The summer of 1985 were the transition months of my life from 7th to 8th grade. It was another summer of fun in my middle school years. It was a time to hang out with my friends, go to the summer program at the Wenham playground filled with activities and games, shoot down waterslides, go to Canobie Lake Park with the other altar boys and go to the movies. 10 summers previous the summer blockbuster movie season had begun with... Read more
Truth expressed harshly is not truth but a mere spattering of facts. Facts that don’t penetrate the head or the heart. Truth is meant to be taken into a person’s soul and in order for it to be effectively transmitted in must be expressed charitably and in clarity. It will then most likely express truths twin sister Beauty. Beauty will illuminate truth to the point that both Truth and Beauty together will produce goodness. Truth, Beauty and Goodness will help... Read more
In honor of the Sacred Heart, here is a selection from the Public Domain work The Heart of the Gospel and The Heart of Revelation by Father Francis Patrick Donnelly, SJ, (1911/1917) What Devotion Really Is In discussing devotion to the Sacred Heart there is especial need of remembering what devotion really is and how it may exist without great feeling or many devotional practices. The devotions of the Church have all enriched her emotional language, but none perhaps more so than... Read more
Muslims, Jews and Christians may not agree on who God is or how to govern countries, but they can agree that a good story well told is worth listening to. With all the strife, turmoil and unpleasantness permeating the news, its good to step back and escape to another world to experience a good well told story. Cinema provides that escape. And the movies of the early 80’s are great examples of that kind of escape. The movies that Gen-xers’s ... Read more
We all have stress in our lives. The news of the world can come crashing in on us and weigh our brains down with anxiety and woe. Sometimes people feel the need to get away and escape into another world. TV is all fun and good but sometimes you just want to leave the house and sit in a darkened room with complete strangers and watch a big screen spectacle while eating popcorn, Reeces Pieces and drinking a Coke. Movies... Read more
Dreams are weird. They never make sense. Not usually. But sometimes they do. I think I figured out where one of my more interesting dreams came from. Several months back I woke up from a dream wondering ‘Why Did I Dream About That?” In the dream I was in Galveston Texas with my wife. Kristin and I were in a gift shop and I picked out a sweatshirt for $35.00. We went walking around town and I asked her, “do... Read more
I’m Catholic and the pope is the leader of the Catholic Church. I’m an American and the president is the leader of our nation. Back in the 19th century the reigning pontiff and the reigning president had this to say about the unity of the church and the unity of the nation. June 16, 1846 – The Papal conclave of 1846 elects Pope Pius IX, beginning the longest reign in the history of the papacy. Inter Multiplices Pleading for Unity of Spirit Pope BI.... Read more
June 12, 2025 is a combination of a day honoring fathers for Fathers day and the Holy Trinity for Trinity Sunday. June 12 is also the anniversary honoring another group of people namely the boy scouts. In the midst of the fierce battle raging in Europe during World War 1, on June 15, 1916 United States President Woodrow Wilson signs a bill incorporating the Boy Scouts of America, making them the only American youth organization with a federal charter. In the Boy... Read more
There are so many Catholics writing so many things that it is hard to keep up, let alone catch up with everything from everybody writing, podcasting and youtubing. Well here is a sampling of some of the various content from a variety of different Catholics writing right now I found interesting and worth sharing. You will find Catholics considered liberal, conservative and everyone in between. The overall purpose of this post is to share what writing I believe shows the... Read more
In this essay I will talk about G.K. Chesterton and Cheese, the Pulitzer Prize, Lincoln, Bruce Springsteen and America, The latest General Audience from Pope Leo, Talk about new saints, Classic 19th Century Literature the Y.MC.A. and a tip about writing. “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” ― Ferris Bueller National Cheese Day When I was working at the nursing home yesterday, I gasped when I saw what... Read more
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