I do question and answer sessions with almost every group of people I work with, from sixth graders to hospice care. Everyone has questions, and while I don’t always have the answers, so many questions are repeated that I’m at the point where I’m actually pretty good with most questions. This summer, I was asked…
It’s harvest time, and this is the first year in a very long time that means something to me. This year, I built my wife a garden. She always wanted to grow things. I used to spend a lot of time in my gardens as a young man, and always enjoyed it, so I was…
This is a legacy post from the old website I didn’t want to lose, published July 16th, 2012. Today is a very special day for me. It seems my entire life as a Catholic has revolved around our Lady under the title of Mt Carmel. I was born on the feast day of St John…
Today we celebrate the feast of St. Gregory the Great. There aren’t all that many Saints we label with “the Great”, but this man’s love for the poor and his powerful ability to stay true to the faith despite being elevated to the Papacy rightly earned him the title. He was immensely fond of the…
I’m a high school theology teacher, and as you might imagine, I have a love / hate relationship with this time of year. On one side of things, I am so very happy to see all of my students, of whom I very much love. I have been looking forward to their stories, their youthful…
I never watch the news. Ever. It’s usually depressing, and rarely relevant to my life in the slightest. Friends, coworkers and parishioners are often quite shocked with just how out of touch I am with current events most of the time. It’s like I live in a cave. It takes a lot to make me…
In all my prideful dreams, I don’t think I ever thought I would give a commencement speech. I’m still rather shocked at even being asked. I would hardly consider myself successful by any means, and I’m not all that inspirational either. Yet it did indeed happen. The Lord puts us in the most unexpected situations!…
A couple of years ago, I lost a good friend. She used to come to my house and paint with my kids, and dance Irish jigs in my kitchen. She was one of the most faithful women I have ever met, and I still feel I can see her sitting in her normal pew, scolding…
Alright, so I have two projects going at the same time, and I am hoping to fuse them together into one. I could use your thoughts! First: I desire to bring content you find useful and at least mildly entertaining. What do you want more of in my writing on the blog? Tidbit facts? Life…
You might think being invited to a BBQ is a special treat, a chance to relax and hang out. Alas, it is not always so. I was grilling up some chicken over at the rectory with my priests, deacons, and some friends, and we had a lovely time. Then, a few days later, I get…