Sometimes the news is so painful, you just don’t want to know. A few days ago, I wrote about tiny Melinda Star Guido who, at four months old, is finally healthy enough to go home for the holidays. Melinda weighed only 9 ½ ounces at birth, and doctors really didn’t expect her to survive. She was a fighter, though, and after successful treatment for an eye condition and surgery to repair an artery, Melinda faces a bright future. But today... Read more
Alas, 2011 has been the year of “Happy Holidays.” In my circle of family and friends, people still invoke the Lord’s blessing as they sit down to eat, still say “God bless you” when someone sneezes. It’s almost possible, barricaded in the dining room with the people I love the most, to forget that outside my door, it’s a different story—that for many, the season that reaches its zenith on December 25 is about rank commercialism, and not at all... Read more
It was only fitting. Last week Pope Benedict XVI got to light that great Christmas tree, the “world’s largest” tree, on the Italian hillside…. So it was good that an excited little boy got to press the button to light the towering 82-foot Ukrainian spruce that marks the 2011 Christmas season at the Vatican. And what a celebration it was—especially for the people of Ukraine, who had given this great 60-year-old tree to the Holy Father. They crowded into St. Peter’s... Read more
Four-month-old Melinda Star Guido is going home! When she was born in late August, baby Melinda weighed only 9½ ounces and was, according to the Associated Press, the third-smallest baby in the world. Most infants her size don’t survive; in fact, doctors didn’t really expect her to live. But Melinda received excellent care in the NICU at the Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, where she received nutrition through a feeding tube and was hooked up to a breathing machine. Melinda’s... Read more
Chances are you’ve never even heard of Whiteville, Tennessee. As of the 2000 Census the town, in the west side of the state in rural Hardeman County, had a population of only 3,148, living in an area of 2.4 square miles. The median income for a family was only $28,603. But what Whitehall does have is faith. That’s why, several years ago, the residents of the town raised funds to erect a large cross atop the town’s water tower. But... Read more
It seems everyone has a good “Cardinal Foley” story to tell. The man was just so nice, so gracious, so friendly, we all thought he belonged especially to us. During my years as conference director for Legatus, I called upon him often. He concelebrated Mass at our annual conference in Florida, and later he welcomed us to his offices at the Pontifical Council for Social Communications in Rome. There, he spoke with great energy about the role of the Church... Read more
Well, now this is a first! After I talked about baking Treasure Chest Bars a few days ago, several people asked for the recipe. This is a Schiffer family favorite from Christmases past. Just remember: The real Treasures are those dear children, wide-eyed on Christmas morning. Merry Christmas, everyone! TREASURE CHEST BARS Cream: ½ cup butter ½ cup brown sugar ½ cup sugar Blend in: 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla Beat until fluffy. Combine and add: 2 cups flour 1... Read more
Ain’t that the truth?! Was Orson Welles thinking about eternity when he scooped up the Academy Award for his blockbuster hit film “Citizen Kane”? Probably not—just as you and I are not usually thinking about eternity when we acquire a bigger home, the newest electronic gadget, another item for our collection of DVDs, athletic jerseys, or teacups. Welles was a young man of 25 in 1941 when he wrote, directed and starred in the film which was voted “best film of... Read more
“I’m bored.” “I have so much to do at home.” “It’s the only day of the week that I really get to sleep in.” Have you used any of these excuses for missing Mass on Sunday morning? Check out this video trailer featuring Fr. John Riccardo, pastor of Our Lady of Good Counsel parish in Plymouth, Michigan. Then tell me again…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MOyDjizb1s Father Riccardo will be the keynote speaker on May 10, 2012, at the Mother and Unborn Baby... Read more
What did Jesus really look like? Since there was no Kodak Easy-Share to be found in all of Galilee, we can only speculate whether Jesus looked more like Jim Caviezel (The Passion of the Christ) or like Willem Dafoe (The Last Temptation of Christ). In December 2002, the magazine Popular Mechanics featured a cover story titled “The Real Face of Jesus.” Based on information gleaned from forensic anthropologists, author Mike Fitton concluded that Jesus stood only 5’1” tall, and he... Read more
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