Association Of Catholic Bloggers

The next stop on my Touring Chicago's beautiful churches is  Holy Family .  Holy Family began its journey in 1857 when  Fr. Arnold Damen  began it's construction. You can read the rest of the article at Being Catholic ... Really .

Our first stop this summer in my continuing series, Touring Chicago's Beautiful Churches, is  Notre Dame de Chicago .   Notre Dame is the "round" church in the  "Little Italy"  neighborhood. You can read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really .

The worst result of the SCOTUS marriage decision  is an article I posted to my  Being Catholic ... Really page  (scroll down to find the article and the comments made) and I got a lot of flack for it.  Some thought I wrote it and became very angry with me.  I didn't correct them because I agree with what was stated.  I lost a few likes over it too.  That's happened before so it doesn't bother me like it used to when I first started blogging. You can read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really .

What is the most effective way to preserve marriage?   How can Catholics preserve the sacrament of  holy matrimony? My husband and I often talk about the disintegration of marriage.  My husband feels that the baby boomers (our generation) have destroyed marriage.  We were the ones who brought about free love, living together and the divorce epidemic.  Divorce has become common place and the  "starter marriage"  is part of our vernacular. You can read the rest of the article at Being Catholic ... Really

What does the  South Carolina shooting  mean to churches?  Does it mean we have to have metal detectors at the doors?  Will we have to have ushers frisk people as they enter our churches?  Do we have to be afraid to greet strangers? You can read the rest of the article at Being Catholic ... Really .

Have you come out as Catholic?  What I mean is, do people know you are a church attending, community involved, saint-loving,  magisterium  following Catholic? You can read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really

On June 21 (through July 4) begins the third annual  Fortnight for Freedom .  This year's theme is the Freedom to Bear Witness. Please read the rest of the article at Being Catholic ... Really .

DynamicCatholic.com's  comparison of my spiritual life as a house caught my attention.  Let me answer the questions. You can read the rest of the article at Being Catholic ... Really.

Prayer cards have been a Catholic tradition going back to  the 1400's in Europe .  As a convert, I was aware of prayer cards and have had a few over the years.  However, now I've become obsessed with them. My prayer card obsession can be blamed on  Melanie Rigney . Please read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really .

Where are you going for summer vacation? My only plans this summer will be to continue my series, "Touring Chicago's Beautiful Churches. My daughter and I went to  New York City in March , so I'm financially tapped out for another vacation. To read about where I'm going, you can read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really .

In the aged is prudence:  "In antiques best prudent!" Please read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really .

Dear  Sister Helen Prejean , You are wrong about Dzhokhar Tsarnaev.  He is not "genuinely sorry" about the bombing at the Boston Marathon.  He is not sorry about killing and maiming people. You can read the rest of the article at Being Catholic ... Really .

I saw this quote from  Abby Johnson  and started thinking about something totally unrelated: If you are a Christ follower but also hate abortion clinic workers or abortionists, then the Bible says that you are guilty of murder. We won't win this battle unless we learn to love better. If you have hate in your heart, then you need to pray.  It's really hard to hate the people that you diligently pray for. - Abby Johnson On this Mother's Day, nearly 20 years after my own Mother's death, I cannot find it in my heart to pray for her.  I've always wondered why I never do and now I know.  The  hatred I have for her still lingers after all these years  and that definitely made me pause. To read the article go to Being Catholic ... Really .

The warmer weather has finally arrived and getting outside will be my priority.  I'm looking forward to a summer of long walks, long bike rides and anything else that entails breathing fresh air.  I can't wait for our annual trip to Ravinia, neighborhood summerfests and all that summer brings. You can read the rest of the article and view the photo gallery at Being Catholic ... Really .

Holy Week is finally here and what seemed like a long Lent will finally end this Sunday.  I read a lot regardless of the time of year, but rarely do I read things that just linger inside my brain or my very soul. To read those articles, you can find the links at Being Catholic ... Really . 

So much to pray for.  Where do I begin? Do you feel that way sometimes?  I've been feeling like that a lot lately.  Before I left for vacation, I prayed the rosary every night so that I could  actually get on the plane !  During vacation, I prayed for our safety and well-being.  When I got home, I prayed for my family, friends and my job.  My prayer life has become overwhelming! You can read the rest at Being Catholic ... Really .

Eddie Clifford Beal III, Esq., son of  Dr Alveda King  (Martin Luther King Jr.'s niece), talks about his mother's abortion. You can listen and see the video at Being Catholic ... Really .

My daughter and I traveled to New York City for our winter vacation.  If you read my blog, you probably read my post,  My fear of flying . To read how I conquered my fear and see the photo gallery, please visit Being Catholic ... Really .

Our visit to the National September 11 Memorial and Museum is hard to describe. You can read the article and view the photo gallery at Being Catholic ... Really .

St. Paul's Chapel is the third and final church in my series, Touring New York City's beautiful churches.  Opening in in 1766, St. Paul survived "The Great Fire" of 1776 that destroyed over 500 structures in Manhattan, including the first  Trinity Church  building. You can read the rest of the article and view the photo gallery at Being Catholic ... Really .