Maybe you shouldn’t be going to daily Mass or praying the Rosary every day. They are both very good things. But one of the mistakes we can make in the spiritual life is to move too quickly from “this is a good thing to do” to “therefore, I should be doing it.” Those...
One of the greatest gifts parents can give their children is not simply knowledge of the Catholic Faith but a love for living it. While children should certainly learn the Creed, the Commandments, and the sacraments, they should also be introduced to the rich...
Do you ever feel like the prayer that you do is useless? You have had the same petition for weeks or months, but you see no fruit from your prayer. You might feel like it’s time to throw in the towel and pray for something else or stop praying for that petition...
Every day is a great day to be a Catholic. However, in this day and age in particular, it’s a really great time to be Catholic. Although the Church is far from winning the culture war, Catholics all around the world are noticing a certain levity in the air—and it’s...
“We’re Back!” the principal excitedly shouted. And then immediately followed up with a request: “Can you help us renew our commitment to Catholic Education?” It was just before the start of the 2023-2024 school year. We were coming off the heels of the COVID...
My grandmother is 94 years old and still the most elegant woman I know. In the 45 years we have known each other, we have had innumerable, memorable conversations, some of which I have documented and hope to share with my own grandchildren someday. A few years ago, I...
Imagine this: a car full of chatter and laughter as twelve siblings are on their way to Mass. Some are reading the day's reading, some are whispering jokes, and others are quietly reflecting. Mass was central to our lives growing up in a family with 12 children. My...
Most of our fears as young kids revolve around nighttime. As we grow up, the tools we're taught stay with us. Whether you've got young ones or older ones (or fears yourself), you can keep it simple with these ways my husband and I fight fears with our kids. What...
Sister Ruth. What a woman. May she rest in the eternal glory of our heavenly Father. Sister Ruth led me into the Catholic Church when I was five years old, alongside my mom who worked as her assistant in St. Ann’s religious education office for years. Aside from...
I am a Catholic children’s writer whose second vocation is to intercede for priests. Of all those I have ever prayed for, this priest was very different... The weight of his suffering pressed on my heart. Aware of his slow suffocation due to throat cancer, my prayer...
Actors: Mom, eight-year-old Buck, five-year-old Will Scene: Kitchen; kitchen corners Time: Midmorning Prologue The main frustration for many parents is not what discipline consequences to levy when. It is how to enforce those consequences when a...
Are you bringing your child to Mass for the first time this Christmas? It is difficult to know what to expect, especially if you haven’t been to church in a while. If you have young children, you may wonder if your child will be able to sit and be quiet for the...
Is it okay to miss Mass if you’re traveling?It’s a question that touches both conscience and convenience, and one that almost every Catholic has faced at some point. Whether you’re exploring a remote national park, attending a family reunion, or just trying to catch a...
Their sounds, their wiggles, and their questions are signs of life in every parish family.Do not worry if they get fussy or distracted. You are doing holy work by bringing them close to Jesus. During the “Ecce Agnus Dei,” the priest lifts the Host and says, “Behold...
No matter how talented, disciplined, or motivated an athlete is, failure is part of the game. Striking out at the plate, fumbling the football, missing the winning shot, or making a costly error on defense—it happens to every athlete at every level. But for young...
Imagine it’s Christmas Day. Your family is gathered around the dinner table—laughter, stories, the clatter of silverware on plates. But your sister isn’t joining in. She has just returned home from college out of state. You notice how quiet she is, detached from the...
Every parent knows the well rehearsed reasons why it’s important to give a routine for small children as they go to bed. Rest of course is very important for health. Most parents know firsthand what it’s like to deal with a young one the next day when they don’t get...
These family-friendly pilgrimage destinations offer faith, beauty, and hands-on experiences for young hearts. Living less than an hour away from the only approved Marian Apparition Site in the United States–the National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion–I grew up...
There are many things that I wish I knew when I was younger. One of those is that a man’s primary core need is to be respected. Women desire to be respected too, but men equate love with respect. To them, to be respected is to be loved. I have learned that I’m a...
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...
“It didn’t come with a manual.”I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard a guy say that about marriage and fatherhood.But it is true…and it is a hard truth. The two most difficult “jobs” for a man—being a husband and a father—commence with little to no...
“It didn’t come with a manual.”I wish I had a dollar for every time I heard a guy say that about marriage and fatherhood.But it is true…and it is a hard truth. The two most difficult “jobs” for a man—being a husband and a father—commence with little to no...
It’s easy to picture (and perhaps you’ve seen it), your teenager sighs, rolls their eyes, and says, “Do we have to go to Mass this weekend? Church is just so boring…” And there you are, in the middle of one of the most common conundrums for Catholic parents today....
As a dad of seven and a lifelong devotee of Our Lady, I’ve always had a soft spot for the Rosary. But something changed when I became a father. The Rosary stopped being just my prayer—it became our prayer. I began to see it not only as a lifeline for my own spiritual...
From the time I started my adventure in homeschooling 15 years ago, I have wanted to collect some of the most inspiring words spoken by American leaders since our founding—eloquent and soaring words, rooted in the wisdom of the ages. The...