Within the ranks of the Church leadership, Robert Cardinal Sarah stands out as a rare example of outspoken zeal for the faith accompanying his conspicuous love of God. Born and raised in Guinea, he first became a priest and then archbishop of Conakry (covering all of Guinea). He was made Cardinal by Pope Benedict XVI… [Read More]
The Church is true but we are a very sick family right now
I entered the Church officially at the age of 22, in 1990. It took me a long time. I attended daily mass for two years even though almost everything about the Catholic Church freaked me out. I had authority issues. I had spiritual issues. I had sexual abuse issues. I had issues with men. I… [Read More]
Crowd Funding Hail Marys
After a week of losing sleep over the suffering of little children taken from their parents at the border, many days of speaking out and also of sending what money I could to organizations trying to help these separated families, I texted to one of my sisters in Carmel, still feeling very sad. I asked… [Read More]
Jesus, give us your Heart, make us strong to love!
I have to think, in these dark times, during this epidemic of heartlessness, that we need to look to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, that we need the refuge and the example of His Heart more than ever. Every day I think we are all having to find ways to decompress from all the hatred,… [Read More]
Dear Austin, let us pray…
It is a morning to pray. We woke up to the news today that the suspect behind the recent package bombs had been caught, and indeed had taken his own life in the process. Let us pray this morning together for peace in our city, for peace in our families, for peace in our own… [Read More]
Thoughts on the “thoughts and prayers”
Some people are upset about the “thoughts and prayers” response to mass shootings. I understand. I am tired of hearing that myself. It seems such a fill in the blank response; even glib and inappropriate when we all feel sickened by this cycle of seemingly endless gun violence followed by the same responses and counter… [Read More]
July 4th is Love
I know that today we’re supposed to think about the history of winning our independence. I do. I think that is OK. We think about freedom and the Constitution too. We are glad we don’t live somewhere there isn’t freedom. We are grateful to be Americans. We are proud of ourselves. That is cool. But… [Read More]
Diversity in Ministry Part III – Financial
In the first two posts of this series, I explored how diversity in Gifts and Age can provide a richer experience of the faith and allow parishes to better minister to the community. Christians of all denominations today tend to look for communities where they feel like they can belong to the larger group. Sometimes the neighborhoods have similarities… [Read More]
Resist like a Catholic II: protesting Neo Nazi-ism with the Aggies
There has been shock and outrage at Texas A & M and in my community over an unwanted visit from Neo Nazi Richard Spencer, engaged to speak on campus by another Neo Nazi, Preston Wiginton. Both men are white supremacists who advocate for a “peaceful ethnic cleansing.” Though everyone was appalled, it became apparent that… [Read More]
The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse
On October 2, 2016 Pope Francis commented about the upcoming U.S. presidential election, “Study the proposals well, pray and choose in conscience.” While I was praying and thinking about the above comment the four horsemen of the Book of Revelation came to mind several times. Pope Francis added, “When a country has two, three or… [Read More]
Dawn from on high: the other side of a crisis pregnancy
My first granddaughter, Arelani, at this writing, is six months old today. I just got a happy text from my daughter to remind me. My daughter’s was a “crisis teen pregnancy,” and it happened at what seemed like the worst time. After a series of recent tragic deaths in my family, the last thing we needed… [Read More]
Peter Kreeft’s “Nineteen Types of Judgment”: An Outline
It’s back-to-school time in the Year of Mercy, so I bring you a learning opportunity. I am a teacher by training (although not currently by profession), so I love learning, and I love helping other people learn. It’s a reflex, an instinct, and the method by which I hope to make a difference in the… [Read More]
God is here.
