It's that time of year again in which we are bombarded with Halloween costume ideas. Everyone is looking for the most creative, clever, and unique costume idea to show off to their friends and neighbors. We've decided to join in the fun, so we've created a personality...
Fr. Bill Byrnes from the Archdiocese of Washington offers some insight into the five things that he would like engaged couples to know while planning a wedding. In this brief video, he offers both practical and spiritual advice that couples will find useful. 5...
Michael Cygan, recent graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, has been working on Fatima: The Musical for the past four years. In partnership with the Morning Star Family Holy Hour and Daybreak Television Productions, the performance premiered on...
As a mom, I truly know how hard it is to find time to meet with God on daily basis. Yearly retreats are even more difficult to fit in, but so necessary to help me grow in holiness and my vocation as a mother. Â Last year, I took part in my first online retreat and I...
My dear girl: Yesterday after we talked I was devastated. Forgive me, but the pain and anger won me over. Where was I? Could it be I never listened to what you told me? So many reprimands, so much guilt for not taking better care of you, for not being more clear and...
Jesus said to his disciples: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, so that 'every fact may be...
Womanhood is hard to define, even more so in a culture that suggests that there is no inherent difference between being male and female. What does womanhood mean? Is it less or more than manhood? Is there a distinct difference? Ascension Presents recently published a...
Over the next five articles, we will embark on a brief exploration of the complex and often overlooked topic of being male. The articles will be reflective and open to discussion, so please share your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below. Be mindful...
I've never understood those commercials that always pop-up around this time of year showing parents rejoicing as they send kids back-to-school . Of course, by the end of summer, I'm completely exhausted, but I never feel ecstatic about the start of a new school...
One of the best ways to enrich your spiritual life is to reflect on the Gospel. A great way of doing this is using the technique of Lectio Divina, a powerful method that we explain here. The following is a Gospel reading with a reflection that is especially aimed at...
In my beginning stages of exploration into women and the Church, I've been told so many times to check out Pope John Paul II's Letter to Women, which he wrote in June 1995, before the Fourth World Conference on Women. I've finally read it, and his message is...
It’s not an unusual situation (though I wish it were) that many young people today (mostly when they go to college), motivated by different reasons, abandon their Catholic faith. The causes range from the influence of friends and fashions, to intense rationalism in...
Many of us have been listening to Bible stories since we were kids. Noah's Ark, David and Goliath, and Daniel in the lion's den are some of the classics that children love to hear again and again, but have we taken the time to read them as adults? Though they do...
Growing up as the youngest of six siblings, the daily evening meal was non-negotiable. If we were home, we had to be there to eat altogether. Dragging myself from whatever engrossing book I was reading to join my family at the table was often the last thing I wanted...
Disclaimer: This post is not meant to be a formula for raising Catholic kids; it's simply one family's experience of how the witness of parents shaped children who became faithful Catholic adults. Each of my siblings and I got to a point in life where we had to choose...
This video had the usually brutal Youtube comment section reaching for the tissues to dry their tears, as an articulate little boy and a warm, grandfatherly older man exchange their thoughts, struggles and joys. The most attractive part of their exchange is the fact...
God's plan for the family is to be a model of the love of the Holy Trinity. "The Christian family is a communion of persons, a sign and image of the communion of the Father and the Son in the Holy Spirit. In the procreation and education of children it reflects the...
My New Year’s Resolution this year was to try and live out the commandment that appears so often in the Bible: “Be Not Afraid.” Personal circumstances meant that I had much need of this encouragement and I bounced into the New Year assuming that since I had decided...
What is the problem with a Catholic outdoor wedding? Believe it or not, the Catholic Church actually has some beautiful reasons as to why getting married outside the Church building is discouraged. The Church is not trying to ruin the plans for the day you have...
So you’re a godparent? Congratulations! But, your beloved godchild lives miles away… how will you ever have a strong spiritual mentorship to him or her? Well, God, the Father lives in Heaven and His love still surrounds us constantly. Through Him all things are truly...
Single Catholic guys, if you feel confused about how to stand out positively to the single Catholic ladies, don't lose hope! Although surface qualities like preferred height, appealing eye color, and keen musical talent may be attractive (who does not like being...
This viral video of a young girl's poetry performance in her school classroom makes for powerful and somewhat painful viewing. She is a 7th-grade student, only twelve or thirteen years old. In watching it, my heart went out to her, because I understood her struggles....
What does a Pope pray before bed? Pope Francis' bedtime prayer is one that we can all easily incorporate into our nightly routine. With the beautiful simplicity of this prayer, we can teach our children to come before the Cross of Christ and meditate on what He has...
I'm sure you can recall a time when someone's words caused you deep hurt and pain. What that person said to you cut you to the heart and many times those horrible words that you've tried so hard to forget seem to be stuck on repeat in your mind. The words of...
Most nights, although I'm exhausted at the end of the day, before I can fall asleep I stay awake thinking of all the things that I could have done differently as a mom. I replay the day in my head and inevitably hear the harsh sound of my own voice reprimanding...