A Year of Faith Online Retreat – Now in One Place!

This summer, many of you took advantage of an online retreat titled, “Preparing for a Year of Faith” that I offered here on my blog. Over the course of a month, we reflected on and shared insights about the 4 pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Now, you can access the entire retreat in one place! Just click on the Year of Faith banner below: In the future, this will be availabe under […]

Year of Faith Retreat – Week 4, Day 4: Family Heirlooms (Forms of Prayer, Part III)

WEEK FOUR: Prayer DAY 4: Family Heirlooms (Forms of Prayer, Part III) I’m one of those people who was born (1959) right before the Second Vatican Council so I remember (slightly) the Latin Mass and the beginnings of my religious formation with the Baltimore Catechism. Of course, the approach employed with the Baltimore Catechism included a fair amount of rote learning (memorization). Following the Second Vatican Council, the religious formation I received was very different in nature and […]

Year of Faith Retreat – Week 4, Day 3: In the Mood (Forms of Prayer, Part II)

WEEK FOUR: Prayer DAY 3: In the Mood (Forms of Prayer, Part II) During the “Big Band” era of the 1940s, bandleader Glenn Miller topped the charts with his #1 hit “In the Mood.” While appearing well before the sexual revolution of the 1960s, the title of the song is, of course, highly suggestive. In the mood for WHAT? Intimacy, of course. That should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the history of the […]

Year of Faith Retreat – Week 1, Day 1: God’s Revealing Moments

Welcome to our online summer retreat, Preparing for a Year of Faith! Take  a few minutes each day at your convenience to “gather” here on my blog as we seek to add some flavor to our faith lives by deepening our understanding of the truths of our faith as given to us in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Learn more about the Year of Faith. Watch a brief video explaining what this online retreat is […]

Searchable Online Version of the Catechism – Every Catechist Should Add This to Your Favorites!

At long last, the U.S. bishops have introduced a searchable online version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church on the USCCB Website. Thanks to my friend Joyce Donahue for “breaking the story” and sharing it on Facebook so that we can spread the word. Every catechist should add this to your “Favorites” in your browser for quick reference when you are looking for clarification on a Church teaching.

The 4 Pillars of Our Faith: Prayer

This week, I’m featuring short excerpts from my book, A Well-Built Faith, focusing on the 4 pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Here’s a brief look at the fourth pillar: Prayer. A survey conducted years ago asked people in successful marriages to identify the top ten qualities of a healthy marriage. One might think that sex, given all the attention it is given in our culture, would have been the number one quality. […]

The 4 Pillars of Our Faith: the Moral Life

This week, I’m featuring short excerpts from my book, A Well-Built Faith, focusing on the 4 pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Here’s a brief look at the third pillar: the Moral Life. Country and Western songs tend to be filled with heart ache, telling tales of good loving gone bad. Two people in love are supposed to treat each other in a certain way and when that doesn’t happen, relationships faith. Just […]

The 4 Pillars of Our Faith: Sacraments

This week, I’m featuring short excerpts from my book, A Well-Built Faith, focusing on the 4 pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Here’s a brief look at the second pillar: the Sacraments. To be sacramental is to express beyond words. Catholics are sacramental because human beings are sacramental. Humans express love in a variety of ways beyond words. We do not feel that our love is fully expressed unless we can reach out […]

The Four Pillars of Our Faith: the Creed

This week, I’m featuring short excerpts from my book, A Well-Built Faith, focusing on the 4 pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Here’s a brief look at the first pillar: the Creed. Believing is something that we do, not only with our heads, but with our hearts. The following story illustrates this. A stunt man was thrilling crowds gathered at the Niagara Falls, making his way across a tightrope that stretched from one […]