by Father Raymond P. Roden In the late 1960s when many religious sisters reclaimed their baptismal and family names, Sister Mary Marcellus, C.S.J., became Sister Mary Anne Ricioppo, C.S.J. Curiously, the name didn’t stick. It was one of those funny things in a time of whirlwind change that she continued on as Marcellus in spite […]
by Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk Imagine a deadly scenario like this: A businessman is rendered unconscious by medical professionals to help him heal after a serious car accident, using pharmaceutical agents to cause a medically-induced coma. A few days later, a business competitor, wanting him dead, enters the hospital and kills the comatose patient. At his […]
by Father Frank Mann Third and final in a series IN AN ARTICLE titled “What Humans Owe to Animals,” The Economist magazine states: “It is all very well to say that individuals must wrestle with their consciences – but only if their consciences are awake and informed. The fact is, industrial society, alas, hides animals’ […]
by Father Frank Mann Second in a series Most certainly, a plethora of folk are choosing to eat less (or no) meat for a variety of reasons. From a health perspective, studies are validating that meat abstinence is often healthier and has likewise been associated with lower levels of obesity, cardiovascular disease, certain cancers and […]
by Kathleen M. Gallagher THEY CAME TO Brooklyn from all over the state. They arrived on planes, trains and automobiles. They sacrificed a Saturday with family and friends, in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the busiest time of the year. They met at DeSales Media Group, home of NET-TV, to participate in […]
by Father Eugene Hemrick When we respond, “Lord hear our prayer” to the offertory petition at Mass, “Let us pray for priestly vocations,” what should we include in this petition? Having worked in seminary formation, I can say that the formation of seminarians is awesome work in need of much prayer. During a recent faculty […]
by Father Robert Czok This past summer provided the opportunity for an excursion to Cape Cod with priest companions, Fathers John Amman and Bob Blauvelt, and a couple of brief solo sojourns into the highlands of New England, specifically, the Berkshires in Massachusetts and Vermont. The first segment of my travels with friends to and […]
by Father Tadeusz Pacholczyk Patients and families sometimes struggle with the question of whether dialysis is “worth it.” A young woman wrote recently on a website addressing dialysis patients’ concerns, “My father has been on dialysis for three years, and he’s 62 years old. A few days ago he said he wanted to stop going […]
by Bill and Monica Dodds We’ve reconnected with a number of longtime friends over the past few months, and it has been interesting to see how relationships can pick right up where they left off — no awkwardness, no uncertainty, just a true joy. A few people, during a particular time of our lives, were […]
by Effie Calderola It’s easy to escape from prayer. Why would I want to do that? Maybe it’s because true prayer goes to the very center of things, the center where God speaks my truth, and sometimes that’s a scary place to go. It also requires time and discipline, and sometimes I’m lazy. There are […]
