Sometimes Mass just hits home. Completely out of the blue, you’re showered with the Holy Spirit. That happened this weekend and it was awesome. During this weekend’s Mass, newly ordained Deacon Barry Cuba gave the homily. He always approaches the pulpit with humility, humor and insight so I was excited to hear what he had to say. … [Read More]
2nd Quarter ACNM Meet-Up – May 29th 2012
When: Tuesday, May 29, 2012 Time: 7:00pm until 9:30pm Where: St. William’s Parish Hall Section 2 Join us for our second quarter meet up as we gather to network and share. The main presentation and discussion will center around Pope Benedict XVI’s call for America to lead the New Evangelization. Open to all interested in… [Read More]
To The College Freshman Class of 2016
We get a lot of good Graduation advice. Steve Jobs told us in his graduation speech at Stanford that we shouldn’t waste our lives living someone else’s dream. Winston Churchill explained that we should never, never, never give in except to the convictions of honor and good sense in 1941. Ellen DeGeneres, at Tulane University… [Read More]
Lessons in Surrendering to God’s Will
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you” Jeremiah 1:5 I take a lot of comfort in the above line from Jeremiah because not only do I have two wonderful girls that the Lord has blessed me with and charged me to care for. I also have my own personal cheering section in… [Read More]
Holiness: The “Problem” with Catholic Virgins
I have bad allergies. Really bad. So bad that when I finally started seeing an allergist a year ago he told me there are about 4 weeks in the year, two in the summer and two in the fall, when I’m not allergic to things in there air. But I didn’t realize my allergies were… [Read More]
Furrgivness is Divine
So the kittens have taught me another lesson. (I can only reasonably promise that this blog won’t turn into a Cat-holic blog :)) This past weekend they had a fight. I’m not sure what started it, but I noticed that Boomer did not want to share her cool new toy with her sister. After trying… [Read More]
Jesus Had Battle Scars, Too (Review: “My Peace I Give You”)
Some things are difficult to talk about. There’s an adage that some things should never be discussed in mixed company: sex, politics, money, and religion. Well, I work in religion, and this is a Catholic blog, so brace yourselves. Now that the Church is ten years from the horror of the public revelation of the… [Read More]
Unliking Facebook
Friendster, MySpace, Facebook? While the numbers on usage continue to impress, is Facebook on the decline? Facebook used to be the cool social network. Not only did you need an .edu e-mail address to sign-up, initially, you had to wait until your school was cool enough to join the Facebook ranks. Then it opened to all… [Read More]
The New American Family Presented by Apple
Every Sunday after Mass I take my girls for breakfast while my wife teaches RE. This is a really special time for us as it allows us to share time together that I know we won’t always have. Being present to each and building good father-daughter relationships is one of the most critical things I… [Read More]
Living, Now We Remain
We are constantly taking in information. If you’re reading this blog, point in case. We’re so used to it, it has become the norm for those privileged to have easy access to the internet– hardly several hours (much less a whole day) goes by without most of us getting online, checking email, reading the news,… [Read More]
Graduation Gifts
Our firstborn son is graduating from high school this June. I can still vividly remember the day we brought him home from the hospital in awe and wonder at the miraculous new life that we would be responsible raising and nurturing. We had no way of predicting the joys or the challenges we would face,… [Read More]
The Year of Faith is 5 Months Away!
