If a Catholic man needs several years of theological training to become a priest, does it make sense for a Catholic couple to get married with only a day of formal preparation? Both Holy Orders and Holy Matrimony are vocations and lifelong commitments. Both are sacraments. Both the priest and the spouses are called to […]
If there’s a crisis in Catholic marriage and family life today, the solution will come not solely from the higher echelons of the Church. The active involvement of faithful couples will also be needed. That’s the view of a lay official of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), looking ahead to the synod […]
If we want our children to become saints, they will need to hear the call of God — a vocation to holiness that applies to all of us. But how will they be able to hear that call if their lives are full of noise? In our digital age, young people have more noise and […]
Fatherhood is likely to be a central part of the discussion when the world’s bishops gather at the Vatican this October. Pope Francis has called an extraordinary assembly of the Synod of Bishops to consider the “Pastoral challenges for the family in the context of evangelization.” He also has asked bishops to meet in 2015 […]
The Church considers the family so important that it will be devoting the next two years to intensive discussions about the challenges the basic unit of society is facing today. Pope Francis has called an Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops in October 2014 on “pastoral challenges for the family in the context […]
The pro-life initiative 40 Days for Life can boast a lot of numbers over six years: 600,000 participants in over 500 cities; 8,245 lives saved, 44 clinics closed and 88 clinic workers who left their employers. But numbers can’t quantify the kind of impact the apostolate has had on so many lives and the renewed […]
During a recent coffee meeting with a friend, he said, “You seem to have your act together on the fatherhood front. What’s your secret?” I was taken aback because I don’t think I have my act together at all. I don’t mean that out of false humility. I pray every day to be a better husband and father […]
These days, it seems we all know young couples who are living together— a friend, perhaps, or even a son or daughter. With cohabitation so common, living together hardly causes “scandal” anymore. In fact, when a government study found last year that 48% of young women cohabited with a partner as a first union, one […]
This is it — we’ve reached the Fourth Week of Advent and the fourth virtue for this series. We will conclude with a final summary next week, but for now, please take the time to revisit the past three weeks here and enjoy this last reflection. WEEK FOUR (December 22-24): JUSTICE “Justice … consists in […]
Rejoice! (Gaudete!) We’re already halfway through the season of Advent. If you missed Weeks One and Two, or if you would like to reread them, they can be found here and here. This week, we match the cardinal virtue of temperance to our Advent journey. THIRD WEEK OF ADVENT (December 15-21): TEMPERANCE The Apostle James exhorts us in […]
Last week we kicked off the Fathers for Good Advent series with a reflection on the virtue of fortitude and discussed ways in which it can help us grow with our families in these blessed days before Christmas. (You can read Week One here.) This week, we match the cardinal virtue of prudence to our Advent […]
How do we make “Keep Christ in Christmas” more than a bumper sticker in our family’s life? This Advent, let us prepare to welcome our Savior into our homes and into our hearts in a new and special way, setting our own pace for the season and setting aside the commercial pressures of the culture. […]
A third-inning, bases-loaded double off Fenway Park’s Green Monster was the spark the Boston Red Sox needed to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 6 and clinch the World Series championship. The star who supplied that pivotal hit was right fielder Shane Victorino, who celebrated as he stood on the base by pounding his […]
The Archdiocese of New York has published three handy booklets for parents, providing suggestions and examples on how to talk to their kids about the gift and responsibility of human sexuality. Each booklet focuses on a particular age group: primary grades, middle schoolers and teens. Fathers for Good spoke to Kimberly Quatela, chastity education coordinator […]
Some parents call it a meltdown, others use the more familiar word tantrum. I call it the Land of the Terrible Twos. It’s a place never far away where our active boy goes when he doesn’t get his way, or when he wants more attention. He’ll be happy with his dessert as mommy and daddy […]
It may come as a surprise to many, but dating is a relatively recent phenomenon. So says Jason E. King, author of Dating: A Practical Catholic Guide, published by the Knights of Columbus Catholic Information Service. Prior to our modern conception of dating, which arose in the 20th century, says King, a family was much […]
Fear not. The title, 7 Secrets of Confession, is designed to grab attention not break the seal. In fact, Vinny Flynn has penned his own “books of numbers” as author of 7 Secrets of the Eucharist and 21 Ways to Worship. This latest book serves as a helpful guide to Confession for those who have […]
Being father to five young boys and maintaining both a university teaching post and a busy clinical practice would seem to be a prescription for physical and emotional meltdown. Yet in addition to all this, Catholic psychiatrist Dr. Aaron Kheriaty found time to write a very practical and much-needed book on depression. The Catholic Guide […]
Pornography is becoming more prevalent and more accepted not only in the wider culture but also within family life. With primetime TV getting more explicit, hundreds of cables stations to surf, and the internet and digital devices flooded with indecent sites and tweets, parents can feel overwhelmed and helpless. Parents, don’t despair! You are still […]
Randy Hain is a model of a man with an “attitude of gratitude,” and his new book tells something of his personal journey from a man with little hope to one with much to be thankful for. Raised a Southern Baptist, he left that church for pursuit of his own worldly goals, but God kept […]
When your child speaks, do you listen? You may give an ear, but do you give attention, your time? Do you try to hear what really is being said? If not, you’re like many of us fathers. We hear but sometimes fail to listen. After all, there are so many messages coming at us, and […]
