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I remember when my first son was in need of his first haircut.  I took him to a professional stylist and, with 35mm camera in hand, clicked away, literally walking around and around his seat, so that, once developed, the pictures would immortalize that very special day in my life, in his life, in the world, I was sure. By the time my third son was in need of his first haircut, I let my mom have at it and, as it turned out, time did not improve her hair-cutting skills.  My youngest son ended up with the same bangs that I had worn some 30 years earlier — a wavy line of hair jutting out all over the place somewhere between eyebrows and the hairline. Things really do change from the first born to the second and then to the third.  And as that is all the children we were blessed with, I can go no further with my experience but my assumptions would be that by the fifth or sixth child, he or she may very well be performing his or her own first haircut. Now, my oldest is now a college

All is well in Papa Stronsay.

The Five First Saturdays for the Blessed Mother August 4th is a first Saturday

Christina Velasquez Excellent discussion of the pros and cons of new scientific advances in pre-natal testing from Dr Denise Hunnell on  Zenit.  She admits the benefits to knowing what birth defects an unborn baby has, but warns against misuse of this information by the government. Its not whether you have information that is troublesome, its what is done once the information is obtained. Dr Hunnell explains how the Nazis used the information they had about birth defects. One shudders at the prospect of what they would do if our technology were available to them. Seeking to rid a population of genetic disease through controlling reproduction is not a new endeavor. On July 14, 1933, Germany enacted the  Law for the Prevention of Genetically Diseased Offspring . Any man or woman who was afflicted with “feeblemindedness,” schizophrenia, manic-depressive disorder, epilepsy, Huntington’s chorea, genetic blindness, genetic deafness, severe physical deformity or chronic alcoholism were

News-Olympic stamp of approval from Archbishops / News Releases / Home - The Catholic Church for England and Wales

“So basically you are a ‘vanity press,’” was the question posed to me that really sounded more like a statement of fact—and an unattractive one at that. “Well, we offer a variety of publishing services and some of those services are that authors do, indeed, pay to have their books published with us,” were the words I said that didn’t even begin to cover the true response. What I’ve come to see over these past six years working with different authors is that there isn’t a vain one among them. In fact, what I’ve come to know and be blessed by are the men and women who have made the conscious choice to answer the call the Holy Spirit has put upon their hearts to bring a work of fiction or non-fiction to fruition. These are men and women who have taken the “new springtime of evangelization” to heart and have responded. They aren’t in positions of power where their names can open doors; rather, they are the simplest and most humble of people who have prayed and discerned to know God’s c

BBC News - London 2012: A 12-part guide to the UK in 212 words each

From  The Gospel of John  (2003)  Directed by Philip Saville. Jesus played by Henry Ian Cusick; narrator, Christopher Plummer. Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA)  Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  John 6:1-15  (Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition) After this Jesus went to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, which is the Sea of Tiberi-as. And a multitude followed him, because they saw the signs which he did on those who were diseased. Jesus went up on the mountain, and there sat down with his disciples. Now the Passover, the feast of the Jews, was at hand. Lifting up his eyes, then, and seeing that a multitude was coming to him, Jesus said to Philip, "How are we to buy bread, so that these people may eat?" This he said to test him, for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, "Two hundred denarii would

E F pastoremeritus: Novena to St John Vianney, Cure d'Ars Ive not seen this Novena before but the Holy Cure of Ars is one of my personal favorites and I love to pray for Priests!

Can we know the heart and mind of God? Yes.  He has given us so much to show His heart.  We have His word, and upon reading the Holy Word of God, if we just read what God says through His prophets, we see the love of God expressed, but we also see a desire of God to be with His creation.   He walked with us in the garden of Eden, then He visited Abraham in a physical form, but we can almost feel that He wishes more.  So as we read the Word we see the desire of God's heart to be with us.  Not just walk with us, but to "dwell within us."   This is the highest desire of God is to dwell within the heart of those that love Him and seek Him.  For a heart that can have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit within it is a heart that has to be purified before God can enter, for God cannot come into anything impure or corrupt.  What great joy God knows when he dwells within a heart that has been purified and strives after His own heart!  For if that soul will persevere in seeking a

I enjoyed speaking with Brian Patrick this morning on Sonrise Morning Show about Catholic alternatives to 50 Shades of Grey . Alternatives that engage and still bring the journey of a lost soul to a Christian close. In particular I found sharing Philippians 4:8 rather important: Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. If you are interested in such a book--one that speaks to the human condition with a Christian tone and resolution--then I invite you to download Elizabeth: A Holy Land Pilgrimage on your Kindle for free if you are an Amazon Prime Member.  Lisa Hendey gives  Elizabeth: A Holy Land Pilgrimage 5 stars and calls it "engrossing" and "rewarding."  And who doesn't like a free book? Cheryl Dickow www.BezalelBooks.com

LAST WELSH MARTYR: OUR LADY OF BRITANNIA : I found this beautiful poem on Richard's blog, "STABAT MATER" .  The poem was written by Pearl of Tyburn and Richard found it on her blog,...

