A Different Education: Sisters and Seekers

Last updated on: January 17, 2022 at 8:06 pm By Lois Kerschen

From first grade through college, I was fortunate enough to go to Catholic schools. Besides receiving an excellent education, I was exposed to the spirituality and the community life of the nuns, elements that are particularly attractive in these times. In elementary school, I had Franciscans; in high school, Benedictines; in college, Immaculate Heart of Mary sisters. The Benedictines of Fort Smith, Arkansas, and the IHMs of Monroe, Michigan, both communicate regularly through various publications. Nuns & Nones, Sisters &... Read more

Guilt Is Good. Confession Is Better.

Last updated on: January 14, 2022 at 6:08 pm By Lois Kerschen

There is a well-known saying: Confession is good for the soul. What does that mean? How does that apply to the Sacrament of Confession in the Catholic Church? The meaning of this saying is that people will feel better about themselves if they confess to whatever is nagging them with guilt. Get it off your chest! Rejecting Guilt Leads to More Suffering However, guilt is definitely “out” in our current society. Guilt feels bad, but our cultural obsession is to... Read more

Every Catholic Parish Should Be a Pro-Life Resource

Last updated on: January 11, 2022 at 9:50 pm By Lois Kerschen

Every Catholic parish should be a resource for women with unplanned pregnancies. If we are committed to the sanctity of life, then we have to be active in caring for mothers and babies in need. Every diocese has a Respect Life office, and most parishes have a pro-life committee of some sort. These committees, however, might be involved in just 40 Days for Life or educational materials for the parish community. Walking with Moms in Need The U.S. Conference of... Read more

Ask and Thou Shalt Receive: The Sr. Blandina Method

Last updated on: January 8, 2022 at 7:24 pm By Lois Kerschen

The Lord will provide. Trust in the Lord. Those are maxims we are told repeatedly because they are true! Not that you get everything you request, but when the time is right with the Lord, merely asking will get you what you need. The Example of Servant of God Blandina Segale My mother’s favorite book was At the End of the Santa Fe Trail, the journal of Sr. Blandina Segale (now a candidate for sainthood). This book is also one... Read more

Look for the Good in People

Last updated on: January 5, 2022 at 10:27 pm By Lois Kerschen

There is a corollary to my belief that there is something good in everything bad (See: https://www.patheos.com/blogs/musingsfromthepew/2021/12/good-from-bad-turning-the-tables/): There is something good in every person, no matter how bad. The diarist Anne Frank had a similar belief. Despite the terror of her existence as a Jew hiding from the Nazis, she wrote: “People are just people, and all people have faults and shortcomings, but all of us are born with a basic goodness.” She added, “In spite of everything, I still... Read more

Catholic Women Wearing a Veil: A Misguided Practice

Last updated on: February 8, 2025 at 12:48 pm By Lois Kerschen

During our Christmas vacation, we attended a Catholic church where a noticeable number of women were wearing chapel veils. The reasons for this practice are, I think, misguided. Scanning the literature on this topic, I found several defenses of women wearing a veil or mantilla. They claim that it is not a misogynistic practice, and pious excuses are given, but the arguments are full of holes. Modesty, Humility, and Modeling Mary Advocates say that wearing a veil is a symbol... Read more

The Loneliness Cure: It’s in Church

Last updated on: December 26, 2021 at 9:49 pm By Lois Kerschen

At Christmastime, it is often mentioned that the holidays are a torment for people who don’t have or can’t visit family. Some people endure Christmas in loneliness and despair. My answer to this problem is the same answer I give for most everything: go to Church! The Extent of Our Loneliness Our country is currently experiencing two epidemics: COVID and loneliness. Already in 2018, a survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation and The Economist showed that 22% of adults... Read more

Catholics Are Always Home for Christmas

Last updated on: December 23, 2021 at 9:40 pm By Lois Kerschen

One of the benefits of the Catholic Church is that you can rely on Mass being the same no matter where you are. Everything is familiar and you know what to do, so you always feel at home. For a long time, my husband and I took our vacations over Christmas. We picked some place we hadn’t visited before and planned a sightseeing trip. We almost always went somewhere in the South to avoid wintry conditions. I love snow, but... Read more

Good from Bad: Turning the Tables

Last updated on: December 20, 2021 at 7:37 pm By Lois Kerschen

Something good always comes from something bad. I firmly believe that. I haven’t ever found a situation where that expression proved false. The reason must be God’s grace. Some will challenge this belief with examples like the Holocaust. How could anything good come out of such evil? Yet aren’t there countless stories of people helping the persecuted, of good counteracting the evil? The bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima were horrible, but have you noticed that no other atomic bombs have... Read more

Married Priests: The Demand for Consideration

Last updated on: December 17, 2021 at 7:28 pm By Lois Kerschen

The subject of married priests is one that is broached frequently among Catholics. It is supposed that more men would be interested in the priesthood if they didn’t have to take a vow of celibacy. The reason for the increased consideration of this change is the shortage of priests, which has resulted in multiple problems. There are not enough to serve all the parishes, leaving priests unsurprisingly stressed, fatigued and lonely. Many do not now have the companionship of other... Read more