Stories & features
We find inspiration and God in our ministry, mission, and even the smallest moments in our day. Here we share our stories, prayers, and reflections on everything happening in our lives.
The tradition of our faith that encourages us to visit a cemetery and pray for the dead on or around All Souls Day, posed the question: How do you do this if you are restricted by health, distance, or Covid, and are in a nursing home?
This past month, I ran across a God-book, the kind of reading where one must stop, be still, reflect, rejoice, contemplate and share. Together and… Read More »Book Offers Hope to World at an Impasse
Although I’ve done my fair share of daydreaming about that great discovery, I also knew it would probably never happen, until that Thursday, November 16 when I was once again sorting through Sister Angelita Myerscough’s files. There it was, buried in a file of articles about Dorothy Day and the Catholic Worker. It’s a 1938 handwritten letter from Dorothy Day to Angelita, carefully protected by a plastic sleeve. Angelita knew what she had, even as a first-year temporarily professed Adorer.
As I began thinking about November, which is right around the corner, gratitude was the word that kept coming to mind.
Newman University formally inaugurated its 12th president earlier this month even though Dr. Kathleen Jagger has held the position since July 1, 2020. The coronavirus pandemic had postponed ceremonies for more than a year.
Late summer and well into fall there is that experience of the abundance that comes with the season of harvest. Recently I have seen pictures of people sharing their harvest. Tables and chairs covered with tomatoes, peppers, and squash waiting to be shared! It is a beautiful sight, a wonderful reminder of abundance in our lives.
The “Be a Blessing Garden” project is one of those good deeds that connects an unlikely group of people. It is an opportunity created by the Adorers and the Illinois parishes of St. Patrick in Ruma, and St. John the Baptist in Red Bud. It consists of those who plant the seeds, starting the seedlings that will grow to be turnip greens, collard greens, tomatoes, and cucumbers.
Today is World Teacher’s Day and this year’s theme is “Teachers at the Heart of Education Recovery.” The United Nations picked that theme in a nod to teachers’ Herculean efforts in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Faith traditions have special seasons that help believers focus on particular aspects of the spiritual life—like Advent and Lent, or that center on a particular holiday—like Christmas and Hanukkah. Another related noun is the word “seasoning”—
In the 1980s, civil wars in Central America led to an influx of migrants fleeing violence and political repression to safety in the U.S.
I recently wrote in this space about grief and loss, which prompted one reader to ask for further guidance on the topic. The reader wanted to be able to share feelings of grief and loss with others, without having the conversation devolve into a communal commiseration.
I recently completed my last shift at Casa del Refugiado Center, and after three weeks of intense work and service in that 500-bed migrant shelter in El Paso, Texas, was able to enjoy some quiet respite time.