I was recently looking through a book written by The Christophers’ founder, Maryknoll Father James Keller, in 1958, and came across this prayer for doctors that he wrote. It’s timeless and embodies the spirit of godly service that should define the life of a physician. If you’re a doctor yourself or know one, please pass along Father Keller’s prayer to them: “Thank you, O Lord, for the privilege of being a doctor; for letting me serve as Your instrument in... Read more
Patricia Heaton just shared this Buzzfeed video on Twitter. It was posted by husband and new father Danny Pier, who recorded video of one second of every day of his wife’s pregnancy. It’s a sweet look at the extraordinary ordinary moments that make up our lives – or as Pam (Jenna Fischer) said in “The Office” series finale, “There’s a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn’t that kind of the point?” Read more
When suicidal gunman Michael Jordan Hill entered Decatur, Georgia’s, Ronald E. McNair Discovery Learning Academy, everyone feared it would be another Sandy Hook. The gunman never made it past the front office, though, where he held school bookkeeper Antoinette Tuff (whose last name seems especially appropriate now) hostage. While 800 pre-kindergarten through fifth grade students managed to be evacuated, Tuff kept the mentally unstable Hill talking, encouraging him to stay with her rather than go outside where she knew he... Read more
Yesterday, the news surfaced that Father Patrick Dowling of Jefferson County, MO was the mystery priest who ministered to Katie Lentz following her car crash. Today, ABC News shares an interview with the compassionate and humble priest who reveals he met with Katie over the weekend. He also directs people’s attention toward God by saying, “Let’s remember that it’s Almighty God who loves that little girl so much.” Unfortunately your browser does not support IFrames. Breaking News | Celebrity News... Read more
UPDATE: Video: Father Dowling Speaks to ABC News About Ministering to Crash Victim Katie Lentz Remember the old TV show The Father Dowling Mysteries. Well, it seems that a different Father Dowling – Father Patrick Dowling from the Diocese of Jefferson County, MO – was at the heart of a recent mystery that captivated the nation: the one about the priest who assisted car crash victim Katie Lentz in Missouri. Many people thought he was an angel or a saint.... Read more
Singer-songwriter Audrey Assad’s first indie album, “Fortunate Fall,” releases on Tuesday August 13, and as one of the project’s many Kickstarter backers, I received an early download last week. Though the lyrics include Audrey’s usual theological depth, the album differs somewhat from her past work in that the songs are specifically designed for church purposes: Mass, praise and worship, Eucharistic adoration, liturgy of the hours, and personal devotion. As I was listening to the album in preparation for an upcoming... Read more
When he was a young scientist, Walter White and his lab partner Gretchen analyzed the chemical composition of the human body, coming up with various percentages of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, nitrogen, and more. All the elements added up to 99 percent. “Doesn’t it seem like something’s missing?” asked Walter, wondering if that’s all there is to a human being. “What about the soul?” responded Gretchen. “The soul?” Walter said. “There’s nothing but chemistry here.” That’s an exchange from a flashback... Read more
While reading the latest issue of my St. John’s University Alumni magazine, one story jumped out at me. It was about 2010 graduate Joan Renee Cloutier shaving her head to support the St. Baldrick’s Foundation, which raises money for childhood cancer research. The reason that struck me is because many young women spend time making their hair look beautiful, but Joan Renee did something beautiful by cutting all her hair off. It was a compassionate gesture by an impressive young... Read more
The following is a story from The Christophers’ “Three Minutes a Day” book, Volume 47 (Volume 48 will be available in October): Frederick the Great of Prussia was walking along a road on the outskirts of Berlin one day when he accidentally brushed against a very old man. “Who are you?” Frederick asked out of idle curiosity as the two came to a halt. “I am a king,” the old man answered. “A king?” echoed Frederick. “Over what kingdom do... Read more
The following column was written by The Christophers’ Jerry Costello: Here’s something you can do for your parish priest: congratulate him on his feast day. It’s coming up soon; August 4, to be exact. It’s actually the feast day of St. John Vianney, but since he’s the patron saint of the thousands of parish priests all over the world, in a real way it’s a special day for each and every one of them. The day falls this year on... Read more
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