by Father Sean Suckiel
When one hears the word “discernment”, one automatically thinks it is for those who only want to be priests or religious or, that discernment is about decision making about one’s vocation. That’s wrong.
Guest Columnists
A Challenge for Catholic Men of Good Will
by John Fitzgerald
IN 1492, a young 40-year-old mariner set sail on an uncharted course to find a new route to India. Christopher Columbus and his brave crew left Spain with three ships and an incredible amount of faith. Man plans and God changes the course. There was to be no India but the New World of America would be opened to the explorers of Europe.
An Evolving Relationship With God
by Antonina Zielinska
In the days leading up to marriage, I tried to ready myself for how my relationships would change. Who would I be now as a daughter or a professional?
Beauty, the Beast and Theological Symbols
THIS PAST SUMMER, my wife Carol and I were fortunate to discover, in the “Around the Diocese” section of The Tablet, some marvelous dramatic musicals, specifically, ”Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” at St. Margaret’s, Middle Village and ”Beauty and the Beast” at Holy Child Jesus, Richmond Hill.
Connecting with St. Damien of Molakai
by AnnaMarie Prono
I NEVER EXPECTED shingles to hijack the last few weeks of summer, but it did. The good news is that it typically only strikes one side of the body. In my case, it was the right side. I could draw a line over the center of my scalp and down my face, and the blistering sores never crossed over to the left side. The bad news is, shingles is ugly, extremely painful and it doesn’t leave soon after the medication starts.
The Transmigration of Theological Nonsense
DURING THE LONG Lent of 2002, Sister Betsy Conway, who lived in the Bostonian epicenter of the clerical sexual abuse crisis, spoke for many self-identified progressive Catholics when she told syndicated columnist Michael Kelly, “This is our Church, all of us, and we need to take it back.”
Marriage: A Vocation of Service and Love
by Christian Rada
SINCE I ENTERED marriage ministry two years ago as coordinator of marriage, family life, and respect life education for the Diocese of Brooklyn, I have met with countless couples that are preparing for matrimony.
Be Thou My Vision, But What Do I See?
“Be thou my vision.” The ancient Irish words capture what I want for myself and my children: to keep the vision of God at the center of our lives. But how? Some days it feels helpless and hard enough to cling to my own faith, let alone foster theirs.
A Memoir I Never Expected to Write
WHEN THE SECOND volume of my John Paul II biography, “The End and the Beginning,” was published in 2010, I thought I was finished with John Paul book-making. I hoped I’d done my best in bringing to a global audience the full story of a rich, complex life that had bent the curve of history in a more humane direction.
For Years, I Wondered About My Vocation
by Sister Marie Mackey, C.S.J.
ALL STATES OF life well-lived are a source of joy for the individual and for the community at large. Whether the vocation is to marriage, single life, the priesthood or consecrated life, we all can identify when someone is truly happy and is a “good fit” in his or her ministry.