Everything Pope Francis says is always so heartfelt, so quotable, so real. Reading through all of the speeches, homilies and messages that he gives is a real treat. If you don’t already, I recommend reading up on his activities at the Vatican website. Or check out news on Vatican Radio, News.Va or get the free Pope App. Whatever way you choose to do it, it is worth reading Pope Francis’s direct words instead of getting what he says second-hand from the media. There are so many treasures,... Read more

When I left my corporate job in California to enter the convent I had to tell my boss I was planning on leaving at the same time he was handing me an offer for a substantial raise. It was a difficult moment. I felt bad for my boss but I was also keenly aware that I looked insane to everyone around me, including myself sometimes. I remember looking at the offer, the stock options, the job title and thinking to... Read more

Some movies and short films manage to make me feel what borders on an out-of-body experience. When I finish watching them I feel dizzy, out of place, thrust into a foreign environment. The whole world takes on a vibrancy; it is as if matter trembles under my gaze. One such movie was Bright Star, a movie about the poet John Keats. I think the otherworldly feeling of that film was due to the cinematography done by Greig Fraser. He was... Read more

Cristo in croce by Bronzino You may have heard about the recent, tragic attack in a downtown Phoenix church that left Father Kenneth Walker dead and Father Joseph Terra critically injured. This comes on the heels of the murder of Fr. Eric Freed a beloved pastor in Humboldt, CA at the beginning of this year. After hearing this most recent news, I immediately started trying to figure out God’s plan in an event so senseless. I quickly gave up. That evening... Read more

Slender Man graffiti on a sidewalk Source: Flickr Creative Commons The news is full of violence. It is hard not to become desensitized to the terrible ways humans treat humans. A recent story that really tore at my heart was the stabbing of a 12-year-old girl by two of her friends of the same age.  The two girls, Morgan and Anissa, say they plotted the murder because they were mesmerized by a ghoulish character called Slender Man who appears in horror stories on a... Read more

Six dioceses in Normandy, France have come together to create a humorous web site that is intended to increase donations from young Catholics. The site parodies a French dating site and urges people to donate by “adopting a priest.” Before you pass judgement, I urge you to visit the site and browse around. If you don’t know French you can translate it by right clicking in Chrome and selection “Translate to English.” I don’t have a firm opinion on this. I... Read more

Many of you know that a group on Harvard’s campus was planning to hold a Satanic “black mass” last night. The event was thankfully called off due to outcry from many Catholics inside and outside of Harvard circles.  I too was upset, but not entirely shocked, when I heard about this event. But today, looking back on how everything transpired, I see the grace that surrounded all that happened and I understand even more St. Paul’s words: “Where sin increased, grace abounded... Read more

We all probably wish we could take back some things we have said and done online, not only for our own sake but for the sake of other people we were called to bring closer to God and instead pushed further away. I often read some of the comments on Catholic blogs, (and sometimes the blog posts themselves) and I wonder to myself, “Does this person care that other people (especially non-Catholics) will read this and feel repelled by the... Read more