When Pope Leo XIV canonized St. Carlo, the memes were great: Pokemon, Mario, Spiderman, N64, Nutella. A whole generation of 90s kids like me saw themselves in St. Carlo, the first millennial saint. Something gets lost when we identify with his video game playing and...
“The holy Rosary is a powerful weapon. Use it with confidence, and you’ll be amazed at the results.” —St. Josemaría Escrivá The power of the rosary is clearly a great grace for all, as many saints of the Catholic Church have testified to its efficacy. I think they...
Saint Francis of Assisi is cherished by Christians across many traditions. As we approach his feast day on October 4, we celebrate 800 years since his death, which he lovingly called Sister Death. Although I am a Benedictine at heart, Francis holds a special place in...
October 1: St. Therese of the Child Jesus October 2: Guardian AngelsOctober 3: St. TheodoreOctober 4: St. Francis of AssisiOctober 5: St. FaustinaOctober 6: St. Bruno, Blessed Marie-Rose DuroherOctober 7: Our Lady of the RosaryOctober 9: St. Denis and companions, St....
Sometimes a saint enters our lives quietly, long before we realize just how much she will mean to us. For me, that saint was St. Therese of Lisieux. I first discovered her in high school when my family visited the National Shrine Museum of St. Therese in Darien,...
Saint Francis de Sales says that, just as bees return to the hive, attracted by the sweetness of honey, so the mystic soul loves to seek God within herself, knowing by experience how pleasant His company is. This image that Saint Francis describes...
The word “catholic” comes from the Greek term katholikos, which means "universal" or "whole.” The beauty of the Catholic Church is that it encompasses people of all cultures and backgrounds. Every year, the United States celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month from...
There is something special about the town of Champion in the fall. As the leaves begin to change color throughout northeast Wisconsin, we prepare for one of the most meaningful celebrations of the year at The National Shrine of Our Lady of Champion: the Solemnity of...
Have your kids ever asked why Mary has so many titles? Or maybe it's something you’ve wondered about yourself! In my latest book for middle grade readers, Detective Thomas and the Mysteriously Perfect Plan, amateur sleuth Thomas asks himself why Mary matters to us so...
When I was a student at Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania, I walked into the quiet chapel one evening just as the sun was beginning to set. I knelt to pray and, after a moment, looked up to see the sun shining through the windows, creating a shadow of...
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...
"Who is going to save our Church? Not our bishops, not our priests and Religious. It’s up to you, the people. You have the minds, the eyes, the ears to save the Church. Your mission is to see that your priests act like priests, your bishops act like bishops, and your...
When we think of the saints, it can be easy to picture them as distant figures from another time…people whose holiness feels almost impossible to relate to. But visiting the National Shrine of St. Maximilian Kolbe in Libertyville, Illinois, reminded me yet again...
For many people, Eucharistic miracles are fascinating stories. For others, they are little more than legends passed down through centuries of Catholic tradition. Skeptics often wonder whether there is any credible reason to take these accounts seriously, while...
Most of the time, when we hear about modesty, the focus falls primarily on attire, and too often these conversations are carried out with little charity, fixating solely on examples of immodest dress rather than unpacking the truth of the virtue itself. When modesty...
A Catholic Guide To August Links to purchase: Heart of Vines by Walking with Purpose, St. Lawrence Adult Socks by Sock Religious, Fiat Coffee Catholic Kids Guide To August Links to purchase: Choose! A Catholic Would You Rather, My First Examen Board Book, St. Clare of...
A “Daily Prayer Routine” is not a term that we hear of frequently. What does it actually mean? Do we really need to have a “routine” for prayer as such? Isn’t it enough to just go with the flow of the day, and pray whatever prayers we feel like on that given day?...
Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying:"The kingdom of heaven may be likenedto a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy cameand sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore...
Recently I was asked by our regional Catholic Board of Education to present a talk to Religious Education teachers on the life of Abbot Franz Pfanner, the founder of the Monastery of Mariannhill near Durban on the eastern coast of South Africa. Although I knew a fair...
As we approach the feast day of Saint Benedict on July 11, I am reminded of another chapter in my life where I spent one night in Nursia. I had the immense blessing of praying in the Abbey at the center of the city, built over the birthplace of Saint Benedict and...
When I was 15, I experienced my first “chastity” talk one night at youth group. A local organization called the Theology of the Body Evangelization Team came to our parish and gave a series of talks about the subject. It was the first time in my life I had ever heard...
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...
The people of Rakunai, Papua New Guinea, in 1942 would not have believed that their local catechist would be one of the great Catholic figures of the 20th century and eventually a saint. Yet that is exactly what happened. Peter To Rot was a layman, a husband, a...
July Liturgical Living For Catholics Links to purchase: The Imitation of Christ (Catholic Classics) by Thomas à Kempis, Believe Premium Athletic Tee, St. Pier Giorgio Frassati | Chews Life Silicone Rosary Links to purchase: Quiet Mass Set by...