in to sadness, or torment yourself deliberately. Gladness of heart is the very life of a person, and cheerfulness prolongs his days. Distract yourself and renew your courage. — Sirach 30:21–23

Our Lord does not come from heaven every day to stay in a golden ciborium. He comes to find another heaven, the heaven of our soul in which he loves to dwell. — St. Thérèse of Lisieux