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As the Morning Rising: Holy Soul Poem : Holy Soul Holed-up in a fortressed house A victim of the vicissitudes of life, He wore a tall but battered-down hat And lived in a tweed... continue

Pope Francis seems to be beloved by many. At the same time, some accuse him of being the Anti-Christ. Those who believe that Pope Francis is the Anti-Christ believe that he will change Church teaching and lead us down the road to Perdition. I have found that most people who take this stance are arch-conservatives, steeped in Tradition, finding Pope Francis too liberal for their liking. These are people who don’t like change. They find the old ways appropriate, because that is what they know to be true. Francis’ approach to finding new ways of reaching the marginalized and oppressed has left these arch-conservatives in fear of Church teaching changing. Yet, Pope Francis has not changed one iota of Church teaching to date, and it doesn’t look like he ever will. With that in mind, I paid close attention to Pope Francis’ visit to the United States, so that I could come to better understand the man. I am a firm believer that actions speak louder than words. I watched all the coverage a

Artists and musicians formerly had patrons who supported their work both financially and psychologically by encouraging them. As we strive to make our lives “something beautiful for God,” as Mother Teresa said, we have the option of choosing a patron: a heavenly one. If you have been christened with a saint’s name, then your patron is automatic. You have a powerful ally praying for you and ready to help you, albeit an invisible one. Nowadays babies are given names like Apple, LaRhonda, and Phoenix (like my grandnephew). If your name is not a saint’s name, you can pick a saint. In the Creed we say we believe in the Communion of Saints. That means we are bonded with all church members living and dead. So network with someone in heaven. Learn about him or her and then ask them to pray for you for whatever you need. click to continue

November 1-7, 2015 is National Vocation Awareness Week. I'm not sure local bakeries are stocking up on vocation-themed pastries, but that won't stop us from praying! The USCCB has a page dedicated to National Vocation Awareness Week , complete with a news release, homily helps, and prayers from several dozen dioceses to get us going. This is how the USCCB describes the vocation-awareness phenomenon: “National Vocation Awareness Week (NVAW) is an annual week-long celebration of the Catholic Church in the United States dedicated to promote vocations to the priesthood, diaconate and consecrated life through prayer and education, and to renew our prayers and support for those who are considering one of these particular vocations.” But is the USCCB leaving something OUT? Join me at Praying with Grace !

As the Morning Rising: The Feather - New Poetry Book Ann Murray:  http://www.blurb.co.uk/b/6574424-the-feather?t=1446544381973  Welcome! I am pleased to present my new book. There are 40 poems/ ... continue reading

Prayer and my Personal Journey:  This new sequence of posts will be published regularly each week, developing into the most important and personal series that I have ever published online. Nothing is more important than prayer, because it is quite simply the daily living out of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, so that he be formed in us. This central mystery of our faith that is continually re-enacted in the Mass is to be repeatedly lived out in our minds and hearts in prayer, leading on to its daily re-enactment in all that we say and do. Throughout the course therefore, the words of the great theologian Karl Rahner should be continually borne in mind, because they are the context in which all that I write must be understood: -  “The Mass should so form us that the whole of our lives should become the Mass, the place where we continually offer ourselves through Christ to the Father.”       read on.........

SILENT WIVES CLICK HERE

Squeaky Clean, a wealthy but honest businessman, was dissatisfied with life.  Although he was a practising Catholic as well as an active member of his parish, God seemed far away. Even worse his inner spirit was withering. When he stumbled on  a beautiful farm for sale, he just knew this was God’s answer to his dilemma.  Surely a back-to-the-earth lifestyle would bring him closer to God. Squeaky Clean worked long hours renovating the farmhouse, building barns, silos and fences, clearing brush and planting gardens. After a few years, his farm was charming and well-kept, a stark contrast to Sloppy Joe’s messy place just down the road.  Neighbours marvelled because not only was his farm picture perfect. continue reading

ARE YOU GOOD PARENTS? REALLY? WHAT DO YOUR CHILDREN THINK OR SAY ABOUT YOU? CLICK TO FIND OUT

What is fear to you? Is it the monster in the closet that looms over you in the middle of the night? Is it those butterflies that won't stop fluttering in your stomach? Is it that dread you wake up with, morning after morning? Cesar Mascarenhas Child Imagination, Flickr Creative Commons What do you do with fear? Do you run away from it? Do you run straight into it? Do you pretend it's not there, blocking it out by doing something that makes you feel good (whether it's good for you or not)? Fear comes home Fear was my constant companion the year my father was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. At first I blocked out my fear by turning to food therapy, bingeing on junk food. My exercise regimen went out the window and and my weight shot up. In the end I felt worse rather than better. Meanwhile, my dad was dying and there was no time to waste. Turning towards fear There comes a point when the effort to avoid fear (and the ensuing burden of guilt) e

Christmas is on its way, whether you are ready for it or not! What better way to get your Christmas shopping started than with the purchase of a beautifully illustrated book about the very first Christmas morning of Christ’s birth! This lovely story, written by Catherine C. Gilmore, presents the morning of Christ’s birth from the animals point of view, that of a lamb, but also of a lion. The lamb represents the young and weak of society, and the lion represents the strong and mature; where both come together and recognize the babe as their King and true leader.… Read more...

