Viriditas2: Soul Greening Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP Hawaii Catholic Herald When I was in grade school in the 1950s, I remember making leprosy bandages. We would tear up old sheets that would then be sent somewhere. As a young child, I was too young to catch the details of what we were […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Kneeling for Communion is not wrong
Question corner Q: I have been hearing that the “norm” in the United States is to receive Communion standing. Does this mean that people who try to kneel for Communion are breaking canon law? (Florida) A: You are correct that receiving holy Communion while standing is the local norm for the United States, but this […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: Ancient traditions still offer guidance
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord Malachi 3:1-4; Hebrews 2:14-18; Luke 2:22-40. This weekend, the church celebrates the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, reminding us, first, of the Jewish heritage of Jesus, Mary and Joseph. For pious Jews, as were Mary and Joseph, the event of presentation was very important. Think of […]
Jaymie Stuart Wolfe: Christianity calls for total immersion
Commentary They say learning a language is like riding a bicycle, but I’m not sure I believe that. Back in the day, I was pretty good at French. Five years of instruction, mostly by Ursulines who had a vested mission interest in spreading French language and culture, gave me a much more solid foundation than […]
Michael R. Heinlein: Looking to saints on holiness journey
Commentary One of the enduring memories during a recent family pilgrimage to Italy occurred early one morning when my two oldest children, ages 7 and 5, accompanied me to morning Mass. The location was none other than the tomb of St. Francis of Assisi. While we arrived a little early for the once-a-month English Mass […]
Sherry Hayes-Peirce: How to keep holy family heirlooms safe
Catholic social tips In our Catholic faith tradition, we dedicate the month of February to the Holy Family. As many of you know, I live in Southern California. In recent weeks, we have battled fires, and communities have been completely devastated, like the community of Lahaina over a year ago. The unpredictability of the Santa […]
Sister Theresa Chow, Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities: Prayer, fellowship ease adjustments
Viriditas2: Soul Greening Interviewed by Sister Malia Dominica Wong, OP Hawaii Catholic Herald When one moves to a new residence, there are a number of adjustments that need to be made. The most important of these for us Franciscan Sisters is that of managing the schedule for our prayer life. Saying prayers together is integral […]
Jenna Marie Cooper: Baptism benefits all, even infants
Question corner Q: Some evangelical friends were recently quizzing me on the Catholic understanding of baptism. They were especially asking about Jesus’ baptism, and whether this indicates Jesus had some sin or sins of which he needed to repent. They had the same question regarding infant baptism, as infants would seem to neither be able […]
Msgr. Owen F. Campion: When we need help, Jesus will be there
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time Isaiah 62:1-5; 1 Corinthians 12:4-11; John 2:1-11 The Book of Isaiah furnishes this weekend’s first reading. When this third section of Isaiah was written, the Hebrew people had just emerged from a terrible period in their history. Their homeland, divided into two kingdoms after the death of King Solomon, had […]
Christina Capecchi: Reclaiming quiet in the new year
Twenty Something If you’re trying to write a book about quiet and you’re a mom of four, you might need a few extensions on your deadline. Such was the reality for writer Sarah Clarkson, 40, daughter of the acclaimed Christian author Sally Clarkson. It all started — as did so many creative pursuits — during […]
