Chiara Corbella Petrillo was a young Italian woman who died in 2012. Now her remarkable life is being considered for sainthood. Chiara lived only 28 years. Yet in her short life she showed heroic virtue. At age 18 she met her husband Enrico Petrillo on a pilgrimage to Medugorje. They married in 2008. The young couple shared many challenges, including the death of two children, who each died only 30 minutes after birth. Chiara and Enrico had three other children. During... Read more
It’s increasingly common these days for pregnant moms to be pressured to have genetic tests on their unborn baby. Ironically, the amniocentesis test carries a 1% risk of miscarriage, that is, from the test itself. Knowing this, quite a few mothers opt out of it. Many others go along with the testing, sometimes encouraged by their own doctor. Some have labeled the amniocentesis a “search and destroy mission.” When actress Lynn Fergusson (especially known for voicing Mac in Chicken Run) became pregnant... Read more
A few days ago I received a Christmas card with the phrase, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” Highlighted apart from the rest of the song, “O little town of Bethlehem,” this single line struck me like never before. The song was written in 1868 by Phillips Brooks, a rector of Philadelphia, after a trip to the Holy Land and seeing the nighttime Bethlehem from the hills of Palestine. When he returned he had his church organist, Lewis... Read more
This past year with my first grade CCD class was pure joy. Their curiosity about faith is so great, and their reactions and observations to Bible stories, learning about the Sacraments, the Mass, saints or prayers they’re learning for the first time can be quite entertaining! We were reading the story of the Lost Sheep. Andrew, who never raises his hand, calls out, “The guy stood there counting 99 sheep?? That’s a little weird!” I got a good laugh out of... Read more
A shocking number of young people are giving in to a spirit of suicide, leaving devastated family and friends. Concerned parents want to know how they can best protect their young adults from feelings of despair and hopelessness that can sometimes lead to the taking of their own life. The compelling new book, Spiritual Secrets of Suicide, is a powerful addition to the national discussion on depression, anxiety, and suicide. There seems to be a rising tide of spirits of depression... Read more
Teen Vogue could not be worse for the teen girls it targets. While they have ceased its print publication, they’re still running fast and furious with their sleazy website, teenvogue.com. No matter how many complaints, Teen Vogue keeps pushing dangerous sex advice and guides that are not only wrong for teens, they’re bad for anyone, and actually put their health at risk. Over the summer Teen Vogue came out with a “Guide to Anal Sex” for its young readers, which brought... Read more
J.J. Hanson was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer three years ago, and told he probably had about four months of life on this earth left. Many today in his position are sadly opting to hasten their death through assisted suicide. “The surgeon said my cancer was inoperable and three different doctors told me there was nothing they could do,” Hanson said. He was diagnosed with glioblastoma, the same type of brain cancer that led Brittany Maynard to choose to end... Read more
A belief in karma seems to be on the upswing. The karma concept stems from an eastern mentality, specifically Buddhist, that says we all get what we deserve. Kind of a , “what goes around, comes around” view. But the Holy Spirit has been with us all along and is much more real than any sense of ‘karma.’ Part of this karma kind of thinking isn’t a bad thing. Believing we are responsible for our own actions is something many... Read more
Fr. Cattany blesses an attendee of the annual Father Woody Christmas cash giveaway, Dec. 14, 2017. Denver’s Basilica of the Immaculate Conception Cathedral just welcomed any homeless person for its annual cash giveaway. Pastor Fr. Ron Cattany calls it “the greatest day of the year” for the parish. During the annual event started by Fr. Woody in 1991, the cathedral hosts a prayer service and gives $20 – two $10 bills – to all of the poor... Read more
We’re all rushing around like wild banshies (whatever they are) now, ordering, shopping, wrapping, sending, going, inviting, partying. But our Christmas list has to include Jesus – the reason for the season. With the decorating, traffic, relatives, expense, and maybe some stressful travel thrown it, it can feel more like an obligation than a celebration. And it’s the biggest and best reason of any to celebrate….not just a birthday, a wedding, a graduation, an anniversary, but the birth of Christ.... Read more
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