If you’re like me, you’ve heard snippets of conversations since last October about the upcoming “Year of Faith” that starts this October. You might have even heard that it was Pope Benedict XVI who announced it. But if you’re also like me, you’ve probably wondered what exactly we’ll have to do to live up to… [Read More]
A Priest and A Sister Dish on Religious Life
A little over a month ago, I asked you to send in your best questions to local Dominican Sister, Sr. Elizabeth Ann, O.P., of the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist. There were some great questions (and she gave some great answers, below). But, I thought it would be equally fun to ask… [Read More]
Rutter’s Mass Of The Children
I have a hard time writing about music. With words I can describe whether the piece is loud or soft, fast or slow or explain which instruments are playing. However, there’s some things I can’t do. I can’t explain how the harmonies echo in the room and cause goosebumps to run up and down your… [Read More]
Be True To Yourself
A close friend of mine is getting married next month. He’s lived out in California for the past few years, so I haven’t seen him much nor do I know his future wife very well—just a couple of rather short conversations. He’s Catholic, she’s not Christian. While she isn’t interesting in becoming Catholic (anytime soon… [Read More]
Summer Movie Mania and Catholic Mass
Have you ever stood in line hours before the midnight premiere of the movie you expect to be your new favorite? Even better, did you dress up for the event? We’re in the beginning of the summer movie season, and I’m hoping that it lives up to all the hype about the new movies. There… [Read More]
Purrs, cuddles, and insights into the mind of God
So we adopted two kittens this week 🙂 We got them from the Austin Pets Alive’s Town Lake Shelter, and when we saw the little furballs crawling upside down in their soft carrier, we knew they were meant to be part of the Huemmer family. We had names picked out before we got home. Now,… [Read More]
Why Youtube* is Good for the Church
*And Facebook and Twitter and …well, all social media. But I’m going to stick with video sharing for this post because of an interesting conversation I had with a wonderful priest and friend of mine. You see, this particular gentleman is camera-shy. Try as I might convince him otherwise, he doesn’t like the idea of… [Read More]
Prayer, Personality, and Plugging In (Review: “Style, Sex, and Substance”)
I realized recently (and very awkwardly) that I read a lot about being single. I need more balance in my life, which is one of the reasons I turned to The Thrill of the Chaste for my last review. However, that was still a book about being single. In came Style, Sex, and Substance: 10… [Read More]
The 2012 Non-Evangelizing Guide Every Catholic Needs To Read
Today’s post is an intro into a two {or three} part series depending on how feisty and “write-y” I feel this week about ways NOT to evangelize. Today’s piece is foundational, meaning I’m going to build on it by writing a series based on my own personal experiences. I should start this piece of brilliance by stating that… [Read More]
When A Priest Leaves the Church
It happens. Our beloved priest. The priest that said Mass for us that one time. The priest that celebrated your niece’s First Communion. The priest that helped out at my neighbor’s kid’s school. Sometimes, priests leave the priesthood. Sometimes, it is a friendly departure. The priest’s discernment led him to understand his role within the… [Read More]
First Communion Took my Breath Away
This past weekend, my second child celebrated his First Communion. I’ve been thinking about this day for years and planning for *almost* that long (hey, party planning is my vice). To think I almost missed the big event during Mass makes me chuckle. But, more on that in just a moment. As I opened my… [Read More]
One-third of Fifty
Twelve Days of Christmas. Forty Days of Lent. Now Fifty Days of Easter. According to my calculations we are approximately one-third of the way through the Easter season. Unfortunately (or fortunately, depending on your perspective) there doesn’t seem to be any popular song counting up the 50 Days of Easter. But maybe there should be…. [Read More]
Lino Rulli Live from the Providing Help, Creating Hope Luncheon
The following is the keynote speech given by three-time Emmy winner, Lino Rulli at the Catholic Charities of Central Texas “Providing Help, Creating Hope Luncheon. Lino Rulli has a style and personality not typically found in the world of religious media. Known best for SiriusXM Satellite Radio’s The Catholic Guy, Lino’s regular guy approach to… [Read More]
George Weigel Live From the 2012 Pro-Life Benefit Gala
The following is the keynote speech given by George Weigel Renowned Theologian and Author of John Paul II’s Biography, Witness to Hope at the 2012 Pro-Life Benefit Gala benefiting the Office of Pro-Life Activities and Chaste Living of the Diocese of Austin. [powerpress]
Animals with Catholic Captions
One of the best things about being Catholic is the hope and joy we have in our faith. Jesus Christ is truly Risen! He is risen indeed! Sometimes, we Catholics take ourselves too seriously. We live in a Good Friday world but we are an Easter people and alleluia is our song! -Blessed Pope John… [Read More]
Seeing God’s love in the wildflowers
This weekend my husband and I went to the Ladybird Johnson wildflower center for a plant sale. It was our first time to go there and it was amazing to see all the different flowers! As a somewhat laissez-faire lawn person – I made sure to point out that many of these flowers are very… [Read More]
Clothes On, Eyes Open (Review: “The Thrill of the Chaste”)
As I’ve mentioned before, I am a big fan of the theology of the body (TOB). It has changed the way I view past and future relationships and the way I relate to other people in my life, male and female. Most of what I’ve learned about TOB has been from Christopher West or from… [Read More]
The disciples rejoiced
As Catholics, we’re usually pretty good at sacrificing. That is to say, we’ve usually had some practice with it, and we’re used to talking about it as a part of our faith life. Most of us were focused on it daily for the past 6 weeks! Now, in these next 7 weeks, let us focus… [Read More]
Young Adult Q&A with Father Rocky – Friday April 20th
Austin Catholic New Media is proud to be the sponsor of what will no doubt be a great evening with Relevant Radio CEO and co-host of “Go Ask Your Father” Father Francis Hoffman, aka “Fr. Rocky”. Father Rocky will be hosting a Young Adult Q&A in the Bishop’s Hall at St. Mary’s Cathedral on Friday… [Read More]
Report Card: How I Did This Lent
Now that we are more than halfway through the Easter octave and thoroughly enjoying that He is risen and paid the price for our sins and regained entrance to heaven, I have to ask myself “how did I fare this Lent?” I admit, I did better than most years, handling those spiritual curve balls with… [Read More]
Is Your Software Catholic?
