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Book Review: “Where Do Sisters Come From?”
Where Do Sisters Come From? by Elizabeth Ficocelli Illustrations by Shannon Wirrenga Waterford, MI: Bezalel Books, 2010 “Where Do Sisters Come From?” by Elizabeth Ficocelli is the perfect introduction to women’s consecrated religious life for children. In an era where Catholic children may be exposed to relatively few sisters, their way of life may seem […]
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It’s Hard to Be Patient
The second reading for this week (James 5:7-10) exhorts us to be patient in waiting for the coming of the Lord. James urges us to look at the example of farmers who must wait for the fruit of the earth. This is a good example. Some things, such as the growing of food, or a […]
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Book Review: “Holding on to Hope”
Holding on to Hope: The Journey Beyond Darkness by Kathryn J. Hermes, FSP with Healing Exercises by Helene Cote, PM Boston: Daughters of St. Paul, 2010 As someone who has suffered from depression for many years, I was excited to get my hands on a copy of “Holding on to Hope: The Journey Beyond Darkness” […]
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Learning to Trust Like St. Joseph
Being a woman, I tend to focus on Mary rather than Joseph when I look at the Holy Family. However, in the season of Advent, Joseph has much to teach us about what it means to wait, trust, and be faithful to God. Joseph was in a difficult situation. The woman he loved and was […]
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Book Review: “Shepherd’s Abiding”
Shepherds Abiding by Jan Karon New York: Penguin Group, 2003 I recently returned to the world of Mitford and indulged in Jan Karon’s “Shepherd’s Abiding,” a touching Christmas story featuring Episcopal priest Fr. Timothy Kavanaugh. I am a fan of the Mitford series and have read many of the books, however one could pick this […]
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Who is Jesse and Why Should We Care About His Tree?
The past few years, my children and I have put up a Jesse Tree to mark the days of Advent. Looking at our various Advent traditions and feeling a bit overwhelmed by them all, I thought I might skip it this year. My children had a different plan. In fact, in Church on the 1st […]
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Book Review: “Unlocked”
Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2010 New York Times Bestselling writer Karen Kingsbury has weaved another compelling, inspirational story in “Unlocked.” Holden Harris is an eighteen-year old locked inside himself. When he was three, he withdrew into his own autistic world, a world his mother Tracy has been trying desperately to release […]
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A Sense of Home
The holiday season will have many of us focusing on home. Whether we are traveling back to it, decorating it, or welcoming people into it, home takes center stage. In part of his forthcoming book, A Time to Plant: Life Lessons in Work, Prayer, and Dirt(to be released in January 2011 by Ave Maria Press), […]
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Book Review: “A Time to Plant”
A Time to Plant: Life Lessons in Work, Prayer, and Dirt by Kyle Kramer Notre Dame: Ave Maria Press, 2010 I admit it. When I received a review copy of “A Time to Plant: Life Lessons in Work, Prayer, and Dirt,” I cringed. A book about back-to-basics living? No, thank you. In my defense, I […]
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Are You Set Apart?
I had the great pleasure of helping to welcome several young children into the Catholic Church today. I love attending baptisms. They are such hope-filled occasions. Each of the persons being baptized has a role to play in our Church. They were sent here by God for a particular purpose and our Church is not […]