• “I am the Immaculate Conception,” is famously spoken by the Blessed Virgin Mary to St. Bernadette Soubirous during the apparitions at Lourdes in 1858. This phrase signifies that Mary was preserved from all sin from the first moment of her conception, a dogma defined by the Church just four years prior in 1854.

  • My wife recently reminded me that St. Joseph was the only imperfect person in his family. (I suspect that many husbands and fathers feel the same!) But of course, the Catholic Church teaches it is true. Despite this, he is considered the Terror of Demons and has been elevated to Protector of the Catholic Church. […]

  • “May we be in this world a ray of that light which shone forth from Bethlehem, bringing joy and peace to the hearts of all men and women.” – Pope Francis

  • For several years now, I’ve been taking a solo retreat in the days leading up to Thanksgiving. I’ve been going somewhere small and remote and…pink. The bathroom is cold. The wifi is nonexistent. The non-stick pans stick. It’s perfect.  I always look forward to the solitude and reflection time it affords.  Once there, a big […]

  • “Arise, soldiers of Christ, throw away the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” — St. Cecilia (Her feast day is November 22. St. Cecilia, pray for us!)

  • One morning, a man began his customary walk to work.  On his journey, he fell into an open manhole, which promptly ruined his day. The next day, on his morning commute, he made sure to keep an eye out for any open manholes.  Unfortunately, he slipped on a banana peel and landed in a puddle. […]

  • “Love Saint Joseph a lot. He deserves your affection – and it will do you good to get to know him, because he has great power before the Lord and before the Mother of God.” –St. Josemaría Escrivá

  • One of my favorite memories is spending time with Kim’s family over the holidays when we were dating. Gary, my future father-in-law, would make a huge pot of chili, and we’d spend hours in the kitchen playing the card game Euchre. Sometimes, we’d have two games going at once. Euchre is popular in the Midwest, […]

  • This is the gorgeous view on November 1st from the tower at Holy Hill Basilica and National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians in Hubertus, Wisconsin. It’s 178 steps to the very top!

  • I want to be a saint. I do not say this to impress you. Nor do I say it flippantly. In fact, it took me a very long time to say it in my heart, let alone out loud, to my wife. And even then, she winced. Because like me, she assumed a declaration like […]