Catholic Identity versus a Secularized Environment

Last updated on: February 9, 2022 at 8:59 pm By Lois Kerschen

A headline in the Angelus News on September 23, 2021 read: “Pope Francis to bishops: The saints spread the Gospel, not a ‘social program.’” The saints, the pope said, “lived the Gospel, without worrying about relevance or politics. . .. They did not have a ‘social program,’ but the Gospel alone.’” https://angelusnews.com/news/vatican/pope-francis-to-bishops-the-saints-spread-the-gospel-not-a-social-program/ These remarks were made in connection with the concern over the secularization of society. Every Catholic and Christian publication has noted that the newest generation is the most... Read more

Perinatal Hospice, Loving Compassion for Parents and Baby

Last updated on: February 9, 2022 at 8:54 pm By Lois Kerschen

Perinatal Hospice is a wonderful, compassionate practice that is not well-known. Consequently, from my place in the pew, I wanted to pass along information to other Catholics about this beautiful service. Although it is not Catholic in origin, Perinatal Hospice (or Palliative Care) matches Catholic teaching concerning life issues and has been embraced by Catholic leaders. The Church agrees with science that life begins at fertilization. Therefore, we must respect and care for life within the womb. If all goes... Read more

Saint or Sinner? Don’t Assume You Know!

Last updated on: February 9, 2022 at 8:45 pm By Lois Kerschen

My husband and I learned a mortifying lesson about misjudging others when we mistook our saintly neighbor for a sinner. Newly moved to Houston, we learned that our next-door neighbor, Mr. G, was a retired widower (his wife had died a couple of years before). We observed that his son would come over to visit regularly, often working on cars with his dad. Sadly, in our neighborhood, people didn’t make much effort to get acquainted, a big city coldness that... Read more

If Patience Is an Excuse for Inaction, It Is Not a Virtue

Last updated on: March 10, 2022 at 8:39 pm By Lois Kerschen

The September 13, 2021 Angelus News, the official publication of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles, featured a story with the headline “It’s time to start telling the truth about St. Junípero Serra.” The word “start” really raised my hackles. For years there has been vicious misinformation spread about St. Junípero Serra, the founder of the California mission system; some even say, “the founder of California.” Six years of misinformed protest In 2015, there were calls to remove the statue of... Read more

Famous Churches Still Serve Their Communities

Last updated on: February 9, 2022 at 8:29 pm By Lois Kerschen

My husband and I travel whenever we can. As a consequence, we have visited a great many Catholic churches, either for Sunday Mass, to visit a shrine or to revel in the beauty of a magnificent structure. This column will discuss some of our adventures from time to time – so stay tuned! I’ll start with the Mission Basilica in San Juan Capistrano, California, completed in 1986 and designated a basilica in 2000 and a national shrine in 2003. Although... Read more

In Times of Trouble, Seek God

Last updated on: February 9, 2022 at 8:27 pm By Lois Kerschen

As the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks comes upon us, we are probably all remembering the events of the day and its aftermath. My personal connections included a daughter in New York City and a niece and brother-in-law who both worked for the Pentagon but were, fortunately, not on site that day. My niece’s office was being remodeled, so she was in temporary quarters in another location. If not for that, the results of that day might have... Read more

Observing Meatless Fridays

Last updated on: February 9, 2022 at 8:14 pm By Lois Kerschen

Did you know that Catholics are still supposed to observe meatless Fridays? What? Didn’t that practice end in the 1960s? Nope, not exactly. It’s seems the rule change was not issued with clarity. Either that, or people heard what they wanted to hear, and the Church was not able to get the misinformation corrected. According to Canon Law (#1250-52) Catholics (who are able) are still expected to fast and abstain from meat on Fridays. However, in 1966, the United States... Read more

What’s in Your Catholic Home?

Last updated on: February 9, 2022 at 8:06 pm By Lois Kerschen

Does your home look Catholic? Do you behave like a Catholic? Is your home populated with Catholic reading materials and articles of faith? If not, how do you feed your faith? How do you expect your children to absorb Catholicism and make it their own? This latter question is related to a commonly understood problem in the teaching of reading. Children of poverty often don’t learn to read easily because they have no exposure to or expectations about reading at... Read more

If God is All Good, Why Is He Blamed for the Bad?

Last updated on: February 9, 2022 at 8:12 pm By Lois Kerschen

God is good. All the time. God is never bad. Ever. Such a simple concept, isn’t it? If God is All Good, then God can never do anything bad. God will never be part of anything bad. Nonetheless, when people are looking for someone to blame for their troubles, they get angry at God. Let me deal with this anger part first. Okay, on one side is the Almighty, All-Powerful God. On the other side is little ol’ you. Arguing... Read more