Association Of Catholic Bloggers

Jonathan Byrne is a professional mid-career artist who lives in the coastal town of Blackrock in Dublin, Ireland. After many years of making images and exhibiting at home and abroad, he returned to a subject that has always enthralled him, the Face of Christ. The images, of which there are over 30 in different colours, are being assembled into an exhibition that will go on tour in Europe in 2018. I interviewed him via email over the past week. Melanie: How would you describe yourself? JB:  I would describe myself as a servant to a thought that a life should be spent in crafting a decorative, and, hopefully, a more beautiful world around you. This can be done with prayer devotions or parenthood or building nice roads or colourful gardens but in my case, the images are the thing. I believe that there is an appetite amongst a new generation for a relationship with Christ and I hope that my images, being both modern and traditional, can be part of the language of those new relation

Interviewer:   "Hello,  and welcome to Mystical Talk Radio, I'm John of Mystical Talk.  We have with us a woman who says that she is a warrior in the true mystical sense of the word.  Welcome Miss Anne.  Now I want our listeners to know that Anne is not her real name, our guest only agreed to the interview on the condition that we not reveal her identity, is that correct Miss Anne?  Miss Anne:   "Yes." Interviewer:   "And Anne is not your real name of course." Miss Anne:   "No, I'm afraid not." Interviewer:   "Well tell us Miss Anne, our show is Mystical Talk Radio and from your book,  Encounters with St. Michael the Archangel . you claim to have encountered the mystical realm, is that correct?" Miss Anne:   "Yes, many times in fact." Interviewer:  "So the mystical realm is real, is that what you are trying to tell us." TO READ MORE OF THIS INTERVIEW... CLICK HERE . 

Recently I had the opportunity to speak with Catholic novelist Ruth Hogan Herne about her latest novel “Refuge of the Heart”.  Ruth is a gifted storyteller; I was captivated by the characters, plot and message of this novel before I finished reading the first chapter. Her prose is well-written, and the dialogue sounds true to life.  My reaction to this novel reminded me of the English poet and philosopher Samuel Coleridge’s term “the suspension of disbelief”. “Refuge of the Heart” passed Coleridge’s test of a well-written book because I forgot I was reading fiction. However, “Refuge of the Heart” is not merely a well-written Christian romance; it tackles complex moral and social issues with equally complex, multi-layered characters .  It is actually a parable about the triumph of faith and the strength of the human spirit to thrive, not just survive, adversity. continue reading

With a Jesuit leaning, An Engaging Faith looks at the discovery of God in our everyday while also engaging the social realities in the world around us. She will be interviewing Melanie, our administrator, on Tuesday, August 25, 2015 at 4pm and another of our writers, Virginia. Tuesday:  Melanie Jean-Juneau  is a mother of nine children who blogs at  Joy of nine9.  Her writing is humorous and heart-warming; thoughtful and thought-provoking. Part of her call and her witness is to write the truth about children, family, marriage and the sacredness of life. Melanie is the administrator of  ACWB , a columnist at  CatholicLane , CatholicStand ,  Catholic365  ,  CAPC  & author of   Echoes of the Divine . Wednesday:  Virginia Lieto , In 2011, Virginia decided to leave Corporate America and made a commitment to give her life to God. With that commitment, and her faith, she obtained a Master of Arts Degree in Pastoral Theology from Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. Upon graduation, Virgi

Allison Gringas is interviewing Catholic mum’s who are bloggers May 4-9 The link to Melanie's podcast is http://realjoy.podbean.com/e/a-seeking-heart-w-allison-gingras-feat-melanie-juneau-joyofnine9/#.VUzmq4B_rdg.facebook A Seeking Heart with Allison Gingras: LIVE!  WEEKDAYS – 10:00 am ET on  RealLifeRadio.com DOWNLOAD THE RADIO APP:  iOs App  or  Android App    Her  Catholic Blogger Week- Mega Giveaway Prepare for a special Seeking Heart week of shows! FIVE days — 5 Catholic Bloggers! AND to Celebrate we are hosting a MEGA GIVEAWAY! Prize #1 from me:  Books, Bracelet and a Squirrel BUDDY! read more

An interview with Connie Rossini, author of Trusting God with St. Thérèse . Connie gives practical advice for overcoming fears and frustrations that hamper our relationship with God. I asked her about her father-daughter relationship as compared to that of Louis Martin and his daughter St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Nancy: Thérèse was blessed with parents who were “more worthy of heaven than of earth.” Thérèse had a special relationship with her father, who called her, “my Queen.” She formed her image of God from her father who never denied her love, affection and care. How did your father-daughter relationship compare to this? Connie: In some ways, my relationship with my father when I was growing up was miles apart from the relationship between Thérèse and Louis. I am very quiet and reserved. As a child, I was also timid. My dad, in contrast, was outgoing and frank. He was also the primary disciplinarian. My mom often said, "Wait till your dad gets home!" I grew n