I’m a big geek. While some guys like to fix cars, build things with wood, or tinker with things like that, I tinker with the Internet. I like digging into the guts of computers, specifically, what makes the web work. One of the reasons the Internet works is open-source software. Open-source software, by definition, means… [Read More]
God’s GPS
It’s seems like I’m always getting lost. It doesn’t matter if I’ve printed off the directions, spent time checking out what turns look like on Google’s street view or even talked through the directions with my Mom a million times. It’s inevitable. Worst thing is, with no smart phone or GPS, I have to resign… [Read More]
Was Your Easter Mass Heaven or Hell?
Easter Mass is supposed to conjure up images of Christ’s Resurrection, Easter lilies, Alleluia’s and white vestments. For some, though, it’s a test of patience and faith. While it’s not the Superbowl of Masses, like the Easter Vigil, it’s typically a little longer than the normal one hour Mass and attendance is usually a lot higher. … [Read More]
Facing Easter
Easter, the primary and defining celebration of Christianity has arrived. Lent has passed and now we transition into a more joyful season as we celebrate the resurrection and reflect on what it actually means on a practical level. At the heart of the resurrection is the idea that nature can be defeated, that natural… [Read More]
Diocese of Austin Chrism Mass 2012
Yesterday, Bishop Joe Vásquez lead the Diocese of Austin in this year’s Chrism Mass at St. William Catholic Church in Round Rock. The church was filled to its 1,700 person capacity for this once-a-year liturgy, including approximately 500 catholic school students. For the past few weeks I’ve been surprised by how many practicing Catholics are unaware of this jewel of… [Read More]
“I Thirst” – The Passion, on Pilgrimage – You’re Invited!
For my post today I wanted to extend a warm invitation to the whole ACNM community to experience Good Friday in a whole new way! You are invited to join the Schoenstatt Movement of Austin as they make their annual Good Friday Pilgrimage. This will not only be a ten-mile walk along the way… [Read More]
God Has a Problem: It’s You (Review: “Sinner”)
I struggle a lot with my faith life. Many people think that I am somehow better or holier because I work for the Church. Correction: I am not. If anything, being so closely connected to the inner workings of my sort-of parish makes me more aware of how much of a mess I am (and… [Read More]
The Last Seven Words of Christ
The Seven Last Words of Christ refer to the final seven phrases that Our Lord spoke as he hung on the Cross. These phrases were not recorded in a single Gospel but are taken from all four Gospels. Greatly revered, these last words of Jesus have been the subject of many books, sermons, and musical… [Read More]
Benedict XVI Visits Our Mexican Neighbors
Seeing our German Pope wear a Mexican charro style sombrero was definitely one of my favorite images of our Holy Father’s Apostolic visit to Mexico and Cuba the last few days. Sure, he wears a red, Italian styled Saturno that looks almost like a smaller sombrero, but it’s in keeping with tradition and it’s practical… [Read More]
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 31
- 32
- 33
- 34
- 35
- …
- 40
- Next Page »
