Our Lady of Sorrows–A Celebration of Resilience

September 15, 2015 By Rachael Popcak and Dr. Gregory Popcak

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, the day we reflect on the “seven daggers” that pierced Our Lady’s heart. Namely, The Prophecy of Simeon. (Luke 2:34–35) or the Circumcision of Christ The Flight into Egypt. (Matthew 2:13) The loss of the child Jesus in the Temple. (Luke 2:43–45) Mary meets Jesus on the way to Calvary. Jesus dies on the cross. (John 19:25) The piercing of the side of Jesus, and Mary’s receiving the body of Jesus in her arms. (Matthew 27:57–59) The body of Jesus... Read more

World Meeting of Families: So What? Who Cares? What’s In It for Me?

September 10, 2015 By Rachael Popcak and Dr. Gregory Popcak

The World Meeting of Families (WMOF) is an international event occurring every three years since it’s inauguration in 1994. Convened by the Pontifical Council for the Family which was founded by St. John Paul II in 1984 to promote family well-being around the world, the World Meeting has been hosted by Rome in 1994, Rio de Janeiro in 1997, Rome again in 2000, Manila in 2003, Valencia, Spain in 2006, Mexico City in 2009 and Milan in 2012. The... Read more

Spiritual Autism & the Catholic-Evangelical Divide—AMENDED with APOLOGY

September 10, 2015 By Rachael Popcak and Dr. Gregory Popcak

AUTHOR NOTE: In an attempt to address a serious problem I feel impacts the Church, I attempted to use autism as a metaphor. I made a sincere effort to do so sensitively, based upon my understanding of the disorder. Since then, it has come to my attention that many people have been offended by my characterization of autism and my use of it in this context. It was never my intention to offend any parent of a child with autism... Read more

World Meeting of Families Speakers Assert, “Family Life is an Activity, NOT an Accessory”

September 3, 2015 By Rachael Popcak and Dr. Gregory Popcak

“We need to rediscover the gift of family life; that family life is its own activity, not an accessory. We can’t simply “have” a family but work on everything else in our lives. Instead, we need to prioritize regular, daily and weekly appointments to work, play, talk, and pray together as a family, and schedule every other outside commitment around those rituals of connection that represent the skeleton of family life. We need to protect those rituals of connection... Read more

Spiritual Infidelity: A Crisis in Catholic Marriage

September 3, 2015 By Rachael Popcak and Dr. Gregory Popcak

New study says 83% of Catholic couples are committing ‘spiritual infidelity’. Are YOU in a spiritual ‘open marriage’? Over the last several weeks, infidelity has been a top story in the news after hackers released the records of 35 million users of a popular adultery website. According to the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy, approximately 20 percent of husbands and wives will commit sexual infidelity and another 20 percent will fall prey to an emotional affair, in which they develop... Read more

“Christians Need Not Apply.” What Carly Fiorina Gets Wrong About Religious Liberty.

September 1, 2015 By Rachael Popcak and Dr. Gregory Popcak

Republican Presidential hopeful, Carly Fiorina, was asked what she thought of the Kentucky Clerk of Courts who refuses to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples in defiance of the law and a court order. Here is what she said. “First, I think that we must protect religious liberties with great passion and be willing to expend a lot of political capital to do so now because it’s clear religious liberty is under assault in many, many ways,” she said. “Having said... Read more

Dr. Janet Smith Shows Real “COURAGE”

August 26, 2015 By Rachael Popcak and Dr. Gregory Popcak

Earlier this month, there was a tremendous conference put together by moral theologian Janet Smith and Courage (a faithful Catholic org supporting people living with same-sex attraction) called Love One Another As I Have Loved You: Welcoming and Accompanying Our Brothers and Sisters with Same Sex Attraction. The conference has generated a fair amount of public comment, and some of it has been quite critical (see here and especially here). Dr. Janet Smith has been ably and charitably responding to these comments,... Read more

“Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome”–An Autopsy on the Death of Religious Faith

August 25, 2015 By Rachael Popcak and Dr. Gregory Popcak

Reba Riley’s memoir, Post-Traumatic Church Syndrome: A Memoir of Humor and Healing describes her loss of religious faith in her early 20’s and her subsequent attempt to assemble a meaningful spiritual life for herself. I was struck by her interview with the Religion News Service because at the time I read it, I had just finished writing my paper for the journal to be published at the conclusion of the World Meeting of Families at which my wife and I... Read more

You CAN Raise Faithful Kids: Discover the SCIENCE of Passing on the FAITH!

August 20, 2015 By Rachael Popcak and Dr. Gregory Popcak

A review of Discovering God Together: The Catholic Guide to Raising Faithful Kids Dr. Greg and Lisa Popcak’s new book, Discovering God Together: The Catholic Guide to Raising Faithful Kids will make you feel like it’s possible to guide your kids to heaven. The Popcaks begin their book with the question, “How do we share our faith in a way that will make sense to our kids and stick with them for a lifetime?” The rest of the book... Read more

Learning Love from My Cross: Men, Emotions, and Healing.

August 20, 2015 By Rachael Popcak and Dr. Gregory Popcak

A Catholic Exchange article by my colleague, Pastoral Solutions Institute clinical pastoral counseling associate, Dave McClow, M.Div, LMFT. Every man is wounded or experiences suffering. Because we are created for a communion of persons, suffering and mental illness seem like they are always a failure of being loved, or giving love, or both. Most suffering is from disruptions in this communion of persons either with God or on the human plane. The separation might be physical like death, spiritual as... Read more