You have probably heard by now that the United States government is about to perform its first execution of a woman in seventy years. Lisa Montgomery is scheduled to be executed on January twelfth for murdering a woman to kidnap her baby. She has thirty-six days to live. I hope you’ve also taken the time to find out who Lisa Montgomery is, and the circumstances surrounding her crime. Lisa Montgomery is profoundly mentally ill, has been diagnosed with head injuries,... Read more
Rosie and I went downtown, to bring a space heater to the Friendship Room, and to see the nutcrackers. Steubenville has a whimsical Nutcracker Village downtown in Fort Steuben Park every year. Local businesses sponsor six-foot nutcracker sculptures in different designs, which are lined up in the park amid Christmas lights and speakers blaring music. There are little sheds called “chalets” where local craftsmen set up shop like a Christkindlmarkt, which is why it was allowed to be open this... Read more
It snowed yesterday. I kept calling it the First Snow and Rose kept reminding me that it wasn’t, because it had snowed in February and we’d gotten flurries in November. But it was the first real heavy snow of this winter. Last year we hardly got any snow at all, but this year seems to be making up for it. I woke up to a pristine blanket of white on every surface outside. I had to run an errand downtown... Read more
Hello Friends, Just a couple of notes from Steel Magnificat as we begin Advent for real. First of all, I am honored to announce that I’ve been published in The Catholic Herald, and you can read that article here. I’ll keep letting you know if they publish any more of my stories of life in of Northern Appalachia. Secondly, I want to invite you to celebrate Advent with Rosie, Michael and me the same way we celebrated Lent. I... Read more
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark: Jesus said to his disciples: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at... Read more
This week we celebrated Thanksgiving, the unofficial start to the secular holiday season. I already told you what my family ended up doing. We also got to have a long facetime call with a dear friend, which was wonderful. The Friendship Room spent the day throwing a big Thanksgiving dinner for anyone who was hungry, as they always do. But this year, to keep safe in the pandemic, it was all to-go, with the volunteers working from early afternoon until... Read more
It started when we moved the prize turkey down to the fridge. Michael had dragged the wheeled cart out to Kroger to buy our week’s groceries, with a gift card from a generous friend. That’s how we do most of the shopping during the current COVID spike. Once in awhile we chance the bus, if it’s not crowded, and get cheaper groceries at Aldi or Wal Mart. But usually we drag the cart to the slightly more expensive place and... Read more
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew: Jesus said to his disciples: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king... Read more
Hey folks, I have a wonderful opportunity to perform a huge work of mercy for a young lady who’s had a spot of bad luck. Remember how last year, we all pulled together and helped my friend with eight kids who had fled an abusive marriage and needed a hand at Christmas? This year, to warm up for the Advent season, we get to do it again for another vulnerable woman. My new friend, Angel Marie, is a young... Read more
It’s not that there isn’t a lot to be thankful for, the weekend before Thanksgiving. All kinds of small things are going right. Michael came home this week with the hand shopping cart impossibly stuffed, having bought enough groceries in one sitting to win a free turkey. When he got to the Kroger freezer to claim his prize, there weren’t any small turkeys left, so I had to make room in our tiny freezer for a twenty-pounder. That was... Read more
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In