As a young kid, I hated when my family and friends sang the “Happy Birthday” song to me. I never minded singing it for others. Yet when people sang for me, it...
In the Pews
In the early ’90s I had a wonderful opportunity to study Gregorian chant at the Pontifical Institute in Vatican City. Most of my colleagues were...
Thursday evening rehearsals always ended the same way. We turned off the lights, lit candles in front of an icon of Mary and Jesus gifted by the monks from the...
“The analogy I was taught in my Catholic parish and at Christian camp was that sexuality was like a rose. Every time you have sex with someone, you pull a...
When my husband and I brought each of our babies for baptism, the church posed two questions: “What name do you give your child?” and “What do you ask of God’s...
In 1985, when Father Ron Foshage arrived at St. Michael’s Parish in Jasper, Texas, he was already facing an uphill battle. Although the small town of about...
“Mommy, what’s this book about?” My 7-year-old daughter held up a book from our library stacks in the corner, curiosity enlivening her blue eyes. The work in...
A single Catholic friend of mine describes her experience belonging to our Catholic parish. When parishioners find out she’s not married, they often direct her...
This Christmas will be lonely and quiet for many of us. I wonder how those of us who love to celebrate the holidays through the gift of food and joy of cooking...
