"It's about stepping into small, daily challenges that rub up against our weaknesses," Fr. Columba Jordan explains, "and learning to meet God right there." Crux: A Lenten Journey of Surrender I recently had the privilege of previewing Ascension’s new Lenten program,...
When you first meet someone, you’re curious to know them. You want to know how old they are, where they grew up, what they currently do, their best memories, etc. Perhaps, they’ll share with us something very unexpected — their vast knowledge of electric fish in...
Not long after the New Year’s resolutions have faded, we Catholics are thinking about our next opportunity to make changes…the 40 days of Lent. Some of us rejoice and say, “Hurrah! A second chance to tackle those goals!” while others of us dread the penitential season...
One of the most ancient approaches to spiritual formation comes from the desert fathers who used to offer brief commentaries on various prayers. In keeping with the ancient practice, what follows is a brief meditation on the Our Father. The Lord Jesus came into this...
My father once said that he painted what he saw with his eyes and felt with his heart, and for me, this is very much what he did with this book —the last of his 60-year-long career, illustrating over 80 children's picture books. This book is primarily based on the...
On November 13th, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Homobonus, patron saint of business leaders, merchants, and tailors. For Legatus members, his life offers an inspiring model of holiness in the business world. In an age that often separates faith from...
Read Part 1 of this 3-part series here and Part 2 here. Having established the fact that prayer is a relationship of love and after reflecting on Jesus’ own teaching regarding prayer, we are now more equipped to consider the question, How do I pray? There are, of...
A Heroic Stories Conversation with Sean Berg, Special Forces Sean Berg, a retired Army Special Forces Colonel with ten combat deployments, doesn’t just talk about battlefield heroics—though he has plenty. He walks us through a firefight where a teammate nearly dies, a...
My husband, Stephen, and I visited the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help – now called Our Lady of Champion – in July of 2021. Although we always hoped for the opportunity to visit the Shrines at Fatima and Lourdes, we realized it may never happen. Because of...
Read Part 1 of this 3-part series here. In the sixth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus affirms the truth that prayer is ultimately a relationship of love in three simple, but deeply profound, verses. To elucidate this truth more deeply, let us examine...
What you are about to read is my story, my journey, my destination, and my heaven on earth. I have been a secular Discalced Carmelite since the spring of 1988, living in the world, and spending the last 49 years as either a social worker or teaching in Catholic...
When a person becomes convinced of the necessity of prayer, very often they will begin by focusing on the mechanics of prayer: How do I pray and how often should I pray? Where should I pray and at what time? Whom should I pray to most, the Father, Son, or the Holy...
Saint Alphonsus Maria de Liguori, 1696-1787, born into wealth and influence, was initially trained as an attorney. Suddenly realizing that his interest in legal victories was greater than his interest in obtaining justice, he renounced his legal career. He pledged to...
What is white space? It is empty space. (It can be any color.) And it is necessary. Think for a minute about a word: between each letter and then between words, there are spaces. There are spaces between lines on a page, and then when there is a larger space, it...
When people talk about Saint Carlo Acutis today, it’s often with headlines about sneakers and memes about a modern saint who played video games and built websites. But those who truly knew him, like his mother, his teacher, and even his doctor, remember something...
The Stations of the Cross can be intimidating to introduce to little ones. Between all of the different parts involved in Christ’s journey, the length of the prayer, and the depth of the material, it can be a lot. This Stations of the Cross Pray and Play Set is an...
Homelessness in the United States is a widespread issue that is growing. On a single night in January 2023, 653,104 people experienced homelessness—an increase of 12.1% from the previous year (endhomelessness.org). Among this number, more than 200,000 individuals were...
by Diego Hernández Herrera Suffering from an addiction —or even a habitual vice— can be quite embarrassing, especially when you are a Christian, because you are aware of how serious such a sin is. It can also feel disheartening to faln back into a sin from which...
INTRODUCTION to JUBILEES SPES NON CONFUNDIT. “Hope does not disappoint.” With these words, borrowed from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Romans (chapter 5, verse 5), the solemn invitation to the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025 begins. The special papal document, or...
Meet Servant of God Michelle Duppong through the lens of those who knew and worked with her and then see Radiating Joy: The Michelle Duppong Story in theaters on Nov. 12. Matthew Kurtz, is a product manager at eCatholic. He worked with Michelle Duppong whose life is...
I was speaking with a friend of mine the other day and he asked me where my fourteen-year-old son was at with his discernment of the priesthood. He wanted to know what I was doing to encourage him to be open to this vocation. My initial response was….to cringe. ...
St. Martin De Porres, Pray For Us! Image created by @thestumpofjesse
Almost every single time I hear a Taylor Swift song, I think of my friend Sofía. During high school, I didn't have a car of my own, and she didn't mind giving me free rides everywhere, so we spent our semesters going together to mass and holy adoration in her Toyota....
My whole life, I have stated I am a member of the Catholic Church. I specifically remember learning in youth group that the word “catholic” meant universal, but the definition didn’t mean much to me until I partook in World Youth Day 2005. It was the summer before my...
Why the soul is Naturally Christian Among the treasures of our Christian heritage are two doctrinal statements bequeathed to us by Tertullian, the late-second and early-third century Carthaginian Church Father. It was he who provided his Christian heirs with the most...
