Association Of Catholic Bloggers

I went to Holy Confession yesterday - they were having a 12 hours of grace of confessions, Father Eric Johnson was in the church (Our Lady of Perpetual Help) hearing confessions. I came after work so I didn't get there till about 6:30 p.m. - confessions ended at 8 p.m. When I walked up to Fr. Eric I was smiling because I was happy to see him and then I saw how tired he was.   By the look in his eyes and his posture - I could tell immediately he had been there a while. Concerned, I asked if he was alright, and he said he was. Then  the beautiful sacrament began, and something wonderful happened! It was like Father Eric was given a special grace, bolstered by the sacrament and he  no longer looked tired anymore  - he was totally present, attentive, along with someone else, our Lord, I could feel it.  As I listened to his instruction I could see the compassion in his eyes and it hit me how much he was giving to me, he was giving all, not because it was his job, but because of a de

Hi folks! I seem to be back blogging here  . I'm back in charge of admin...email me at jacquelineparkes@hotmail.co.uk with any queries. It might take a while to get up to speed. Thankyou to Joanna for looking after ACWB.

Watching the events of the last few weeks unfold, I have been struck anew by how many former Catholics there are in the news media. None of them have a clue about what it means to be Catholic. That, coupled with this post at 8 Kids and a Business, got me thinking about how to keep our kids Catholic. I decided to create a list. Please note: my children are still preteens, so I cannot say, "It worked for us." But I have done some research on the matter, and observed other Catholic families. I've often wondered how my husband and his siblings all remained good Catholics, while some of my siblings did not. I almost left the Church myself in my 20s. I also know that a parent can do everything right, and his children can still choose to leave the Church. We have freewill. This list is not meant for pointing fingers or accusing other parents of failing. It's meant to help those who are raising their kids now and want to do the best they can. View the

In these three readings I see that there is something in common: it is movement. In the first reading, movement is the journey [itself]; in the second reading, movement is in the up-building of the Church. In the third, in the Gospel, the movement is in [the act of] profession: walking, building, professing. Walking: the House of Jacob. “O house of Jacob, Come, let us walk in the light of the Lord.” This is the first thing God said to Abraham: “Walk in my presence and be blameless.” Walking: our life is a journey and when we stop, there is something wrong. Walking always, in the presence of the Lord, in the light of the Lord, seeking to live with that blamelessness, which God asks of Abraham, in his promise. Building: to build the Church. There is talk of stones: stones have consistency, but [the stones spoken of are] living stones, stones anointed by the Holy Spirit. Build up the Church, the Bride of Christ, the cornerstone of which is the same Lord. With [every] movement in our

I see all the ‘Catholic Bashers’ are out in force today – must really annoy them that we have such a beautiful Holy Spirit filled Pope.  I am so tired of people who think they have a right to bash the Catholic Faith when they would be first up in arms if we were ‘gay bashing’.  I respect everyone’s religion – Muslim, Atheist, Buddhist, Hindu – so why can’t people respect the Catholic faith?  Why do they think they have the right to post ill-informed and sometimes simply ignorant information?  Yes there have been sexually abused children in the faith and we are rooting them out.  There have also been sexually abused children in the secular society (more here than anywhere!)– most cases the police will tell you are known to the family member – a relative.  Did you stop listening to music or watching TV because Jimmy Saville and others like him abused hundreds of children?  Did you stop having families because you were abused by a family member?  No you try and have good families and tr

FRANCISCUS 13 March 2013 Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum; habemus Papam: Eminentissimum ac Reverendissimum Dominum, Dominum Georgium Marium Sanctae Romanae Ecclesiae Cardinalem Bergoglio qui sibi nomen imposuit Franciscum The photo above  of the then Cardinal Bergoglio was taken in 2008. Our new Holy Father is described on the Vatican website as 'Pope Francis', not 'Pope Francis the First', or simply as 'Franciscus', the Latin form of the name, as above, or its equivalent in other languages. Numbering only comes in when there is more than one pope with the same name. The plaque above, in St Peter's, listing all the popes buried there, follows that convention. The first four, for example, are 'S Petrvs (St Peter), Linvs, Cletvs, Evaristvs' without any number after the name. (In Latin the letters 'u' and 'v' were often used instead interchangeably.) Sts Linus and Cletus are mentioned in the Roman Canon, also ca

POPE   FRANCIS Jorge Mario Bergoglio (born 17 December 1936) Archbishop of Buenos Aires, Argentina May God bless his ministry abundantly.

"We have a Pope."  White smoke billows from the Sistine Chapel Chimney.

