Entering the Story: The Imaginative Power of Traditional Worship

Last updated on: March 21, 2016 at 10:47 am By Jessica Mesman Griffith

When my friend Amy converted to Catholicism ten years ago, she wrote me a letter confessing that she wasn’t yet sure of her belief, but that she wanted to “enter the story.” She recognized in the mass and the rhythm of the liturgical year that the Catholic church had established an imaginative framework big enough to hold the entire Christian story, which she encapsulated as “the story of how something unimaginably large and all encompassing is contained and revealed by a single life.” We tell that story again and again,... Read more

The Dark Devotional: Retain Your Wounds

Last updated on: March 18, 2016 at 8:29 am By Guest Contributor

For the complete Mass readings for March 20, Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion, click here. I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. (Isaiah 50) When we make our Lenten lists, we know the usual suspects. Food that makes us unusually happy goes. Care for the needy, if we’re a little more ambitious, is added. Possibly, we get extremely hip and... Read more

St. Patrick, Five Songs and Three Books for a Pilgrimage (It Begins)

Last updated on: March 16, 2016 at 9:22 pm By Jonathan Ryan

At 3:00 P.M. today, St. Patrick’s Feast Day (appropriate, considering he was a Sick Pilgrim himself), I start my pilgrimage west with my kids. I’ve always loved St. Patrick and the Irish peregrini (casting themselves off in a boat and letting God direct their location). But, also, its my eldest’s birthday, and he shares a middle name with the great saint. I’ll drive to St. Louis, sleep for a few hours, pick them up at 3:00 in the... Read more

Wanted: Spiritual Director for Two Sick Pilgrims

Last updated on: March 16, 2016 at 8:59 am By Jessica Mesman Griffith

In my first post for this blog, I wrote that we were setting up a soap box and hoping some interesting people would show up. Boy, did you. Our traffic for the last two months caught us off guard. We’d assumed we’d be writing for ourselves here (though we secretly had modest dreams of speaking to four or five others). Of course, we suspected there were people out there who might identify with the struggles and obsessions we share (*please don’t remind us that we aren’t special snowflakes*) but... Read more

The Things that are Saving Our Lives Right Now, March edition

Last updated on: March 15, 2016 at 8:57 am By Jessica Mesman Griffith

“One must do things sometimes to make life more bearable.” –St. Teresa of Avila While I’m suspicious of gratitude projects and listicles make me twitch, I’ve found that reading about the little things that keep other people’s heads above water makes me love my fellow humans a little more. As I type this, I can hear the glorious sound of water dripping outside my window, which after three winters Up in Michigan is akin to the choirs of angels singing glory to... Read more

Dear Pope Francis: A Theology Book for Adults

Last updated on: March 13, 2016 at 9:18 pm By Jonathan Ryan

My three hooligans love Pope Francis. They begged me to take them to Philadelphia for the papal visit last September (I couldn’t, as it was a work trip). While I was there, they kept asking for pictures and videos. And, of course, they insisted that I bring them back something. While looking around, I discovered the Pope Francis plush doll. I revolted against the idea, at first, thinking that it wasn’t very spiritual. Then, I realized I had lapsed... Read more

The Dark Devotional: Fifth Sunday in Lent: The Dust on Her Lips

Last updated on: March 11, 2016 at 10:03 am By Guest Contributor

Click here for the complete Mass readings for March 13, 2016 Remember not the events of the past, the things of long ago consider not; see, I am doing something new! (Isaiah 43) I don’t much like being told not to remember. To forget about the past and only look forward to what lies ahead. There’s the God who makes the way in the desert, yes, and turns death into resurrection too. But there’s a God of parched land and never-quenched thirst too, and simply... Read more

Catholic Books Even a Protestant Could Love

Last updated on: March 10, 2016 at 12:30 am By Tammy Perlmutter

I’m not Catholic, but some of my favorite books are. I came of age during the 80s, the heyday of evangelical youth group culture. By the time I was 17, I’d descended into a Christian subculture of punks, skaters, metal heads, and goths. That felt more like home to me. We had an understanding and appreciation of the darker side of life and asked more questions than we answered. My peers understood what real temptation and real falling looked like, because they were experiencing it themselves and... Read more

First Ever Sick Pilgrim Discussion Shindig and Hootenanny During Holy Week! (Details Inside)

Last updated on: March 13, 2016 at 9:15 pm By Jonathan Ryan

So, along with the many developing Sick Pilgrim media things (Radio show with Breadbox Media, possible book deal, this blog, etc), we are hoping to host events around the country, including a possible retreat next year. More details on all those things to follow…. However, we are really pleased to announce the first ever Sick Pilgrim discussion hootenanny with our co-sponsor, THE best book store in Salt Lake City, Weller’s Book Works. Here are the Details: What: So,... Read more

Sick Pilgrim Interview: Dave and llyssa Kyu and their National Park Story Project

Last updated on: March 13, 2016 at 9:15 pm By Jonathan Ryan

(We at Sick Pilgrim love pilgrimages, stories and the National Parks. So, when we came across Dave and llyssa, we had to interview them, especially in light of Jonathan’s upcoming pilgrimage with his hooligans in a few weeks. They had some really cool things to say about art, story, the National Parks and being a pilgrim. Please read the interview and support their Kickstarter campaign. We did!). As artists, why do you feel like its important to create... Read more