Renewal and Encouragement for Lent
Like a new year, Ash Wednesday can come with excitement, plans, and goals. We are determined that this Lent will be the best Lent ever! Perhaps you had at the...
How to Go to Confession (and a Printable Examination of Conscience for Women)
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a great gift to Catholics. But sometimes we don't avail ourselves of this grace as much as we should. Sometimes fear or uncertainty keep us...
3 Ways to Have a Fruitful Lent
As Lent is the time for greater love, listen to Jesus’ thirst…He knows your weakness. He wants only your love, wants only the chance to love you. -Saint Teresa of...
Held Captive: St. Josephine Bakhita + Human Trafficking
In my former job, I accompanied groups of young adults to the U.S./Mexico border each year. The point of the trip was to serve as a pilgrimage to learn what...
Galentine's Day for Catholic Gals
It’s time for another one of my favorite things ever! Let’s take a current cultural trend and make it Catholic! *applause* Some of you may be familiar with the term...
Becoming the Palace of God
Most of the time when I receive Jesus in a tiny white host, I wish that I could just hold Him in the palm of my hands a little bit...
Unlikely Blessings: Looking for the Holy Family Today
The first Christmas I remember receiving Christmas cards addressed to me personally was the year I moved to Denver. Delighted by this very adult practice of sending and receiving Christmas...
Entertaining Angels: Christian Hospitality at Christmas
Let me tell you a little story. Maybe you’ve heard it before, but stick with me. There once was a lovely couple expecting a baby. For reasons beyond their control,...
Holiday Home Decor on a Budget
Every year my husband, Stephen, and I put our Christmas tree up the day after Thanksgiving. It is a tradition from his family we carried into our married life, because...
10 Meaningful and Stress-Free Advent Activities
Sometimes, fully living out the season of Advent can seem like a lost cause. With Christmas decorations making an appearance in October and raging consumerism appearing everywhere you turn, it...
Music from the Heart: Celebrating St. Cecilia
If you sing well, sing loudly in order to thank God for the gift He has given you. If you don’t sing well, sing even louder to remind Him of...
Worth Celebrating: St. Elizabeth of Hungary
I've met my own modern-day St. Elizabeth of Hungary. Mary Jo Copeland is the founder of Sharing and Caring Hands, based in the Twin Cities. Mary Jo began serving the...
