Imagine a Bishop exercising his rightful authority to assure authentic Catholic teaching and practice in Catholic Schools. If this proposition sounds reasonable, then you will find Bishop Vasa of the Diocese of Santa Rosa, CA to be a reasonable man. He had requested/required that all Catholic School teachers to publicly affirm Catholic Church teaching and […]
A few years ago I was working in a small office of five or six people. Everybody in the office knew I was Catholic. It was hard to hide, considering I went to Mass nearly every day, a blessing afforded to me by the fact that my parish was one block away from the office. […]
Many people carry the painful wound of a divorced heart. The pain can be hard to understand for those of us who have never been through a divorce. It is a wonder to me that you can pray for your future spouse, sacrifice for them and get counsel to help you discover if this person […]
How do you present Theology of the Body in a novel that people will not only like, but want to share and passionately recommend? You couldn’t have convinced me that it could be done well until I read the debut novel by AnnMarie Creedon. Angela’s Song is a novel that I should probably categorize as chick […]
The day finally came when it was time to pack up the majority of my office suits. They used to be so important to my daily life that they had the privilege of living in their very own closet. But I recently resigned from my decade-long government career, am hugely pregnant, and focused on my […]
If you’re of a certain age, you’ll recognize the title from an old folk hymn; we sang it repeatedly at Folk Mass in the 70’s and early 80’s. While the song itself is no longer popular, the message behind it is timeless. I was contacted to see an inpatient at one of our busiest hospitals. […]
It’s easy, as a dad, to come up with all sorts of reasons why spending time on work is a top priority. We can easily forget that one of the primary purposes of work is to ensure health and well-being for our families. And we can wind up allowing the goodness and excitement of work […]
Like many faithful Catholics, the resignation of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI left me feeling uncertain and deeply saddened. For a few days, I felt a little weepy and the wet, slushy weather fueled my winter blahs. With a heavy heart, I went to work each morning as a visiting nurse in the community. On one […]
Andrea Maglio-Macullar is a Catholic artist whose religious art has appeared in many venues, including publications by Loyola Press and Our Sunday Visitor. Her art is bright, colorful, and eye-catching. Many of her pieces have a stained-glass quality to them which makes them very appealing. Maglio-Macullar has been drawing since she was a young child. […]
God does not call the equipped, he equips those he calls. That is, if they answer his call. Mother Angelica used to say that any dodo will do—those not worried about their lack of ability, but willing to say yes to God. She was just such a dodo who volunteered to serve him. In spite […]
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 […]
Sean Considine, a safety for the Baltimore Ravens, is the first to point out that he belongs to some important families – God’s family, the family of his parents, his hometown community, the family he shares with his wife and four children, and the NFL. “My Catholic faith has played a huge role in my […]
What comes to mind when you think of “temperance”? Designated drivers downing pints of O’Douls or virgin daiquiris? The thrill of moral victory from leaving that last bite of chocolate cake on the plate? Lent? The other day I came across an article by MaryEllen Tribby (Founder and CEO of WorkingMoms.com) entitled “The Success Indicator,” […]
I recently attended a brainstorming session focusing on how to best deliver and follow up much needed care to a growing, vulnerable patient population in the community. Nothing was put on paper at the initial meeting. It was just an exchange of ideas, references, and an intention of good will and future partnership. Later, when […]
This just in: Hell freezes over, pigs fly, Jimmy Hoffa rises from the dead, joins labor protests at state capital. I’m just kidding. We all know pigs can’t fly. The fact, however, that the Legislature of my home state of Michigan has just voted to become the nation’s 24th right-to-work state is nothing short of […]
There are literally millions of blogs floating around in cyberspace, all competing for followers, likes, maybe even ad space. Why do we blog? Why do I blog? Why do we bother? I started blogging on New Year’s Eve, 2011, but not at 8kidsandabusiness. I set up a business website on the advice of my business […]
If someone is looking for material for a book with a title like Profiles of an Inhuman Economic System, consider what follows to be a contribution to the cause. It’s about a man I know whom I’ll call Joe. His wife told me his story. Joe is an honest, conscientious guy who, a couple of […]
One of my favorite films in recent months was the wonderful movie October Baby. Today, I’m happy to share my recent interview with Theresa Preston in celebration of the release of October Baby: A Novel. Enjoy! Q: Theresa, thank you so much for your time. Would you kindly begin by introducing yourself and your family to […]
Maybe it comes from watching too many M*A*S*H reruns where Father Mulcahy seemed to be right there whenever a soldier needed him, but I always assumed that our service men and women had easy access to a chaplain whenever they need one. I also assumed they could easily attend regular religious services. But with U.S […]
“From the beginning therefore he [man] is called to work. Work is one of the characteristics that distinguish man from the rest of creatures, whose activity for sustaining their lives cannot be called work. Only man is capable of work, and only man works, at the same time by work occupying his existence on earth. Thus work […]
Dr. Paul Fox has been a family physician for over three decades in the sticks of rural Virginia, Florida and western Pennsylvania where he earned the respect and trust of his peers and patients. He and his wife have four children and six grandchildren. Dr. Fox is a convert to Catholicism and worships in the Byzantine […]
She came home in tears, my little ballerina. She wanted the part of Clara in the dance theater production of The Nutcracker. So did about 37 other girls. Only one got the part of course, and that year it was not my daughter. I don’t normally throw celebrity quotes at my children. Because, well, normally I […]
Some months back, my sister came to visit, and we had an interesting chat. Chris lives in New York and is a vice president at a very large and internationally-known corporation. She’s at the top of the corporate world, and at the forefront of women making their way in a “man’s world.” We were talking about the need […]
Style, Sex, & Substance: 10 Catholic Women Consider the Things that Really Matter, edited buy Hallie Lord, is full of spiritual truths and spunk! The ten women who each tackle a different current issue seem to hit most of the hot topics usually found splashed across the covers of women’s tabloids, but from a Catholic […]
