The Catholic Influence in Dana Gioia's Poetry
Dana Gioia’s 99 Poems New & Selected is a varied collection of well-crafted pieces that also demonstrates understanding of what it means to be fully human, skillfully expressing private experiences...
Dwell // A Study on the Eucharist for Women
"I need Adoration." My friend's evening text put words to the longing on my own heart. In the midst of the shut downs, our usual Holy Hours were cancelled, and...
Showing Compassion for Another Woman's Pain
A few years ago I had an experience that completely woke me up to the fact that not everyone knows how to show compassion to another person’s pain. This incident...
Healed and Restored
I first shared my story on Sunday, May 20, 2018: the Feast of Pentecost. That moment came after God sent a number of holy people into my life to help...
Divine Mercy for the Brokenhearted
There comes a time in our lives when a person, event, or loss leaves our heart wounded. Sometimes that pain is easy to cope with. We rely on friends, or...
Advent is Still Coming, Jesus is Still the Savior
The year 2020 has been...a bit much. I'd venture to guess that most of us are weary and honestly, still trying to figure out what just happened. But there's always...
Poco a Poco // The Spirituality of Making the Next Best Step
Poco a poco. The spirituality of making the next best step. It's become a bit of our catch phrase. It's been the name of a CFR album, our Ascension Present's...
The Day I Let Christ Into My Bedroom
When I was a little girl, my godmother was divorced from her abusive husband and could not remarry in the Church without an annulment (which she refused to try to...
Resources for Pornography Addiction
Our culture is saturated with porn. Most of us have either suffered from addiction to porn or know someone who does (even if we aren't aware of it). Pornography is...
How to Pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet
I didn’t grow up knowing anything about the Divine Mercy Chaplet. In fact, I didn’t pray the Chaplet until I was well into adulthood. And what I quickly discovered is...
How to Support Foster Families
The Works of Mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works...
BIS Reads: Ministry of Ordinary Places
Last fall, there was a terrible commotion down the street from me—firetrucks and police cars were everywhere, blocking the road. Only later did we come to find out that one...