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Dementia Prayer Week  is an initiative of Pastoral Care Project, an ecumenical ministry that focuses on the spiritual needs of  persons with dementia and that helps their carers to recognise and to respond to those needs. It is located in the Archdiocese of Birmingham, England. The Project was started by Mrs Frances Molloy, originally from Rathlin Island, County Antrim, Northern Ireland. During my time in Britain, 2000 to 2002, I became involved to a limited degree with the Project and have kept in touch since. That involvement opened my eyes to a pastoral need that I had not been aware of before. Here is  a link to my post  on Dementia Prayer Week in 2018. The Week is a reminder to us of the spiritual needs of persons with dementia throughout the year. St Louis Martin  [ Wikipedia ] The Church has canonised at least one saint whom we know suffered from dementia in the last years of his life,  St Louis Martin , father of  St Thér è se of Lisieux. He and his wi

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What temptations are you experiencing today? Jesus went through his 40 days in the desert before he began his public ministry, after he received his baptism from John, and had his own set of temptations. (Gospel of Luke, Chapter 4) While reading the Catechism of the Catholic Church about his time in the desert, I read about how Jesus was “driven by the Spirit into the desert,” and remained there without eating, living among the “wild beasts, and angels” who were ministering to him. Naturally, it is easy to get caught up in the details of this event, but what stood out for me was this one line from the Catechism : “At the end of this time Satan tempts him [Jesus] three times, seeking to compromise his filial attitude toward God. ” (¶ 538, Emphasis added) Whoa, wait a minute! The goal of the temptations Jesus encountered were to “compromise his filial attitude toward God.”   Do you know what that means?   That means that Satan was attempting to separate Jesus fr

Have you ever imagined what the Passion and death of Jesus looked like from Mary’s perspective? I had the opportunity a couple years back to attend a Stations of the Cross, using a booklet that presented each station through the eyes of Mary. It was an extremely powerful experience. (I’ve included a link to the Little Sisters of the Poor. Get a  free download  for yourself). Lent, Through the Eyes of Mary Talk about feeling helpless! Mary could only watch as the most horrific things were done to her Son. She saw Jesus bruised and bleeding, and like any good mother, she wanted to address His wounds. Yet, she could do nothing. Mary heard the crowd speak against Jesus, and she wanted to defend Him. Yet, she could do nothing. Her love for Jesus was so great, that she wanted to spare Him the pain, by carrying the cross herself. Yet, she could do nothing. How often have we seen loved ones suffer, and sometimes die, and we, too, felt helpless, like Mary? Mary understands ... Read mo

I read David Torkington's " The Resolution to end all Resolutions " and started a new prayer routine three years ago. My starting point was Lauds and Vespers from Liturgy of the hours. Don't be too impressed. Lauds was recognizable after my adaptation. But I reduce Vespers to something I could reliably remember, late in the day. More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

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Exactly six years ago, I finally became cognizant of how thin the line between life and death really is when I nearly lost one of my daughters as she struggled to give birth. During labour, she almost bled out when she lost a litre of blood in mere seconds after an emergency C-section, the result of a series of unforeseen complications, a one-in-ten-thousand chance. read more

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I am protecting myself from the impact of the Coronavirus.   For me, it’s just the smart thing to do . . . I know they closed Italy.   I know they are calling this a pandemic.   I know about washing my hands and staying out of public gatherings. I have been paying close attention to the growing numbers of people infected and dying. But the one thing, the most important thing I can do to protect myself from this virus is to not constantly watch the news and listen to the reports and obsess over it. I don’t want you to think I am sticking my head in the sand, because I am not. There are lots of things I know about the virus.   But to really protect myself from its impact on my spirit, I need to draw some lines in the sand. So, I take in the information I need and leave it at that.   It’s just not healthy for me to lose sight of reality and lose my balance. For instance, I just got back from the grocery store to pick up our regular groceries. Really weird. Eerie. Str

COVID-19, a coronavirus disease, has been headline news since last December. By March 11, 2020, we had more than 122,000 known cases in 120 countries and territories. 6,100 of those were serious. The March 11 death toll was 4,300 — 3,200 in China. On the 'up' side, 67,000 have recovered from the disease. Folks are dealing with travel restrictions, quarantines and cancelled events. And, as of today (March 11, 2020), COVID-19 is officially a pandemic. UPDATE March 12, 2020 That didn't take long. The nearest known case of COVID-19 is an hour's drive or less away.... More at A Catholic Citizen in America .

It has been six months since my mom passed from this life to her eternal life with Christ.   There have been days that pass without much reflection and days when I miss her so much it takes my breath away. To hold her hand, just once more, would be the best gift I could ever get. To be able to tell her about the things that are going on and to seek her advice would be so comforting. But the greatest thing that brings peace to me is knowing that she believed in God.   In the months before she died, we were able to read scripture and talk about it.   We prayed together a lot.   She was anointed, forgiven her sins and received Jesus regularly. She didn’t know high theology, but she sure trusted in Jesus, and in the end, that is all that really matters. Every day we will likely encounter someone who only has a vague idea about who Jesus is and what it means to have a lived faith.   We will meet people who do not know Christ, or who may be holding on by a thread to

Christ and the Samaritan Woman at the Well Johann Zick [ Web Gallery of Art ] Readings   (New American Bible: Philippines, USA) Readings   (Jerusalem Bible: Australia, England & Wales, India [optional], Ireland, New Zealand, Pakistan, Scotland, South Africa) For the shorter form of the Gospel omit the passages  [in square brackets] . Gospel   John 4:5-42  [4:5-15, 19b-26, 39a, 40-42]   ( New Revised Standard Version, Anglicised Catholic Edition, Canada) Jesus came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by his journey, was sitting by the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, ‘Give me a drink’. (His disciples had gone to the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, ‘How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?’ (Jews do not share things in common with Samaritans.) Jesus a