In continuation of our journey through the Interior Castle with Teresa of Avila we may find ourselves approaching the third dwelling place. Through an initial curiosity and muddling in prayer we have heard God calling us. Rather than waiting at the door we have entered to discover the One who knows us better than we know ourselves. And in coming to know God, we begin to see ourselves both as we are as well as who we are intended to be. Desiring to know how we can ever repay the love and mercy shown to us in the course of our lives, and while failing or falling short immeasurably at times we feel beckoned to trust. Read More..

This just in: My E-Book is now available for sale,  on Amazon  and  on Paypal. As you may have noticed, I've been blogging really consistently recently, in anticipation of this e-book release. Visit my  blog for more .  Click here to see the  About the E-book  page. I so look forward to working with you! Thank you to everyone who has already bought a copy! :-) Adding my link to The Association of Catholic Women Bloggers

The Church has encouraged prayer for the dead from the earliest times as an act of Christian charity. "If we had no care for the dead," Augustine noted, "we would not be in the habit of praying for them." 

'What does it mean to be saints? Who is called to be a saint? Often it is thought that holiness is a goal reserved for a few chosen ones. St. Paul, however, speaks of God's great plan... (continue)

You might recognize this as lyrics from Carly Simon 's Have You Seen Me Lately album: the fourth track. " ...And life is eternal, and love is immortal, and death is only a horizon, and a horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight.... " (Quite a few folks) I ran into it as part of a prayer by Fr. Bede Jarrett , who had said he was repeating something William Penn wrote. Rossiter W. Raymond wrote the lines into his " Death is Only an Horizon " poem. I'll get back to a longer excerpt from Fr. Jarrett's prayer: after talking about death, life, love, and all that. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

WHY DO WE PRAY TO SAINTS? WHY PRAY FOR THE DEAD? CLICK HERE TO FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THESE QUESTIONS

“A prayer that we pray together is a powerful prayer”! Let us pray... Blood of Christ, freeing souls from purgatory, save us... >> Click Here to Read More at: The Way To Nourish For Life >> including family prayer for our deceased loved ones (plus song...). They that hope in the Lord will renew their strength, they will soar on eagles’ wings. –Isaiah 40:31

One thing I love about the shape of my days is that I get several new beginnings sandwiched in between dawn and dark.  My habit of napping – begun of necessity during the years of (constant??) pregnancy – has stayed with me as a mini-Sabbath that is a priceless gift. From it, I emerge newly begun every afternoon. The Divine Office is a dip into a pool of deep refreshment three times a day: Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Night Prayer. It may seem strange to think of Night as a new beginning, but it’s a wonderfully quiet, still, relaxed phase for one whose mind can let go of today and tomorrow by way of the night office. Sleep (young moms may have forgotten what a full night’s sleep is, but even a partial sleep is heavenly!) is a vital time of brain-reorganization and integration that takes advantage of your incapacity to act, in order that you may be acted upon.  Great ideas and creative solutions to problems are often born during a restful night, and God sometimes tou

The Coronation of the Virgin , Fra Angelico, 1434-35m Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence, Italy [ Web Gallery of Art ] Gospel Matthew 5:1-12a (New Revised Standard Version, CatholicEdition, Canada) When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. “Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil

I love the saints.   I know - shocker - right?  Having a blog named Saints365 might be the dead giveaway there... The Solemnity of All Saints'  is one of my favorite celebrations of the Church's calendar - like a big party for all of my heavenly friends. I am so inspired by reading the lives of the saints, and find in each of them some unique expression of a lived-out holiness that leads me to desire ever more fervently to be like them.    In celebration of All Saints' Day, click here to read seven of my favorite quote about the saints - not about any one saint in particular, but about the saints in general.  Please feel free to download, pin, and share the quotes.  (please retain the Saints365 mark on the graphics).    

