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A large, muscle-bound man walks into the bookstore, fresh from the gym. He looks a bit stunned. “I don’t even know what I’m doing here,” he says, shaking his head a little, in confusion. “Something just came over me and somehow I walked down here.” And he begins to sob, overwhelmed by the Holy Spirit. His story is one of many lives touched by God’s work through Newman’s Bookshoppe.

When most people join the Church, they remember the exact moment they decided to become Catholic. Arlea Swager’s “aha” moment can be attributed to St. Peter. “Jesus giving the keys to the kingdom to St. Peter — that was it for me.” “Yep, it all started with Peter,” she says.

YES! If you ask a certain generation of life-long Catholics, most should be able to tell you a quick definition of a sacrament. They would tell you something like, “a sacrament is a sacred sign, instituted by God, to give grace.” You might also hear someone say that a sacrament is “an outward sign of an inward reality.” Either way, we could say that the seven sacraments of the Church are the foundation of our faith. These sacraments are, of course: Baptism, Confirmation, the Eucharist, Penance, the Anointing of the Sick, Holy Orders and Matrimony. Ordinarily, these sacraments are conferred by a priest. Two of them, baptism and matrimony, may be conferred by a deacon

“Prudence is the mother of virtues which depends upon the practical wisdom gained by experience matched with an agile mind to make decisions in the here and now. Each time Joseph knew the will of God, he acted decisively, swiftly and accurately. He acted neither rashly nor timidly, but prudently.”*

We are all familiar with the term “unsung hero,” but throughout the last eleven months of this worldwide pandemic, that term has taken on new meaning. We admire all those working on “the front lines,” fulfilling essential services for our local communities, all the while helping the rest of us to stay safe. Among those “unsung heroes” are all those in the medical field — doctors, nurses, EMTs; public safety officials and all “first responders”; educators, parents, as well as our clergy and community/parish volunteers and so many more. As I think about the characteristics of those individuals, we almost can’t help but acknowledge that St. Joseph, foster father of Jesus, stands out as the primary example of an unsung hero, as he quietly, yet heroically, cared for the Holy Family.

This is the common exchange I have while reminiscing with friends or colleagues about high school and the topic eventually turns to prom — a milestone event I have never attended. In my day (a phrase that already dates me), it was not yet popular to attend prom in a group, sans date. In fact, it was unheard of at my co-ed, traditional Catholic high school. So I didn’t go, because, as I’ve answered hundreds of times to the kind incredulity of my friends, no one asked me. Despite the predictions of my teenage self, I sur-vived. And, if anything, the pang of missing out on what is often hyped as the quint-essential high school memory, has probably contributed in some way to my being both adventurous and comfortable doing things on my own.

You know that feeling when it’s just easier to do something than not do it?” For most of us, that probably means everything from completing a mundane chore to answering an email. For Theresa McFall, that was the simple explanation for why she volunteered her nursing skills at one of the nation’s COVID-19 hotspots, for the Congregation of Sisters of St. Felix of Cantalice Third Order Regular of St. Francis of Assisi (commonly known as the Felician Sisters).

As many families experience more together time, from distance learning or remote work or other life changes, now is an opportune time to revisit how you celebrate faith at home.

Black Catholic history in the United States dates back to the 1500s, when blacks were baptized at St. Augustine Church, Fla., America’s first Catholic parish. The National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus of the United States designated November as Black Catholic History Month in 1990. This is a time to recognize and celebrate the history and incredible heritage of Black Catholics. Black Catholic history has continued and thrived in the United States through the powerful and instrumental work of many Black men and women.

When Kevin and Jane Sutton heard a priest mention Catholic Charities’ food distribution ministry, they knew it was just the help they were seeking.

Stewardship. The word conjures immediate images. For some it’s synonymous with fundraising. For others the word’s meaning is rooted in the three “t’s”: time, talent and treasure. And for others, it’s careful attention to all the gifts entrusted to us. For Marci McCarthy stewardship is a way of life — one that can’t be explained by a single idea, sentence or pithy meme or quote.

As we walk with the parishes and each of you during this time of pandemic, we continue to offer various opportunities for your enrichment and growth in our Catholic faith. Below are some of the opportunities that are available at the diocesan level in coordination with the parishes.

Our diocesan offices have been hard at work to create safe and engaging ways for all to continue their faith formation and education.

In his third encyclical, Fratelli Tutti, On Fraternity and Social Friendship, Pope Francis focuses on many of the issues that serve to fracture our relationships with each other and with society. Released on the eve of the feast of St. Francis of Assisi, the eight-chapter papal document studies the effects of our social ills and proposes a pathway to human fraternity and social friendship.

THE CROWN REMAINS the most classic symbol of a king. And many kings of old believed in the adage, “The greater the king, the fancier the crown.” But of course, history has proven that correlation doesn’t hold up. The greatest king of all wore a crown made of simple woven thorns.

Q: With all this new technology the Church is using, why can’t I just receive my sacraments virtually? A: These tough days of battling the worldwide epidemic COVID-19 are slowly revealing more challenges than just those who are struggling to fight the disease. I suspect these days will be the subject of thousands of studies over the next 100 years until this current generation outlives those who battled the pandemic. And, God forbid, if the world ever faces a pandemic like this again, these days will be remembered and decisions will be based upon the successes and failures of how we faced the pandemic of the 2020’s.

When my husband Tony and I married, we were eager to serve one another to the point of self-sacrifice. In every detail, we made sure to be open to the needs and ideas of the other. Yet, there remained the area of disagreements or differences in points of view. We struggled with how to navigate our individual preferences without becoming controlling or uncaring. Longing to be a great spouse for the other, we worked each day at growing our relationship.

Fue por esta época el año pasado cuando nuestra Diócesis fue bendecida con el Congreso Eucarístico vibrante y extremadamente concurrido, que reunion a más de 1,000 personas de toda la Diócesis, que centró nuestra atención en el 2020 como nuestro “Año de la Eucaristía”.

It was just about this time last year when our diocese was so greatly blessed with the vibrant and extremely well-attended Eucharistic Congress, which brought together more than 1,000 people from across the diocese, which focused our attention on 2020 as our diocesan “Year of the Eucharist.”

Geez Mom, isn’t it time to retire that robe? That was the unsolicited wardrobe advice I was greeted with on a recent Saturday morning as I groggily poured my first cup of coffee. “This was G.G. Mae’s — I’m keeping it,” I said.