I love to read about the saints. They really are my heroes because of all the ways they gave their lives to the Lord and poured themselves out for the church. I find it fascinating to read about their upbringing, their conversion, and the specific ways they served the Lord. Continue »

He was born the year before Columbus discovered America. His contemporaries were larger-than-life figures like Michelangelo, St. Teresa of Avila, Martin Luther, and King Henry VIII. He was often described as a "soldier saint," but he bore arms for only a few months of his life. He was also called a "reformer," but he rarely spoke about the church’s need for change. Continue »

Ignatius of Loyola and Francis Xavier were canonized together on March 12, 1622. Xavier had captured the hearts and minds of the Europeans through his reports on his heroic evangelistic journeys to exotic places in the Far East. Of the two men he was the one people wanted to see canonized. Ignatius, the stay-at-home, seemed pale by comparison. Continue »

Defining moments. We’ve all had them in our lives. Perhaps it was a time when you had to make a major decision—career or marriage or vocation—that affected the rest of your life. Perhaps it was a challenging situation that required you to grow up very quickly—like the premature death of a parent or an unintended pregnancy. Continue »

What kind of person comes to mind when you think of the qualities that Jesus highlighted in the Beatitudes? "Blessed are the poor in spirit . . . they who mourn . . . the meek . . . the clean of heart . . ." (see Matthew 5:3-11). Continue »

It began as an ordinary day, like so many others. I was at home—eight months pregnant with my third child—feeding my one-year-old daughter and watching through the window as my son, Neil, played outside. Continue »

Plenty of Catholics think they don’t pray well. Or that they somehow pray wrong. Or that everyone else has an easier time praying. Continue »