Repurposing Vacant Church Properties

Last updated on: April 4, 2022 at 6:53 pm By Lois Kerschen

An article by Peter Jesserer Smith that appeared in the National Catholic Register last month described a terrific idea that I want to promote: repurposing Church-related buildings. https://www.ncregister.com/features/turning-empty-convents-into-evangelizing-young-adult-residences-st-elizabeth-house-models-how Smith’s article focused on the establishment of two residences for young-adult Catholics in vacant convents in Santa Barbara, California. Deacon Chris Sandner looked at the many vacant residences originally built for thousands of priests and religious long ago. According to Smith, Sandler “realized the Church had an opportunity” to turn those rooms... Read more

An Image of Modesty

Last updated on: March 30, 2022 at 6:05 pm By Lois Kerschen

“Image is everything” we are told by communication experts, and this maxim is largely true. The image you project is what others think is the real you. As Catholics, we need to be aware of our image in a number of ways, including physical modesty. There is modesty that counters pride and modesty that is defined by Wikipedia as “a mode of dress and deportment which intends to avoid the encouraging of sexual attraction in others.” Yet our culture prioritizes... Read more

Catholics on Vacation

Last updated on: March 25, 2022 at 10:53 pm By Lois Kerschen

My husband and I have been on vacation in Central Virginia these past two weeks, so the blog has been quiet while I soaked up a lot of history and a dollop of religion too. We visited the homes of three of our founding Presidents: Thomas Jefferson, James Madison and James Monroe. Did you know that Jefferson and Monroe were actual neighbors and that Madison lived only 25 miles away? https://www.monticello.org/ https://www.montpelier.org/ https://highland.org/ A tour of Monticello includes seeing Jefferson’s... Read more

Winning with Prayer

Last updated on: March 12, 2022 at 9:13 pm By Lois Kerschen

Most Catholics have heard the title “Our Lady of Victory” applied to the Blessed Mother. However, probably few know the story behind this name, yet it involves an important event in history: the Battle of Lepanto on October 7, 1571. From 1299-1923, the Ottoman Empire ruled over much of Southeastern Europe, Western Asia, and Northern Africa. In the 16th century, the Ottoman Turks controlled commerce in the Mediterranean Sea and regularly raided the coast of Italy. When this Muslim dynasty... Read more

Lenten Adjustments: Sacrifices and Benefits

Last updated on: March 7, 2022 at 8:54 pm By Lois Kerschen

Lent has begun. We’ve observed Ash Wednesday and the first Sunday of Lent with six more Sundays and most of the 40 weekdays to go until Easter. That means six more meatless Fridays to go. Once again, however, I am hearing my senior citizen friends say, “Not me! I’m exempt.” No, you are not. The Church’s rule is that seniors do not have to fast on Ash Wednesday or Good Friday, but they do have to abstain on Fridays throughout... Read more

Suicide Prevention through Faith

Last updated on: March 3, 2022 at 10:02 pm By Lois Kerschen

The suicide rate in America is so alarming that it often makes headline news. We all need to be concerned about halting this self-destructive trend. How? By using the preventive tools we have as Catholics living the faith. A discussion of suicide needs to include both risk factors and protective factors. The risk factors include despair, stress, depression, mental illness, and others. A complete list can be found on the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention’s website at https://afsp.org/ These risk... Read more

Science and God: An Inseparable Relationship

Last updated on: February 28, 2022 at 10:11 pm By Lois Kerschen

It is commonly believed that more intelligent, better-educated people are less religious. However, statistics don’t necessarily verify that notion, and great intellects throughout the ages have been people of faith. Surveys of American adults concerning religion reveal some odd results. While people with college or graduate degrees tend to be less religious in terms of believing in God, praying, and finding religion to be important to them, at the same time, people with higher education attend religious services as often... Read more

Men at Mass: A Disturbing Absence

Last updated on: February 25, 2022 at 5:09 pm By Lois Kerschen

It doesn’t take any great powers of observation to notice that there are many more women than men in church on any given Sunday. Why is that? If we want more Catholic men at Mass, what can we do? How important is it for men to attend church? There are a number of possible answers to the “Why” question. Machoism plays a role—church is only for boys and old men; grown men are too self-reliant for church. Also, today’s secular... Read more

The Development of Doctrine: Incremental Understanding

Last updated on: February 22, 2022 at 10:40 pm By Lois Kerschen

Why do people join a Bible study? Obviously, to learn more about the teachings of the Bible! Why do theologians continuously study the Bible? Same answer: to learn more about the teachings of the Bible! Gee, after nearly 2000 years of New Testament study, and several hundred years of Old Testament study before that (which continues today), haven’t we just about exhausted all there is to learn? In a word: No! That’s not only because we can never fully understand... Read more

Palliative Care: The Way to Die

Last updated on: February 19, 2022 at 7:51 pm By Lois Kerschen

Legislatures around the world are increasingly passing bills that allow for euthanasia and assisted suicide. This is a trend that Catholics must resist, and we can do so by educating ourselves and others about palliative care. Allow me to recommend an excellent book on this subject: That Good Night: Life and Medicine in the Eleventh Hour, written by Dr. Sunita Puri (2019). This book is not technical or academic. It is biographical, easy-to-read and a fascinating meditation on Dr. Puri’s... Read more