Category: Uncategorized
-
Miami – a promised land
At the southern tip of Florida is the bustling and glamorous city of Miami. Famous for its beaches, Art Deco buildings, and its Latin American flair, the city is always full of excitement. It is one of the few places in America where you can easily combine a tropical beach vacation with the thrills of…
-
Cabrini
With the release of the new film on the life of Mother Cabrini, we are filled anew with wonder at how God’s grace could work so magnificently through the life of this Italian-American saint. Though she was set on becoming a missionary to China, she embraced the call of Pope St. Leo XIII to go…
-
Revealing Catholic Shreveport
Shreveport, Louisiana, is about a three hour drive from Dallas-Fort Worth, but feels a world away. It was once at the very western frontier of the United States and remains today the land where Creole meets Cowboy. It is here that the cultures of east Texas and Cajun country intersect to create a memorable impression…
-
Advent Pilgrimage Day 21: Washington
This is the final entry for the virtual Advent pilgrimage. The destination is the Franciscan Monastery of the Holy Land in America, where visitors can stroll through this magnificent church that re-creates many of the holy sites in the Holy Land including its Bethlehem Shrine which re-creates the Grotto of the Nativity. The monastery grounds are…
-
Advent Pilgrimage Day 20: Shreveport
On Day 20 of the virtual pilgrimage we are in Shreveport to commemorate two important miracles on American soil: the miraculous intercession of the Dutch saint John Berchmans in the life of a Louisiana woman, and the heroic witness of the martyrs of Shreveport. At the Cathedral of St. John Berchmans in Shreveport, there is a…
-
Advent Pilgrimage Day 19: New Orleans
On this 19th day of the virtual Advent pilgrimage, we are in New Orleans at the National Shrine of Our Lady of Prompt Succor. It is yet another reminder along this pilgrimage of Our Lady’s abiding care for her people and God’s hand in the historical arc of America. Our Lady of Prompt Succor is unique…
-
Advent Pilgrimage Day 18: Memphis
On Day 18 of the virtual Advent pilgrimage, we are in Memphis to recall the witness of Servant of God Thea Bowman who is buried in the city’s Elmwood Cemetery. Thea Bowman was born the grand-daughter of a slave in the Mississippi Black Belt. She led a most remarkable life, abandoning her Methodist upbringing at…
-
Advent Pilgrimage Day 17: Detroit
On Day 17 of the Advent pilgrimage, we arrive at the second oldest continuously active parish in America: Ste. Anne de Detroit. The basilica houses a precious relic of the shoulder of Ste. Anne, the grandmother of Jesus and mother of Mary. It is an occasion to pause to reflect on the example of Bonne Ste. Anne,…
-
Advent Pilgrimage Day 16: Green Bay
On Day 16 of the Advent virtual pilgrimage, we head north to DePere, Wisconsin, just outside of Green Bay, to the National Shrine of St. Joseph, located on the campus of St. Norbert College. The shrine is operated by the medieval white-clad Norbertine Order which first came to America from Europe and settled in De Pere…
-
Advent Pilgrimage Day 15: Kansas City & the finger of John the Baptist
In the Gospel this morning, we heard the story of John the Baptist prophesying the coming of the Messiah. Did you know that the relic of the finger bone of John the Baptist – from the hands that baptized Christ – can be found in Kansas City? It is prominently displayed at the Nelson Atkins Museum of…