ST. LUKE: Evangelist, Artist, Physician…

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:58 pm By Kathy Schiffer

He’s a true “Renaissance Man.” Well, not really, since he lived before the Renaissance even occurred—but St. Luke, whose feast we celebrate on October 18, was certainly a man of many talents. Luke has been called the patron of artists, physicians, surgeons, students and butchers. Most importantly, Luke was an evangelist—one of the four writers of the Gospels, a historian who gave us, for example, the infancy narrative, sharing the story of Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem and his early childhood... Read more

Something Different: 2012 Christmas Stamp Depicts Flight Into Egypt

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:58 pm By Kathy Schiffer

So Joseph got up and took the Child and His mother while it was still night, and left for Egypt. He remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.” –Matthew 2:14 For fifty years, the U.S. Postal Service has issued a special stamp at Christmastime in recognition of the season. The traditional religious stamp has typically featured a medieval painting of Madonna and Child; but this year,... Read more

Cleveland Woman Issues Call for Vatican III

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:58 pm By Kathy Schiffer

Regina Brett is a New York Times best-selling author. She is host of “The Regina Brett Show” on WKSU 89.7 FM in Cleveland. She is a columnist for the Cleveland Plain Dealer. But lest you or she forget, let me point out one inconvenient fact: She is not God. Apparently, though, her local fame has gone to her head and has led her to believe that she may, in fact, have something to teach the Almighty. Because this week Regina... Read more

“PERFECT”: ESPN’s Dramatic Story of How Down Syndrome Daughter Won Her Father’s Heart

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:58 pm By Kathy Schiffer

“Have an abortion,” Heath White urged his wife. The couple already had one beautiful little girl, and they had just learned that their second child would be born with Down Syndrome. He was, by any measure, a success: an ace military pilot, a marathon runner, a respected businessman. Heath feared how having an “imperfect” child, a daughter with Down Syndrome, would reflect on him. His wife Jennifer, though, was firmly pro-life and refused to abort the child, even though she... Read more

Focus: HOPE—Fighting Racism, Poverty and Injustice in Detroit Since 1968

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:58 pm By Kathy Schiffer

Detroit was deeply divided in the 1960s. There was a chasm between white society, largely in the suburbs, and the black community which remained in the central city. The city’s segregated society got a shake-up on July 23, 1967, when white police vice squad officers executed a raid on an after-hours drinking club or “blind pig” in the predominantly black neighborhood located at Twelfth Street and Clairmount Avenue. Inside the illegal club, 82 people were celebrating the return of two... Read more

The Talents Given to You and Me

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:58 pm By Kathy Schiffer

The talents given to you and me We must develop faithfully, So we can be good Mouseketeers! Are you old enough to remember this–when Jimmie led the original Mouseketeers in a rip-roarin’ dancing, singing musical celebration of our God-Given Talent? Oh, the Mickey Mouse Club wasn’t a religious program, so it wasn’t really a prayer–but then again, it was. Someone gave those young gals and guys a whopping big dose of talent and personality, and the Mouseketeers–all of them, not... Read more

Women War Against War Against Women

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:58 pm By Kathy Schiffer

What is the real “War on Women”? Medical evidence contradicts the “war on women” claims made by those who support the HHS “preventive services” mandate. That is the claim made in an amicus brief filed on October 12, 2012, by the conservative women’s group Women Speak For Themselves against the HHS “Preventive Services” Mandate. The brief offers a “unique perspective and analysis,” according to a federal judge. WSFT attorney Dorinda Bordlee explained that the brief is the first of several... Read more

Reimagining Michelangelo’s Creation of Adam

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:58 pm By Kathy Schiffer

“Without having seen the Sistine Chapel one can form no appreciable idea of what one man is capable of achieving.” —Johann Wolfgang Goethe, 23 August 1787 I love the Sistine Chapel: that jewel of the Vatican, repository of some of the best art of the Renaissance: the dramatic frescoes on the life of Moses and the life of Christ, painted by Perugino, Botticelli, and Ghirlandaio; the papal portraits; the trompe l’oeil draperies which adorn the walls—all inspire and amaze. Since... Read more

Archbishop Kurtz Thanks the Holy Father for The Blessing of the Unborn Child

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:58 pm By Kathy Schiffer

On October 9 in Rome, Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, archbishop of Louisville, thanked the Holy Father personally for the Vatican’s recent approval of a new blessing for the child in the womb. News reports from Catholic News Agency quote Archbishop Kurtz’ statement to the Synod of Bishops, currently underway in the Vatican: “Warmly extending the love of Christ to families as they prepare for the birth of their child, this sacred gesture is both a positive and hope-filled way to... Read more

Teresa of Avila: Patron of Catholic Writers and Headache Sufferers!

Last updated on: September 30, 2016 at 3:58 pm By Kathy Schiffer

A Saint I Can Relate To! St. Teresa of Avila was born 500 years ago today, on March 28, 1515. She was a mystic, writer, reformer, and the founder of the Discalced Carmelites. Her feast day is celebrated on October 15, the anniversary of her death. In 1970, she was one of the first women to be named a Doctor of the Church. In 1577 St. Teresa’s guide for spiritual development, The Interior Castle (in Spanish, El Castillo Interior) was... Read more

Who found a wife for Isaac?