Okay, so my son helped me get set up with a Twitter account yesterday. And while I am not sure about this latest foray--mostly because I don't want it to gobble up my God-time--I wonder what the strange new world will hold. As I shopped this morning for some ingredients to a new recipe that I will be trying out tonight, I found myself thinking of things to tweet. For instance I needed something called Kaffir Lime Grass and was clueless; I suddenly thought of my 4 followers and wondered if any could help... Just what I was afraid of! Usually I am thinking about God when I grocery shop. I think I need to talk with some Twitter czars and see how they do it all! Any suggestions? Cheryl Dickow www.BezalelBooks.com

As you might know, my husband is a  trauma survivor   who faces post-traumatic stress disorder. Greg somehow survived the Sept. 11 terror attacks and he also lost dozens of colleagues. He and I continue to consider what it all means. We both have what we call "trauma fatigue" meaning we are not able to immerse ourselves in the details of other acts of inhumanity, such as the deadly violence that occurred in an Aurora, Colorado movie theater last week. We haven't watched the nonstop cable news reports, or read any of the extensive newspaper coverage. Keep Reading...

~ It doesn't take 45 minutes to get a dog ready to go outside in the winter. ~ Dogs cannot lie. ~ Dogs never resist nap time. ~ You don't need to get extra phone lines for a dog. ~ Dogs don't pester you about getting a kid. ~ Dogs don't care if the peas have been touched by the mashed potatoes. ~ Dogs are housebroken by the time they are 12 weeks old. ~ Your dog is not embarrassed if you sing in public. ~ Average cost of sending a dog to school: $142 Average cost of sending a kid to school: $103,000 (note: more if sent to Catholic schools) [forwarded by Gretchen Patti] today'sTHOT============================ If at first you don't succeed, try doing it the way your wife told you to. ======================================= PASS IT ON! Yeah, you can send this Funny to anybody you want. And, if you're REAL nice, you'll tell them where you got it! www.mikeysFunnies.com ===============================

The Kings Banquet – A Love Story... Who I am is not important. My story is. In my life I rebelled against everything, including my faith, and looked to nature as my source for the divine. Having grown up in the country, I could truly appreciate all of God’s gifts in nature for it was constantly around me. As I walked among nature’s gifts I knew that everything that my eye could see was a gift from God. I sat down underneath a tree and began to wonder why God had been so good to give us all these things. My eyes began to get heavy, as I watched the leaves sway to the tune that the wind had played. As I began to nod off to sleep I prayed, “ God, are there any greater gifts than these?” ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I was awakened by a hand shaking. “Wake up, it is almost time.” I awoke to find a strange man standing over me, shaking my shoulder. Again he repeated His plea to me, “Come, it is almost time.” I looked strangely a

Lately, I've been debating with myself (and my family) about whether or not to wear a mantilla at Mass.  Part of me wants to veil and the other part of me is too chicken and self-conscious. The style of my parish church is very modern and minimalist and doesn't lend itself to inspiring any woman to cover her head. "Why do you want to wear a mantilla?" My older daughter asked me this question yesterday when I brought the subject up again. Why indeed.  I've read this blog, Will You Mantilla With Me? .  It makes a strong case for covering up, reasons which I like:  reverence, respect, humility, purity, solemnity, imitation of Mary. A reminder that I am participating in something much bigger than myself.  An external representation of my belief in the Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist. (And maybe I want a reason to wear a lovely piece of lace). So why am I still hesitating?  Pride and fear.   I'm worried about what other parishioners will t

If you are like me, you have at least one room in your house that visitors never see. For me, that would be the master bedroom. Every horizontal surface, excepting our bed but including much of the floor, is cluttered - with books, an ironing board, clean laundry, a busted vacuum cleaner, manila file folders, you name it. When visitors come,  I simply close the door.  My pastor, Fr. Jeff Calia, C.O., recently told me that if Christ were visiting, that's just the room He would want to see. In fact, He already knows all about it.  Keep Reading

Jesus ,  detail  from  The Calling of St Matthew , Caravaggio, 1599-1600 Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) Gospel  Mark 6:30-34  (Revised Standard Version – Catholic Edition) The apostles returned to Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. And he said to them, "Come away by yourselves to a lonely place, and rest a while." For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat. And they went away in the boat to a lonely place by themselves. Now many saw them going, and knew them, and they ran there on foot from all the towns, and got there ahead of them. As he went ashore he saw a great throng, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things. +++ 'Come away . . . to a lonely place' Lake Taal, Philippi

I will openly admit that I drove myself—and my husband—a bit crazy in the 2008 election cycle. I’m not sure why since I had never, ever been that impassioned about an election. Specifically, the pro-life issue mattered to me in a whole new, surprising way. I also turned 50 that year so I’d like to place some of the blame on that fact—but who knows for sure. This year I decided to do my best to keep my passions, emotions, and opinions more to myself. I wasn’t going to write dozens of articles and try to convince anyone of anything. Depending on where you sit in the political arena, that either sounds cowardly if you are a passionate pro-life citizen or that sounds perfectly fine if you aren’t much into politics and feel that it is always “the lesser of two evils” anyhow. As things heat up this 2012 election cycle, I admit that it isn’t easy for me to sit on the sidelines; but sit I have been. Let me clarify that: I sit on the sidelines while I do the Patriotic Rosary—one o