God is here. In the middle of the traumatic events of the last several days, in the midst of the anger and grief we are experiencing as a country right now, the Spirit of God moves among us in blossoming uprisings of love, unity, and understanding that surprise and open hearts. You may not have heard… [Read More]
America: On the Forces that Shape Us
It’s always difficult to put into words the transformation that happens within a human heart as it works to grasp the reality of tragic news unfolding. I hopped into my car Friday morning totally ignorant of what happened in Dallas Thursday night. When I switched on NPR like usual, my mind tripped over itself trying to comprehend. It was… [Read More]
Opening My Mind to Cardinal Avery Dulles’s “Catholicism and Capital Punishment”
I like to read, and I don’t like the death penalty. Thus, I like to read things that are about abolishing the death penalty. (I’m so unpredictable.) As I mentioned in my review of the remarkable book Change of Heart, by Jeanne Bishop, I acknowledge that Catholics are allowed to support capital punishment without considering… [Read More]
Longhorns Forging a Culture of Encounter In Our Own Backyard – CARITAS 2016
The week before classes started at UT this January, nearly 80 Longhorn Catholics came back to town early – to go out in mission. This is the 4th year of Austin CARITAS (Catholics Answering the Redeemer’s Invitation to Authentic Sanctity), where UT students give up a week of their winter break to serve those in need… [Read More]
Street Evangelization in Austin
Recently, I attended training for street evangelization. At the end of the training class, we went out into downtown Austin to put this into practice. This experience reminds me of a middle school dance. It all started with spending the day learning to dance. We went through the mechanics and even tried out a few… [Read More]
Is it possible entitlement & individualism go hand in hand? (On the parable of the attitude of a servant)
Last Tuesday I was at St William’s in Round Rock for daily mass, and Fr Dean’s homily got me thinking. That day the gospel was from Luke, on the servant who comes in from the field: “Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the… [Read More]
“Everything is Connected” – The Ecological Spirituality of Laudato Si
“Everything is connected.” This phrase of Pope Francis could be the link that ties the whole of “Laudato Si” together and also communicates the core of his message. “Everything is connected,” he says, in such a way that as humans and the earth are a part of the same ecological fabric, our actions in one part of… [Read More]
Spiritual Implications of Wasting Food
Growing up in the rural plains of the Texas panhandle, I was familiar with many farm animals. There were several times when I knew or had at least seen the animal that became our meal. Some people don’t like that, but it gave me a great appreciation for food. Knowing that the animal gave its life… [Read More]
See No Evil: Reflections on Laudato Si’ Part II
This is my second reflection on Pope Francis’ new Encyclical Laudato Si addressed to every person living on this planet and added to the official Catholic doctrine. I hope my reflection is beneficial to you, but I (and Austin CNM) encourage you to read the document yourself here. Last year my family found a great… [Read More]
Confessions of a Technocrat: Reflections on Laudato Si, Part I
This is a reflection on Pope Francis’ new Encyclical Laudato Si addressed to every person living on this planet and added to the official Catholic doctrine. I hope my reflection is beneficial to you, but I (and the Austin CNM) encourage you to read the document yourself here. I was seduced by technology in high… [Read More]
An Open Letter to Sr. Simone Campbell (of the Nuns on the Bus)
This blog is in response to an interview aired by the radio program On Being, hosted by Krista Tippett, on June 11, 2015. I invite you to listen to the interview before reading this post, and would especially point your attention to the unedited version of the interview. The time stamps I’ve included are from the… [Read More]
Love Seeking Justice and Mercy (Review: “Change of Heart”)
I do not support the death penalty. I don’t think any Catholic ought to, although I respect the option Catholics have within our tradition to do so. The Catechism of the Catholic Church notes that, in the modern world, sufficient means exist to contain dangerous criminals indefinitely without ending their lives, so the cases in… [Read More]
No Room at the Inn: an ongoing true story
My youngest daughter begged me to help a friend of hers whose family had no place to live. It was an emergency situation. They had tried everything. Her friend had come to her in tears- a friend who I had only ever seen smile and laugh- a kid I remembered by his radiant smile. This… [Read More]
Finding Jesus at a Street Retreat
In early December, thirty men in the diaconal formation program from the Diocese of Austin went on a three day street retreat based on the scripture “He commanded them that they should take nothing for their journey, except a staff only: no bread, no wallet, no money in their purse” (Mark 6:8). The men were… [Read More]
The Acts of Men: A Reflection on Joshua Oppenheimer’s The Act of Killing
During WWII the Japanese killed between 3 million and 10 million people, mostly civilians. More recently the ISIS body count is growing as they continue their bloody campaign of beheading and terror. May God have mercy on all sinners. How can men act so inhumane? For most of us, these acts are unthinkable. Our minds… [Read More]
Caring For Pregnant Women – St Ignatius Martyr Parish Social Ministry Council Panel Series
Austin Catholic New Media in partnership with Saint Ignatius Parish Social Ministry Council is proud to present this new monthly series of panel discussions on the social ministries of the church. This panel which was recorded in January discusses how the church is working to take care of women experiencing a crisis pregnancy. On this… [Read More]
Austin CARITAS Mission 2015!