HALLOWEEN !!! WHAT DOES THAT COMMANDMENT SAY ??? CLICK HERE AND FIND OUT

Images sent back from New Horizons gave scientists their first opportunity to see how big Kerberos is. It's much smaller than they expected, which raises new questions. Meanwhile, the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's instruments provided evidence that there's running water on Mars: every summer, on some crater slopes. It's not the Mars of Burroughs' Barsoom tales: but I think the planet is getting more interesting, the more we learn about it. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

I am pleased to announce my first book, published by Ave Maria Press.   River of Grace: Creative Passages Through Difficult Times (now available on Amazon) is a spiritual memoir that reveals how several major losses helped me rediscover creativity and faith. Ave Maria Press describes it as "Filled with powerful insights on the presence and action of grace--in the Mass and the sacraments, nature and grief, and even through the life and works of Louisa May Alcott-- River of Grace guides readers in strengthening their faith, discovering their own hidden gifts and restoring a joy in living during and after tough times." It contains lots of practical spiritual exercises called Flow Lessons that lead you there. (Some of the Flow Lessons are on this site-- check them out here .) Losing a part of yourself One of the losses I experienced was that of my singing voice. Yet throughout the writing of River of Grace , I kept thinking of songs that would fit with each chapter. Whi

I ask this question because my daughter asked me this question. She’s an adult, and she knows better, but sometimes, profanities come out of her mouth. When I correct her, she reminds me of my sins. She says, “Does it just depend on what kind of Catholic you are that day?” Ummm, well, she does have a point. I correct her, but, sometimes, I don’t correct myself. I had to take a hard at myself and my attitudes toward Christianity and Catholicism.. What kind of Catholic am I on any given day? Am I a “good” Catholic one day and a “cafeteria” Catholic another day? Catholicism is more than a “religion,” a “belief system,” or a faith, it is a way of life. Catholocism is a way of life because our faith and our lives are one. Therefore, if I do not follow the commandments, if I do not integrate prayer into my life, if I do not follow the precepts of the Church in my life, I might say that I am a Catholic, but, in truth, I’m not, except when I’m at Church. Read Mo

(from The Breadbox Letters)

I see a lot of articles on the (insert number) reasons people don’t go to their Catholic Church, so I thought it was time for an article on the seven reasons why I do go to church. To read the reasons, you can go to  Catholic365.com .

Anyone who enjoys Contemporary Christian praise and worship music knows about Matt Maher. Coming on the scene in 2007, Maher has written and produced eight solo albums with three of them having reached the Top 25 Christian Albums Billboard chart; four of his singles have reached the Top 25 Christian Songs chart (Wikipedia). He was awarded the Dove Award this year for Songwriter of the Year and Best Song ("Because He Lives (Amen))" He is the only Catholic musician to have garnered such awards. Maher served for thirteen years as a Lifeteen music minister at St. Timothy's in Mesa, AZ where he met a certain Liz Corupti. Corpupti is now the director of the New Evangelization Worcester for Youth & Young Adults (part of the Worcester Diocese). She brought Maher to Worcester to enthusiastic crowds. This is the article I wrote for the Catholic Free Press about the Matt Maher concert at Mechanics Hall in Worcester, MA on Friday, October 16. The paper's editor attended

(From Alex Alishevskikh, cyberborean.org; via Flikr and Space.com, used w/o permission.) (" Trail of the object that exploded over Chelyabinsk, Russia, in 2013. " (Space.com)) Asteroid 2015 TB 145 won't hit Earth, but it will be only slightly farther from us than the Moon at 1:05 p.m. EDT, 5:05 p.m. UTC, October 31. I've talked about asteroids, Earth Time, and why thinking ahead makes sense, before.... ...Fifty years ago, we probably wouldn't have noticed an incoming asteroid until very shortly before it hit. Even if we did, there wouldn't have been much we could do, apart from praying — and that's another topic.... More at More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

Public Domain. Wikimedia Commons. I’ve known St. Jude Thaddeus since I was a child, but, I have not invoked his help for many years because, to be honest, he said NO. He didn’t say it directly to me. However, the things for which I was parying were never granted, until the other day. Our Church has a bookstore. I wandered in, after Mass last Sunday, and I saw that there were holy cards. I saw St. Jude’s holy card with the novena prayer. I thought, “Well, let’s give this a try.” One of my children had hit a rough spot in life, and I thought that, maybe, St. Jude might help. He was one of Jesus’ Apostles, after all. Maybe, this time? That night, I began the novena. On the third day of it, things began to happen. Things that really shouldn’t have happened, but through the intercession of St. Jude, that which we thought was not going to happen, never in a million years, did. (Thank you, St. Jude!) By the end of the novena, the bump in the road which seemed like