Christian iconography expresses in images the same Gospel message that Scripture communicates by words By Bishop Richard F. Stika Come up the mountain to me! — Deuteronomy 10:1 The call of Moses by God to ascend Mount Sinai to enter into closer communion with Him reminds us that prayer, like climbing …
Praying for perspective: A journey of a hundred years begins with a few missteps
By George Valadie By the time you read this, another Father’s Day celebration will have come and gone. Believe it or not, I’m actually hoping for some socks. I could hardly believe it after doing the math. This will make 42 Sundays I’ve gotten to celebrate as a dad. Didn’t …
He dwells among us: Build them up with prayer
Our priests need our prayers and to know that we support them By Bishop Richard F. Stika “You made them a kingdom and priests for our God.” –Revelation 5:10 St. John Vianney, patron saint of priests, knew well that, “When people want to destroy religion they begin by attacking the …
Praying for perspective: Senior-class motto could be ‘Oh, the places you’ll go’
Graduates can never appreciate what that means until later, ‘a later that is still to come’ By George Valadie For a school principal such as myself, it’s impossible to ignore the opportunity to write about this season of graduations. It’s why we teachers do what we do. Be it the …
Marriage Enrichment: On long marriages—and a columnist’s retirement
Many people are thanked for their efforts over the years to benefit marriage-support events By Marian Christiana This article is going to have two parts to it. At first glance, they may not seem to fit together, but stick with me and I think that you will see the connection. …
Thoughts and Prayers for the Faithful : Is it important to me that my children be Catholic?
Parents should ‘make it known’ to children ‘in word and deed that our faith is the most important part of our life’ By Bob Hunt June is the month for graduations and weddings, so it’s a natural time for parents to reflect with pride on their children’s accomplishments. It’s a …
He dwells among us: Intoxicating joy
What a different world it would be if Catholics lived with the joy of the new wine By Bishop Richard F. Stika They have had too much new wine. — Acts 2:13 The mocking reaction of some toward the Apostles following the descent of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost speaks …
He dwells among us: A life-changing consecration
Jesus knocks on the door of our heart and longs to enter our house, where Mary needs to be By Bishop Richard F. Stika “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.” –Matthew 1:20 The words spoken by the angel of the …
Praying for perspective: Thanking God that we’re not Him
He welcomes us all at Easter, which is why you get there early and squeeze toward the middle By George Valadie Sure enough, it happened again. Seems to be the same every year. And I’ve been wanting to get it off my chest. But first, let me just say I …
He dwells among us: The place of our identity
Christ must have his proper place in the sanctuary of our temple — in our heart’s center by Bishop Richard F. Stika Today, I must stay at your house. — Luke 19:5 These beautiful words of Jesus to Zacchaeus the tax collector are words that He repeats to us every …
Thoughts and Prayers for the Faithful: Let’s truly celebrate Easter
Whatever prayers you’ve taken on for Lent, continue them for Easter as acts of thanksgiving By Bob Hunt So, how’s your Lent going? We’re in early April now, so by this time our Lenten commitments, much like our New Year’s resolutions come the first week of February, have either proven …
Marriage Enrichment: Call to Love conference spiritually uplifting
One participant says, ‘Our marriages are the fire, the warmth, and the light of God’s love in the world’ By Marian Christiana Our first Call to Love Marriage Conference was held March 23 at the Cathedral of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. Sixty-four couples participated in this bilingual event. …