Memorial Day celebrations mark the unofficial beginning of summer throughout our country. By this point most schools have finished the academic year, and people are once again flocking to parks and swimming pools to enjoy the nice weather. And, whether it’s enjoying a snack on a hike, a burger at …

May is a month of transitions. Children celebrate the end of the school year and the beginning of summer break. College students return home or perhaps begin an internship related to their area of study. Families gather for First Communion and Mother’s Day celebrations and look forward to upcoming vacations. …

We begin April with the liturgical commemoration of the Lord’s Passion, Death and Resurrection. There are cries of “Hosanna,” preparations for the Passover Feast, plots of betrayal, moments of intimacy, fear and loneliness. Only after passing through the darkness of Good Friday and the silence of Holy Saturday do we …

Before ascending into heaven, Jesus instructed His disciples saying, “Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 28:19). And, with the help and guidance of the Holy Spirit, they did just that. The …

On the eve of His passion and death, Jesus took ordinary bread and wine, blessed them, and gave them to His friends as His Body and Blood commanding, “Do this in memory of me.” The next day He offered Himself – Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity – to God the …

Throughout January, we celebrate the liturgical memorials of many saints who dedicated themselves to learning and to education. Religious sisters, such as St. Elizabeth Ann Seton and St. Angela Merici, formed communities of women committed to the education of youth and families. Sts. Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen are …

Every year the Church blesses us with a season to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord at Christmas. Much exterior preparation takes place during the four weeks of Advent: we decorate our homes, purchase gifts for loved ones, bake cookies and host parties. All of these things should …

More than simply an emotion we experience from time to time, joy is a virtue each of us is called to receive from God and cultivate in our lives for the good of others. Christian joy is rooted in an awareness of God’s unconditional love. When we experience God’s love …

God creates each human being in an act of divine love. As Catholics, we believe human life begins at conception and unfolds over the span of time we are given on this earth until our natural death. It is our firm hope that God, who created us in love and …

“Run so as to win.” St. Paul wrote these words to the Christians at Corinth, a city with a large stadium and anchored in the centuries-old Greek athletic tradition. “Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one” (1 …