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...
Though many point out the evil and harm of social media, we all have the choice to use social media for our own personal gratification or to use it as a tool to bring glory to God. We can choose to use social media for good! An easy way to do that is to carefully...
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...
The month of August is jam packed with feasts of spiritual powerhouses. August 4th - or 8th in the pre-1962 calendar - is the commemoration of St. John Vianney, also known as the Curé of Ars. Born in 1786, the fourth of six children to devout Catholic parents in the...
Fr. Leo Patalinghug, known as the "Cooking Priest", and Fr. Kyle Manno , who you might recognize from this viral carpool karaoke video, are causing a bit of an uproar on Twitter because of video that was posted by Katie Prejean McGrady that was taken at...
On July 11th in the Liturgical Calendar, and on March 21st in the pre-1970 calendar, the Church celebrates the feast of St. Benedict of Nursia, father of Western Monasticism. Saint Benedict's name has garnered more attention of late due to the conversation across the...
Fr. Ian Van Heusen provides a Gospel commentary and video each week for Catholic-Link. He loves being a priest, but there is one thing that bothers him about his vocation. In this video, Fr. Ian shares that people actually asked him more spiritual questions when he...
In the history of the Church, the regular clergy, that is to say the communities that decide to live by a determined rule which dictates their religious practices, have been something like the Ecclesiastical body’s lung. The Church, although Holy, has had a need for...
It’s tennis season here in the UK, and fans all over the world will be tuning in to watch the All England Tennis Championships at Wimbledon, which are followed up several weeks later with the final Grand Slam of the year, the US Open, at Flushing Meadows in New York....
How is it possible that a young man decides to leave everything behind to enter the seminary? Why would this young woman decided to leave her old life to shut herself in a convent? How did this man leave his career and prestigious job to follow God? All these are...
When you envision the life of a Monk, you most likely think of a simple lifestyle centered around prayer. The Monks at Subiaco Abbey in Arkansas definitely embrace the monastic, contemplative spiritual life, but they do have a tradition that might surprise you. "A...
The Dominican Order was canonically established in the year 1216 by Pope Honorius III. Named after their founder, St. Dominic, they claim the official designation is the Ordo Praedicatorum (O.P.), or, in English, the Order of Preachers. Various mottoes characterize...
"Spotlight of a Calligrapher", published by Ascension Presents, tells the story of Erica Tighe, a designer and calligrapher. Erica's story of how she came to be a full-time calligrapher is moving and poignant. She tells how she came back from a year and a half of...
*Warning: There’s a scene in this movie that doesn’t go too far, as romance is concerned, but could be inappropriate for minors. Discretion is advised* Routine, that cultural phenomenon that can take away our capacity to be amazed about things. The English Catholic...
A few weeks ago, four seminarians from Michigan embarked on a pilgrimage to Iraq. Iraq may seem like an unusual choice for a pilgrimage destination for most of us, but the country holds a special meaning for these four men. They are all studying to be Catholic priests...
Do you ever get confused by the many religious orders that the Catholic Church has? Each individual order has their own particular character, or charism, attracting different people with the same common style of prayer, work and way of life. The religious orders are...
Raise your hand, those of you who’ve never fallen in love! I’m certain we can’t hear a peep. We have all fallen in love. We know how beautiful it is and how nice it feels to experience love towards another person. Catholics and non-Catholics fall in love, do crazy...
I can't believe it took me two years to find this video! Happy Nun has turned "Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?" into "Do You Wanna Be a Sister?" and the result is a very inspirational song about how to discern the call to pursue a religious vocation. If...
The fact that these Franciscan Friars of the Renewal aren't trying to be cool makes the many different things they do even cooler. From basketball to cooking, these Friars have found creative ways to engage the culture and it's working. Their YouTube videos have...
Did you know there are several married Saints? As our society likes to frequently remind us, marriage is no easy task. To live out the vocation of marriage requires a great deal of self-sacrifice and self-discipline. In the Sacrament of Marriage, both the husband...
Last week Catholic-Link published an article about Esmeralda Solís Gonzáles, a young woman who left behind her life as a beauty queen in Mexico to pursue a religious vocation with the Poor Clare Missionaries of the Blessed Sacrament. Today, we have another inspiring...
“You mustn't be afraid. If God is calling you, he'll take care of everything. All you need to do is receive him with a lot of peace, joy, and confidence. I believe fear is a big excuse that is responsible for truncating the true happiness that only God can offer,”...
Have you ever wondered why the Catholic Church is structured in a hierarchical form? Or, what makes the difference between a deacon and a priest? Or how our local parishes fit into the global relationship of the Church? Each member of the Church has an equally...
I know, I know, the title is not encouraging, but let me explain to you why I think it correctly responds to the reality that I want to explore. We are living in a very difficult time for the Church, a time of pain and embarrassment due to various types of scandals:...
In my life I’ve listened to diverse opinions about what candidates for the priesthood should be like, how they should behave before entering the seminary and how they should lead an impeccable life. Many people believe that those men who feel the call of God to the...