Though she achieved success as an actress, including as a co-star with Elvis Presley, Dolores Hart left Hollywood to become a Benedictine nun at the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem, Connecticut, in 1962.  She had followed her spiritual calling, but it wasn’t until many years later that a debilitating disease took her relationship with God to a deeper level. In 1997, Mother Dolores was left wheelchair bound due to a mysterious illness that went undiagnosed for some time.  Finally,... Read more

On her first mission trip, to Guyana in South America, Jo Yerrick remembers fitting villagers—mostly children—with eyeglasses. “We had one little girl whose eyesight was so bad she couldn’t attend school,” Yerrick said. Finding a pair to fit her prescription in the box of 2,000 donated eyeglasses took a while.  But when Yerrick found the right pair and put them on the child, it opened her up to a whole new world in which she can now see better and... Read more

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen once wrote the following about the importance of being a person of character: “Faithfulness in great things is not uncommon; faithfulness in little things is rare but most indicative of character.  Almost any husband would leap into the sea or rush into a burning building to rescue his wife.  But to anticipate the convenience or happiness of the wife in some small matter, the neglect of which would go unnoticed, is a more eloquent proof of... Read more

Twenty-seven-year-old Jamie Feretic of Queens, New York, decided to make a difference for the disabled in a somewhat unique way.  She is raising and training a Labrador Retriever puppy named Cowboy to potentially be a therapy dog for the charity Canine Companions for Independence (CCI). As reported in the Daily News, CCI provides dogs free-of-charge to “people who suffer from physical and mental disabilities.”  Volunteers like Feretic take in eight-week-old puppies, absorb the cost of caring for them for 18... Read more

Some sports writers dismiss professional athletes’ expressions of their religious faith, but Bob Raissman of the Daily News says he knows real spirituality when he sees it. “Forgive this mere mortal for passing judgment on such matters, but [Mariano] Rivera’s spirituality is sincere. His faith has carried him to this point and will take him even further,” Raissman writes. He notes that one reporter asked the New York Yankees’ pitcher how he’d remained so “dominant and durable” for so long.... Read more

One day when Thomas Aquinas was preaching to the local populace in Italy, the future saint saw an old woman listening attentively to his every word. Inspired by her eagerness to learn more about the God she loved so dearly, he said to the people, “It is better to be this unlearned woman, loving God with all her heart, than the most learned theologian lacking love.” A great theologian himself, Aquinas knew that our main avenue of approach to God... Read more

Ellen headed to work on a Friday morning. Her mind should have been filled with happier thoughts of the weekend ahead with family and friends. Instead, the looming problems of her job seemed to block out the sunshine of the beautiful spring day. While her thoughts were focused on possible solutions, she caught sight of a young boy walking with his mother on his way to school.  Dressed as a knight, complete with sword and shield, the child marched down... Read more

Face it—it’s a digital world.  Whether for work or connecting with friends and family, we’re wrapped up in the internet with social media, e-mail and chat messengers. Wireless technology keeps us connected even when we’re on the go. One online blogger tried taking a break from all these connections and found her offline time comprised her most productive work hours. Here are some of her suggestions to arrange your digital downtime: ▪ Know exactly what you want to do online. ... Read more

Pat Smith of Owatonna, Minnesota, is the father of 11-year-old identical twin boys Nate and Nick. As reported by ABC News, Nate wowed hockey fans during a celebrity fundraiser by “hitting a puck through a hole in a board 89 feet away” during a charity event. The prize was $50,000. The problem, however, was that Nate was ineligible for the jackpot because the raffle ticket permitting the hockey shot was written in Nick’s name.  If they hadn’t revealed the deception,... Read more

What traits will help you get a job or get ahead in a job you already have?  Kaitlin Madden, writing on CareerBuilder.com, notes that human resources managers prize emotional intelligence even more than one’s IQ “because employees with high emotional intelligence are more likely to stay calm under pressure, solve conflict effectively and show empathy to their team members.” Depending on circumstances, some workers believe it is next to impossible or even unrealistic to stay calm and not whine when... Read more