stceceliastgabriel

Gift of Life

The late comedian Norm MacDonald, who hosted the “Weekend Update” segment on Saturday Night Live in the 1990s, made the following observation during one of his parody news reports: “Dr. Jack Kavorkian was responsible for another death this week. This time it was a 58-year-old woman. She’s the twenty-sixth of Kavorkian’s patients to die sinceContinue reading “Gift of Life “

Being Last for Lent

This weekend marks 18 days since the start of Lent, almost halfway to Easter, and a good time to consider how well the disciplines we’ve chosen for ourselves are helping us prepare. Recently, I read an article by J.D. Flynn, a Catholic journalist and one of the founders of The Pillar, who wrote about howContinue reading “Being Last for Lent “

Parish Mission

This Sunday evening (3/5) we will begin our parish’s 3-day Lenten Mission. Lent is the season when we take up in a more serious and intentional way the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. In my experience, it’s hard to engage these disciplines on our own. It’s helpful when we give up dessert asContinue reading “Parish Mission “

The Color Purple

This past week we transitioned from the liturgical season of Ordinary Time to this current season of Lent. Just as the buds on trees reveal the transition from winter to spring, the warm weather and lush greenery signify the summer, the bright foliage announces the arrival of autumn, and the barren appearance of the worldContinue reading “The Color Purple “

Ite, Missa Est

There’s a famous story about St. Philip Neri (1515-1595) in which he noticed that there was a man in his congregation who had the habit of leaving Mass immediately after receiving Communion. St. Philip eventually decided that he needed to address it, so he instructed two of his altar servers to follow the man outContinue reading “Ite, Missa Est “

What Are We Doing for Lent?

Ready or not, it’s almost Lent. February 22 is Ash Wednesday, so if you haven’t given any thought to what you’ll be doing for Lent, now’s the time to start. If you’re wondering what we’ll be doing in the parish for Lent, below is a list of things in our calendar that we’re encouraging peopleContinue reading “What Are We Doing for Lent? “

Warring with Spirits

Warning: this article contains spoilers about season one of “The Rings of Power” television series. If you have been looking forward to watching it, I suggest skipping to the second paragraph. “The Rings of Power” is a television series on Amazon Prime that serves as a prequel to J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the RingsContinue reading “Warring with Spirits “

Why the Church Teaches

For those who follow these things, the #6 most popular podcast on iTunes right now is hosted by Fr. Mike Schmitz, a Catholic priest from the Diocese of Duluth, ND. Fr. Mike’s current podcast is a follow-up to his extremely popular “Bible in a Year” program, which he hosted in 2021, and is called “CatechismContinue reading “Why the Church Teaches “

God’s Precious Ones

If you were a member of the Church in its earliest days, one of the people you’d have thought most unlikely to become a follower of Christ was Saul of Tarsus. Saul was a Pharisee, a brilliant young scholar of the Law, and a zealous defender of his tradition. He believed the Christian sect wasContinue reading “God’s Precious Ones “

Christian Witness in Egypt

It’s not easy being Christian in Egypt. A few years ago, I came across an article by a writer named Matthew Schmitz about the zabbaleen of Cairo. The literal meaning of this word is “garbage picker,” and it refers to the residents of Mokattam Village, almost all of them Christian, who make their living collectingContinue reading “Christian Witness in Egypt “