As the mother of six children, I sometimes feel like the house is my cloister, minus the peaceful quiet and harmonious chanting. In the midst of being called on by so many voices, I find myself at times longing for the contemplative or maybe just 30 minutes to pray before I am needed. I always... Continue reading→

Perhaps you know that August is traditionally set aside as the Month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. But do you know why? Admittedly, I was curious about the reasoning. We know that May is the Month of Mary. And the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary is typically celebrated in June. So why... Continue reading→

What’s the secret to happiness? This seems to be the million-dollar question, although most of us don’t have one million dollars to try and buy it or figure it out. Nonetheless, it is a question our society seems to have tried to solve and find the answer to in so many different ways. There are... Continue reading→

Ring, ring… it’s God calling! Wouldn’t it be so simple if God called you up today and let you know exactly what He wanted you to do? It would take all the guesswork out of discerning His will for your life. But, even if He made it that easy, would you have the strength and... Continue reading→

Christ summarizes the goal of Christian morality at the end of the Sermon of the Mount: “Not every one who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did... Continue reading→

This article was originally published by the late Francis Cardinal George, OMI in the newspaper The Catholic New World (now Chicago Catholic) on October 24, 2004. Given the recent announcements of the National Eucharistic Revival and Congress, we thought it fitting to revisit the insights of Cardinal George following his participation in the 2004 International... Continue reading→

Recently on Father Simon Says, a listener called in to ask about the innumerable religious orders that occupy the Catholic Church, how they came to be, and why they exist. Fr. Simon began by taking us back to the early days of the Church and explaining the hierarchical structure. “In the early days, you had... Continue reading→

“All practices of magic or sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers, so as to place them at one’s service and have a supernatural power over others – even if this were for the sake of restoring their health – are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned... Continue reading→

Sometimes doubts, uncertainty, and fears enter our heads, and we don’t know what to do. Forming our conscience responsibly includes developing the virtue of prudence, the habit of properly exercising the conscience, knowing when we can trust its formation, and the need to act on its judgments. A prudent conscience is like well-exercised muscles that... Continue reading→