stceceliastgabriel

Drifting Apart, Marching Back

Last weekend our parish hosted a marriage workshop called “Adventures in Marriage.” Over the course of three days, 22 couples spent time learning how to constructively work through challenges together, and by all accounts the program was very well-received. I was able to watch parts of the presentation and witness some of the exercises thatContinue reading “Drifting Apart, Marching Back “

Tenderness in Small Things

In a recent article published on Word on Fire, author Leah Libresco Sargeant wrote about the second miracle attributed to Pier Giorgio Frassati that will lead to his canonization by Pope Francis this summer. Handsome, charismatic, and deeply religious, Frassati was known for organizing mountain climbing excursions with his friends, for encouraging his peers toContinue reading “Tenderness in Small Things “

Fairest of Them All

“Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who’s the fairest of them all?” It’s the best-known line from one of America’s best-loved films, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), which ushered in the golden age of Disney animation and is considered an all-time classic. In a few weeks the Disney Corporation plans to release a live-actionContinue reading “Fairest of Them All “

Candles

This weekend, Masses will begin a little bit differently than usual, with the blessing of candles for Candlemas. Candlemas is the feast on which we commemorate the presentation of the infant Jesus in the Jerusalem Temple 40 days after His birth. Historically-speaking, the Temple at the time of Jesus was known as the second Temple.Continue reading “Candles “

Coach Freeman

It’s been a good year for head coaches who are serious about their Catholic faith. Last June, Joe Mazzulla coached the Boston Celtics to their franchise’s 18th NBA title and is still known to stroll around the parquet floor praying the rosary before home games. This winter, in only his third season at Notre Dame,Continue reading “Coach Freeman “

Fires

Over the past few weeks, terrible wildfires have devastated the city of Los Angeles. As I write this, experts are forecasting more of the same Santa Ana winds that have fed and spread the destructive blazes. The fires so far have burned an area more than twice the size of the island of Manhattan, consumingContinue reading “Fires “

Called by Name

In Tampa, Florida there is an all-boys Catholic high school where over 100 students were received into the Catholic Church between 2010-2023, including 22 students in 2021 alone. In a National Catholic Register profile, an alumnus of Tampa Jesuit spoke about how his experience there helped him to discover a vocation to the priesthood. “IContinue reading “Called by Name “

The Gift of the Magi

There is a bar on East 19th St. in Manhattan called Pete’s Tavern which is always nice to visit this time of year for its Christmas decorations, which create a festive atmosphere conducive to the sharing of libations. In one of the booths, not far from the door, the author O. Henry composed one ofContinue reading “The Gift of the Magi “

Our Lady

When Philippe Villeneuve was 16 years old, he made a model of the Cathedral of Notre Dame, a building that had captured his imagination since he was a boy. “Little did I know, when I was a kid, building the cathedral out of cardboard and paper, that one day I would be working on theContinue reading “Our Lady “

Protomartyr

The fourth week of Advent is usually cut short by the arrival of Christmas, which is the beginning (not the end!) of the Christmas season. One of the things I love about the first days of the Christmas season are all of the beautiful feasts contained in them. Right on the heels of the celebrationContinue reading “Protomartyr “