CatholicAnchor.org Divine Mercy Sunday is the first Sunday after Easter. It was designated by St. John Paul II and officially became a feast day of mercy for the church. Two years ago, I decided we need to celebrate mercy concretely, not talk about it. For my first Divine Mercy Sunday, I went in search of…
CatholicAnchor.org You might call it a memorial card, maybe a prayer card. I call it a holy card. It’s a picture of a little saint, Jakelin Caal Maquin, who was seven years old when she died after migrating to the U.S. from Guatemala. On the back of the picture is a prayer for children in…
CatholicAnchor.org “Where in the bible should I start reading?” This was a question for a parish priest from someone preparing to become Catholic. I recall this priest recommending that they begin with the Acts of the Apostles. It was because the Acts of the Apostles told the story of the beginning of the Christian communities…
CatholicAnchor.org Here’s a Lenten question: what is simplicity? At first glance, embracing simplicity seems rather – well, simple. Decluttering is trending sharply in our culture. Perhaps as a reaction to the enormous amount of stuff we accumulate, books focusing on getting rid of junk are proliferating. The best-selling Japanese writer Marie Kondo explains how to…
CatholicAnchor.org I have been asked more than once, why I serve in the role as Victim Assistance Coordinator for the archdiocese. My response is that I hope to show light in a time of pain and darkness for someone who is searching for the hope of healing and that they know they do not walk…
CatholicAnchor.org The theme for Lent in 2020 is “Renewed by the Spirit.” Perhaps this theme could be a call to all of us to encounter God and allow Him to guide us. That can feel difficult, allowing ourselves to be guided with an open heart. There are so many influences trying to guide our lives…
CatholicAnchor.org I don’t love driving on dark rural roads. But several years ago, when I worked for Nebraskans for Alternatives to the Death Penalty, I found myself chauffeuring guest speakers around one-traffic-light hamlets as we campaigned to convince citizens to support repeal of our death penalty. I remember, especially the evening Sister Helen Prejean was…
CatholicAnchor.org When I was first ordained, I studied apologetics. It is equipping yourself with the best answers to questions of what and why you believe. Apologetics was practiced by St Paul and is best represented by the biblical passage of 1 Peter 3:15, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to…
CatholicAnchor.org Franco Caldarola is my father-in-law’s first cousin, part of the tribe that never left Italy. Over the years, the family has stayed close, visiting and entertaining each other on both sides of the Atlantic. So, one day when we were in Rome this year, Franco and his wife Franca picked us up for a…
CatholicAnchor.org I was watching a campaign stop of a Democratic presidential candidate, when a young man asked him a very simple and poignant question: “I was born September 8,1983. Did my life have worth September 7 the day before I was born?” The candidate said, “Yes,” but then he contradicted himself when he argued that…