Prayer
Zoom Rosary
I was at the Newman Center today visiting with my priest friend when he received a phone call. He excused himself and when he returned, he looked concerned. He asked for prayers for a family member who had been in an accident and had to be airlifted to the hospital. After telling the story to […]
Mother Cabrini Shrine
Today I visited the Mother Cabrini Shrine with some ladies from the church social group that I joined. It was about an hour and a half drive from the city we live in, so I got to know the ladies a little bit more. One of them shares a birthday with me. Not only that, […]
Worth Pondering
I was going through social media today as I haven’t really been on too much – which is fine. I came across several thoughtful quotes from TobyMac that made me pause and think. “Please don’t settle for something you know isn’t God’s plan for you just because you’re tired of waiting.” “He calls each and […]
Remembering Loved Ones
After celebrating All Hallow’s Eve followed by All Saints Day, today I went to Mass celebrating All Souls Day. The entrance of the church has a very large Baptismal font. When adults are Baptized there, they can actually walk in and out of the pool. Today, the font was adorned with probably 100 lit candles. […]
Struggling Priest
This morning, I went to Mass to celebrate All Saints Day. The 2 priests and deacon processed up to the altar at the beginning. I noticed the priest leading the way was struggling a bit. That would typically be the pastor. During the Mass, he didn’t read any of the scripture, or share the homily […]
Faith or Fear
A friend of mine shared a quote that I thought was very profound, “Faith and fear both ask you to believe in something you can’t see. The one you choose writes your future”. I don’t know exactly who wrote or said the statement, but I find it to be absolutely true. I have personally been […]
Michaelmas
During the past several weeks, I have been listening to and praying with Hallow’s St. Michael the Archangel series. The last 9 days have been dedicated to a novena to St. Michael led by Fr. Ambrose Criste from the St. Michael’s Abbey in Silverado, CA. He often mentioned how the church was built and oriented […]
Many in Church
The other day I saw an advertisement encouraging people to get back to church this Sunday. It included a map with several of the churches around the city and links to their websites. It was interesting, though, that when I look at that time I didn’t find any Catholic churches. I researched a little further, […]
Connected Through Prayer
I felt drawn to church today, especially as I thought about the horrific shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis. I can’t even imagine what those children and parents are going through. I also can’t imagine a person allowing evil to have such a grip upon them. I went to the noon Mass, which had […]
Silent Retreat
Many years ago, I was on a retreat with a pastoral council. In the evening, someone put in the movie, “Into Great Silence”. It was filmed in the Grande Chartreuse, a monastery nestled deep in the French Alps. For approximately six months, the filmmaker immersed himself in the daily rituals, prayers and tasks performed by […]
Still Finding God 