Dear readers! We are in the Third Week of Advent, with Gaudete Sunday! How are you going to share the joy of Christ? This is my Advent Challenge, simply put – how you will go out, as Pope Francis as said so many times, to the periphery to share the joy of the Gospel, to… [Read More]
Don’t Hinder The Kingdom; Another Reflection on the Immigrant Crisis
And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them, but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them. But Jesus called for them, saying, ‘Permit the children to come to Me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.’ -Luke 18:… [Read More]
Getting Yelled At For Being Pro-Life: How to Deal
You’d think working in the world of therapists – full of feelings, acceptance, warm regard and the fluffiest Kleenex money can buy – that we would be loving and accepting of all people, no matter their beliefs or religious affiliations. But you’d be wrong. In my limited experience in this profession (6 years and counting)… [Read More]
How Adoption Saved My Life
On September 22, 1966 a little boy was born in Minnesota. His mother, for reasons unknown, was unable to keep him and left him in the hands of a group of nuns who devoted their work to the care of children without parents. Unbeknownst to the boy and his mother, there was a young couple… [Read More]
Immigration – St Ignatius Martyr Parish Social Ministry Council Panel Series
This year the ACNM in partnership with Saint Ignatius Parish Social Ministry Council is excited to be hosting a monthly pot-luck speaker series featuring the many social ministries in Austin Texas In our first panel which took place September 30th we discussed how Catholics are responding to the needs of immigrants in our nation and how you can be… [Read More]
When you see… A Reflection on the Immigrant Crisis
According to the local folklore, the drama at Sacred Heart in McAllen all started with what a few saw. A little over a month ago, a few sharp-eyed Catholics noticed a gathering of dirty young women at the bus station. Maybe it was a passing glance. Maybe it was out of the corner of the… [Read More]
Breaking the Girl, Part One
This is the first of a mini-series of posts focused on socially acceptable things that make me fear for the future of girls everywhere. I recognize some of these topics are not the most popular to bring up, and in fact, many friends or readers may not agree with what I have to share. But… [Read More]
Too good to be true? But it IS true! Guiding Star Brazos Valley
Almost exactly 16 years ago to the day, I was at a very similar place in my life. And I held a meeting at my parish in Aggieland – St. Mary’s Catholic Center. Just like we did this past Sunday. With some of the same people, some of the same faces in the audience. And… [Read More]
Why You Won’t See Me Marching at a Pro-Life Rally
Every year on January 22, the anniversary of the landmark case Roe v. Wade, hundreds of thousands of people march in our nation’s capital and around the country in support of a culture of life. The March for Life, as it’s known. But, you won’t see me marching. And here’s why. I believe that everyone… [Read More]
A Servent In India II: 1 Billion People 1500 Words
As I have described in my Last Post I was recently blessed to be able to volunteer with Hands on Houses in Tamil Nadu India. “So how was India?” That seems to be what everyone has been asking me lately. Let me first confess most of my answers to date haven’t been very inspired. I… [Read More]
Homeless People Aren’t Zoo Animals
The chaos in the backseat of my van was undeniable. There were screams, yells and giggles. It wasn’t a rockstar, a marching band or even Johnny Football that caught their attention. No, it was the homeless African-American single mom, holding a cardboard sign, baking in the hot 95-degree Texas heat. Her sign simply said, “please… [Read More]
We’re All in This Together (Review: “Bound Together”)
If you’ve been following my reviews for a while, you’ll have noticed that I don’t always review Catholic books. This will be one of those other reviews. As Catholics, we are committed to ecumenism. If other Christians are reflecting on beliefs that we share, we should at least be willing to listen, even if we… [Read More]
