Living Our Faith with Bishop Reed

My mother had a love for things that were simply beautiful. Our family home had touches of Japanese artwork, and the backyard was laid out more like an Asian garden than a typical New England landscape. Reflecting back, I think my mom had a…

In recent years, there have been more and more ways to sell personal items online and make a little spare cash. While we used to have to pay for classified ads in the local newspaper or tack an index card on the bulletin board in the local…

Very often, the first Sunday of Advent comes so soon after Thanksgiving that we hear ourselves saying, “Is it Advent already? Where does the time go?” We have been so immersed in the spirit of autumn — from the back-to-school routines to…

God’s voice is never silent ­— he is always calling to us to come nearer, to go deeper, to respond to the love he has for us every day. What’s more, he never stops calling people to religious vocations — to the priesthood, to religious…

Catholics in the United States have, for many years, celebrated the days of October as “Respect Life Month.” This year a special event is taking place in Rome that is somewhat related. On Oct. 14, Pope Francis will canonize two great men…

Sometimes I wonder how I made it through six different academic institutions and ended up with numerous degrees. I say that simply because each September I dreaded returning to the classroom. Perhaps I needed a more positive attitude, but I…

Below is an excerpt from a column that Bishop Robert Reed, our editor-at-large, wrote this past weekend to his parishes in the Archdiocese of Boston. You can read the entire column for Aug. 26 here.  These days, I find myself deeply…

The summertime, for me, is really the most wonderful time of the year. I begin waiting for its return from the first cold morning in the autumn, and then in earnest just after the Christmas rush. Taken together, the summer months, with…

My parents were both raised in Boston. My mom was of Irish Catholic descent, and my dad was a Scottish Presbyterian. Both were hard workers and great dancers who loved a good party. In the late 1950s they built a house in a new development…

Have you ever wondered why first Communion and Confirmation usually take place in the spring? Is it because of the better weather, allowing more people to stand outside church and take pictures? Is it because we are close to the end of the…