This past Tuesday, we celebrated the feast of St. Polycarp, a second century bishop, martyr, and saint. A disciple of John the Evangelist, Polycarp was a man whose faith was rooted deep and whose heart was aflame with love for the Lord. Throughout his lifetime, he set out to preach the truths of the Faith … Read More
Not Your Average Tuesday
With Fat Tuesday just a few days away, and because there hasn’t been much International travel lately, we thought it would be fun to take a peek at the ways our Christian brothers and sisters around the world prepare themselves before the Lenten season. Let’s jet into a few cultures to discover new, fun, and … Read More
Finding Christ in Companionship
In 2013, I took a pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago in Spain and to the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima, Portugal, with a local church group of close to 50. We celebrated Mass together each day and were accompanied in our worship by one pilgrim who had brought along his guitar. A song … Read More
Sharing the Jolly News from Bethlehem
While Christmas is often associated with a jolly old man bearing gifts for all, there is another less-jolly old man even more closely tied with the birthplace of our Savior. And who also happened to offer a gift to the world. Yes, even saints get grumpy sometimes, and St. Jerome was known for his grumpiness. … Read More
The Incomprehensible Beauty of Mary
I’ve only become interested in Our Lady of Guadalupe within the last 4 years or so. I’m a self-proclaimed artist who finds great joy in creating religious art. After completing pieces of many of my favorite saints to hang around my college home, and then my first apartment after graduating, I wanted to create a … Read More
The Great American Saints – Part 2
St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Born: July 15, 1850 in Italy Died: December 22, 1917 (age 67) Beatified: November 13, 1938 by Pope Pius XI Canonized: July 7, 1946 by Pope Pius XII Feast day: November 13 Patron of: immigrants and hospital administrators Although born in Italy, St. Frances was naturalized a U.S. citizen in 1909, … Read More
Finding Mashed Potatoes & Turkey in Rome
When my husband and I got married we were blessed to meet the now-Saint John Paul II in person. I wore my wedding dress and Pope John Paul II made the Sign of the Cross over us, took our hands in his, and gave us a nod. It will forever be seared in our memory … Read More
The Great American Saints
The year 2020 has certainly brought many changes and challenges, causing stress and certain anxieties never before experienced. Timing couldn’t be better for us to connect with a few of our great American Saints and one of our Blessed. We can learn how they lived, prayed, and ultimately accepted God’s will in hopes that we … Read More
How I Met My Mother
Growing up Catholic, I remember disliking the great task that was praying the rosary. In my grade school days, every day of October was increasingly tiresome as each year my class would daily pray a rosary during this month dedicated to it. My mind would wander, my mouth would yawn, my attention span was totally … Read More
Medjugorje and Life Coaching
For the past three years as fall approached, I found myself eagerly awaiting a pilgrimage to Medjugorje. The visits to the small village in Bosnia-Herzegovina completely changed my life. Amid the chaos and confusion going on now in the world with the pandemic, social unrest and the upcoming election, I find myself yearning for Medjugorje. … Read More
Recalling the Medieval in Montana
Along with many others in the world today, my travel plans this summer were affected by disappointing cancellations, postponements, forbidden border crossings, and destination changes. My husband and I were initially looking forward to accompanying his parents to the Holy Land this June, a first-time pilgrimage for all of us. We were counting our daily … Read More
Finding Jesus in the Wild West
In late 2019, I had booked and planned a trip to Poland and Germany for May of 2020 with a fellow coworker here at Tekton Ministries. We were going to explore the homeland of St. John Paul II and then end our pilgrimage with a quick stop in Germany, where we were going to attend … Read More
The Goodness of God’s Answers
Have you ever prayed fervently for something to happen only to have the exact opposite thing occur? And you couldn’t understand why in the moment, but later on it became really clear? If so, you are in good company! St. Monica, like most mothers, worried about her son, the future St. Augustine, and the state of his soul. When … Read More
How to Make the Virgin Mary Queen of your Life
Crowning Mary with a garland of flowers while singing songs and celebrating a special Mass was a favorite tradition in my Catholic school. It’s from this simple act repeated every year for 12 years that made Mary queen of my heart. Mary’s queenship is a direct result of the doctrine of her Assumption, naturally flowing to when she was crowned Queen of Heaven. … Read More
Living Life on the Mountaintop
After five too many months of being stuck in my Indianapolis home for a series of quarantines, curfews, and stay-at-home orders, I most excitedly hopped a plane and made my way to the great state of Colorado. This summer has been a rough one. I found myself surprised when I learned of kids starting school … Read More