It has been almost 20 years since I left New Orleans to join the Jesuits, and there are few things I miss more than Holy Week at my home parish.
Faith in Focus
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The weight of attending Mass for those who cannot
As part of that small number of parishioners able to take the Eucharist, I felt that holy burden to be present in the Presence for those who could not be there.
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I grew up in the shadow of the Columbine and Aurora shootings. How can I hold the horror of another Colorado massacre?
My generation has never known what it is to exist without the possibility of death by firearms at school, at the movies.
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St. Joseph is a prophet in the Byzantine tradition. What can we learn from their devotion?
The inclusion of the Byzantine commemoration in the festivities of the Year of St. Joseph can broaden and deepen contemporary piety around Jesus’ earthly father.
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My therapist was not a savior. But she was the faithful witness to my pain and resurrection.
I am alive because a woman spent years watching me emerge from the dead and refused to be afraid.
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What I learned while praying in the (empty) Garden of Gethsemane during Lent
In this year, with the pilgrims gone and the holy places nearly empty, I set out to spend some time on the Mount of Olives to see what I can learn from the ancient trees.
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The music of the Black Catholic Church is a rich tapestry of joy, suffering and hope.
Joyce Coleman sings the soul of a community whose faith has been tested by fire across generations, centuries, in this country. To sing such a faith is, for this white Catholic, to be filled with wonder and gratitude—beyond words, beyond speech, beyond concept.
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Parenting adult children is hard. Prayer helped me see that my late parents are with me amid the challenges.
My parents never told me this, but parenting adults is hard.
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What should teens give up for Lent?
Lent is when we sit down in a loud and confusing world and try to figure out what we’re doing here. That is all the more important for the people who are most confused.
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Sister Stephen changed my life in the fourth grade. Now, she’s in her 90s and teaching (in person) during a pandemic.
Mary Stephen Healey, R.D.C. has continued to lead and serve the students, faculty and families at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School in Elmsford, N.Y., even during a pandemic.