Sistine Chapel, Michelangelo, David (detail) 'Lord God,  You are our eternal Shepherd and Guide. In Your mercy grant Your Church  a shepherd  who will walk in Your ways, and whose watchful care will bring us Your blessing.'  (from The Catholic Prayer Book, Servant Books, 1986, p.183)

Free Kindle e-Book - The Book of Jotham Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser . DON'T FORGET ABOUT THE... Free Kindle e-Book. The Book of Jotham by Arthur Powers March 12th and 13th only! Tuesday and Wednesday You are invited to have a Free Kindle e-Book  on Tuesday, March 12th and Wednesday, March 13th of The Book of Jotham by Arthur Powers .   2012 Tuscany Prize for Catholic Fiction - Novella Winner For 23 years the completed manuscript of The Book of Jotham sat in the author’s desk drawer—typewritten—collecting dust and time. On an early autumn day in 2012, the m

                       "Clear and crisp, substantive and yet easy to follow."   "Successfully communicates Catholic wisdom on marriage and family by weaving well-selected quotations drawn from the tradition with living examples from her family and other faithful Catholic couples today."   "Shows that married couples who are faithful not just to one another but to the example of Christ the Bridegroom and the teaching of his Bride will find their love flourish and be fruitful now and in the life to come, for it will be fed by deeper wellsprings than anything available in our shallow culture today." I am so grateful for these words of support from Dr. Michael Hoonhout, professor of systematic theology at the Seminary of the Immaculate Conception here in the Diocese of Rockville Centre.  More...

No Women Priests...and why... NO WOMEN PRIESTS...AND WHY... I was preparing to go to Holy Mass at St. Stephen the Martyr, talking about the clustering of the two parishes, and how we need more priests.  The woman I was talking to said, "We need women priests." I was very clear, I said  NO .  Man is God's only priest, and from the beginning that it is how it has been.  But instead of just saying, "No".  I think I owe her and explanation of why there is no women priests and why there can never be. Just by saying No to her, I haven't taught her anything.  I'd like to correct that.  The way for Jesus to come was prepared for, it was not a random act of God.  It is no coincidence that the sacrifice for the Passover of the Jews was the blood of a  MALE lamb, and a lamb without blemish.  And as God wastes nothing, but takes what came before and transforms the pascal sacrifice into something greater, Jesus. And with his sacrifice on the cross, hi

I thought that might get a couple of clicks over here... ;) ;) I'm not pregnant. Well, not in the traditional sense of the word. But in many ways, I do feel pregnant. I was thinking about this yesterday. My mind wandered to all of the times I heard women complaining about being pregnant, and all of the times my fellow-infertile friends shared their similar accounts, and how each complaint used to cut like a knife. Used to. I remembered one particularly hurtful comment I read on a Facebook status years ago... it wasn't even a close friend, just an acquaintance from high school, who wrote (while pregnant with child #3): "Does any woman actually enjoy being pregnant??!" That comment haunted me for weeks... it hurt so badly, because all I could think was how I wanted to scream at her, and every complaining pregnant woman, that YES, I would enjoy being pregnant, and YES, there are women who would gladly trade places with her, and YES, no amount of suffering in pregnanc

My husband has been coaching our sons in  basketball  for more than a decade. This afternoon, he coached as a father for the last time. During more than 20 years of knowing my husband, I have rarely seen him cry, even in private moments. Today he nearly shed tears as he spoke with his eighth grade recreation department team after their final game. He has been filled with sadness the past few days with the sense of loss over this part of his life. How blessed I am to have this man in my life and as the father to our two teenaged sons.    Keep Reading...

O Holy Mary, Help Us Go Against the Grain O Holy Mary, you help us to receive the Sermon on the Mount, Those beatitudes much talked about but seldom applied, Because they go against the grain, as if the Gave river in Lourdes Were flowing backwards up the glaciers of the Pyrenees. O Holy Mary, you help us to become the people of the Word, The people of the Eucharist, the people of the message. What is the use of going faster, if we do not know where we are going? What is the use of producing more and more, if we do not know how to share? What is the use for the poor to get richer and for the rich to get poorer, If neither one nor the other knows how to live like Christ? O Holy Mary, in a world dominated by money, you teach your generosity, In a world of glitz and lies, you show your transparency, In a world that sneers and soils, you offer your purity. Teach us how to avoid being a fully printed page; But instead, a blank page, where the Holy Spirit can write down A

This That and the Other Thing: Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival

Long ago I used to be a young man and dear Margaret remembers that for me. The Dutchman  is a song written by Michael Peter Smith in 1968. It's about an elderly couple living in Amsterdam, Margaret and the title character. The unnamed Dutchman has dementia and Margaret cares for him with a sadness over what has happened to him over the years. It's a story of unconditional love. Portrait of an Old Man with Beard ,  van Gogh, December 1885 ( Web Gallery of Art ) I became involved with  The Pastoral Care Project  in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, England, while based in the Columban house in Solihull from September 2000 to April 2002 when I moved to Glasgow, Scotland, though I stayed there for only a few months before returning to the Philippines. The mission statement of the Project is above. I first got involved when the founder of the Project, Mrs Frances Molloy, invited me to celebrate Mass in a home for old people. The mission statement of the