“Wouldn’t it be nice to go on a family pilgrimage? I mean a real pilgrimage—to somewhere like Lourdes, or Fatima, or Rome.” Continue »

My wife, Mary Lou, and I have raised seven children. We made many mistakes along the way, but fortunately nothing that we did wrong seems to have permanently damaged any of our sons or daughters. Continue »

In the movie “Fiddler on the Roof,” Tevye asks his wife, Golde, “Do you love me?” She responds by listing some of the everyday services she performs for him. Indirectly, she is telling him that married love is intricately related to darning socks, washing clothes, and the countless other ordinary ways in which a husband and wife serve each other. Continue »

Years ago, as a fledgling reporter for a diocesan newspaper, I remarked that the paper’s weekly presentations of the Sunday Gospels for children were too complex for four-to-twelve-year-olds. “If you think you can do better, give me three columns by the end of the week,” my editor replied—and suddenly I had added “columnist” to my job description. Continue »

One day, in a fundraising mailing from a religious organization, I received a five-by-seven image of Christ that depicted him in a way I had never seen before. Continue »

Do you believe that God can heal an estrangement in your marriage or from your children? Do you wonder about God’s power to heal some past hurt or resentment? Continue »