The Holy Name of Mary
I always had a problem with my name growing up. I wondered why my parents didn’t give me an easy-to-pronounce name. Rocio, although beautiful when pronounced rightly in Spanish, felt...
Saint Teresa of Calcutta // A Saint in the Darkness
In Something Beautiful for God, the British Journalist Malcolm Muggeridge wrote about an exhilarating experience while filming a documentary on Mother Teresa in 1967. The film crew had arrived at...
On Saint Bartholomew
In the tradition of the Church, Bartholomew and Nathaniel are the same person. Think of Nathaniel as his first name and Bartholomew as his last name, since it designates his...
Saint Maximilian Kolbe // A Prophet of Hope
Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel, in one of his essays, relays his experience in Auschwitz. A Jew was being executed while the rest of the camp watched aghast....
The Letters of Saint Clare
Happy feast of Santa Chiara! Saint Clare, who was a dear friend of Saint Francis, was born in Assisi, Italy in 1194. After living a profound, deeply Christocentric life, she...
Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross + the Feminine Genius
As the process of selecting Confirmation Saints looms near at our house once again, I find myself doing a lot of name-dropping in case anyone is looking for inspiration related...
Flos Carmeli
Flos Carmeli is Latin for “Flower of Carmel.” As a child, I was under the impression that Our Lady of Mount Carmel was actually pronounced "car-a-mel." It made sense to...
Saint Maria Goretti // Witness to Reconciliation
Many years ago, my dad was going through his father’s desk and showed me a precious, antique Christmas card. Attached to the card was a relic of Saint Maria Goretti....
The Virtue of Patriotism: Are We in the Arena?
I am in second grade. I breathe in the crisp, fall air and recite the Pledge of Allegiance with my classmates: "...one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice...
Favored by the Father
Last summer, I had an opportunity for renewal for three weeks away from mission. My time of retreat and renewal overlapped with one of my very first spiritual directors. In...
Saint Joan of Arc // Humble Maiden, Courageous Warrior
When my daughter was diagnosed with dyslexia in second grade, she was already fighting an uphill battle with reading. The way in which she was being taught at school was...
Saint Joseph the Worker + the Meaningful Mundane
Tolkien’s short but poignant work "Leaf by Niggle" offers fascinating insights into the intersection of our personal and professional lives. Niggle’s vocation involves painting leaves. But he battles against his...
