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]
Why Kids Are Pro-Life
Yesterday afternoon, while walking through HEB with my family, a hurried mom with her two little girls rushed by us in the coffee aisle. The mom didn’t look at us or say anything as she moved past us, but one of her little girls (probably 4 or 5), stopped and said, “I like your baby!”… [Read More]
Caring For Pregnant Women – St Ignatius Martyr Parish Social Ministry Council Panel Series
[powerpress] 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… [Read More]
When the Time Comes: Accepting Death Together
The room smelled like essential oils– the ones Peter brought to help Bob breath and to help with pain and anxiety: Eucalyptus, frankincense, myrrh, Inspiration (a blend), myrtle, peppermint. Every nurse who walked in commented on how good it smelled. I had continued the routine of rubbing them on Bob’s chest every 20 minutes or… [Read More]
Prayer Breakfast for Life Featuring Hosts from Catholic View for Women
Two amazing and heroic Catholic women in the fight for life are coming to the Austin area to speak about the current events happening in the pro-life movement. Join the community at a Prayer Breakfast for Life hosted by Heroic Media. Fr. Dean Wilhelm at St. Williams Catholic Church will open the event in prayer… [Read More]
John Paul II Life Center’s 4th Annual Benefit Dinner November 7
Join the John Paul II Life Center for their fourth annual benefit dinner, Today is the Day!, withTeresa Tomeo, Jennifer Fulwiler, and music from Greg & Lizzy. This social night gathers other pro-life supporters from the area for a dinner, presentation, fellowship, and prayer. They will also be honoring Msgr. Louis Pavlicek, Dr. and Mrs. Tom… [Read More]
Almsgiving in Lent: Amplify Your 2014
During Lent, Catholics are asked to pray, fast and give alms. However, of the three, almsgiving is the most neglected. Prayer & Fasting We usually do pretty good on the prayer part. This is easy because our parishes help us with this one very well, providing increased opportunities for spiritual development at our parishes through… [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]
Guiding Star lights the way to a new view of Feminism
The Brazos Valley in Central Texas is going to be the home of a new center devoted to pregnancy resources and women’s health. The center is called the Guiding Star of the Brazos Valley, and I spoke with its foundress Leah Jacobson about her vision of the center and her hopes for the New… [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]
Things I Learned From This Past Week
First, this week has been physically, emotionally and spiritual exhausting, and not just in the context of pro-life legislation. I am thankful that our courage, strength and perseverance all comes from the Lord. Secondly, we cannot underestimate the power of our presence online, in person and in witness to Faith and Truth. During the pro-life… [Read More]
An Open Letter to Catholics For Choice
Yesterday Catholics For Choice ran the following full page ad in the Austin American-Statesman. That led me to post the following comment on the Catholics For Choice Facebook page. It is very interesting that “Christ humbled himself becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:8)” yet this group of so called “Catholics”… [Read More]
Striving Towards the Promised Land; Pro-Life Advocacy After Special Session 1
Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) Exodus 15: 22-23 When… [Read More]
SB5: A Moment in Texas Legislative History
The night of Tuesday, June 25 was one crazy and unsettling night for many Texans. A sea of pro-choice persons clad in orange shirts with speckles of pro-life blue shirts thrown in here and there had been present in the Texas Capitol building in downtown Austin for nearly 13 hours. And the chaotic nature of… [Read More]
Gosnell and the Divine Mercy of Jesus
You have probably heard by now about the case of Kermit Gosnell and the “House of Horrors” in Philadelphia. If you haven’t, I must warn you the details are not for children. There’s information all over the internet about his clinic. If you have been following the story you may have noticed the national news… [Read More]
The Silence of the Lamb
Ladies and gents, I think I might be clinically insane. There are many reasons I think this might be true, not the least of which is my propensity for cackling maniacally while formulating plans to take over the world, but if you’re not entirely convinced, I think I could prove my point if you just… [Read More]
WANTED Concerned Catholic Voters: Inquire Within
One of the most attractive virtues of the church is our conviction to keep the word of Christ alive and relevant to our issues today. One of the most controversial virtues of the church is our conviction to keep the word of Christ alive and relevant to our issues today. Brace yourselves Catholics of Austin,… [Read More]
How to Support SB 521: Put Sexual Education Back into Parents’ Hands
UPDATE The House hearing for HB 1057 will be on Tuesday, April 2 at 2:00 p.m. or upon adjournment of the House. This means it could be later than 2 pm. The hearing could go late in the evening. After reading an article about new senate bill 521, the Texas Parental Control Accountability Act proposed… [Read More]
My Saturday and Sunday (In Pictures)
When I finally got some time to relax on Sunday evening, I realized that the weekend went by in a flash. Friday, I spent some time helping at a dinner for seminarians who were in town for the Texas Rally For Life. On Saturday, I was at the Texas Rally for Life and this Sunday I… [Read More]
NBC’s ‘Parenthood’ Addresses Teen Pregnancy and Abortion
In its four season history as a television show, NBC’s Parenthood has addressed issues that are honest, relatable and believable. From addiction to special needs children to infidelity to being a single mother to cancer to infertility issues to adoption to a soldier’s return from Afghanistan and more, Parenthood has not shied away from tough… [Read More]
Four Words I’ll Never Forget
Four years ago, my son Jonathan found me sitting in front of my laptop, tears running down my cheeks. I had read an email and had been stunned to tears and silence. I was in shock with joy. The email was about Abby Johnson, the director of our local Planned Parenthood (the number one abortion… [Read More]
The Little Things Can Become the Big Things
We can all probably recall a time when we first noticed an ant trail marching back to its colony. And perhaps how we fought the temptation to stomp on a few, just to see what would happen. It is human nature to ponder… [Read More]
A Morning Opposing the Abortion Giant – Reflections From the Sidewalk
It was only 9:37 a.m. on a muggy summer morning in June 2011 and I’d already had one of those mornings that forces you to stop and think about who you are and the world around you. It started off as a photojournalism project. Just a simple photostory. Snap a couple of pictures, record an… [Read More]
Promoting Life in the Movies: Movie Review of October Baby
It is clearly November, which is National Adoption Month, and the movie October Baby came out on DVD recently. My husband and I finally had some time over the weekend to watch a movie. We have been so busy we hadn’t had time to squeeze in a movie in over two months. We decided to… [Read More]
Pro-Hope: The John Paul II Life Center’s Call
In order to graduate, I was required to take a class where an internship was required. I remember getting the list a week before the semester started and instantly looking for the “Catholic friendly” internships. On the list I found the Catholic Charities of Central Texas (they already had an intern for the semester) and… [Read More]
40 Days for Life: Praying on The Sidewalk, Part 1
Two weeks ago I shared with you my reasons for joining the 40 Days for Life campaign here in Austin. I’d like to reiterate what a difficult, yet prayerful, decision it was to participate. Here I am, two weeks and two hours of praying on the sidewalk later, to reflect on my time at the… [Read More]
An Unacceptable Compromise (Review: “Unwind”)
“Ripped from the headlines” used to be an incredibly popular slogan for movies and TV episodes. A story based on real situations rather than one pulled from a writer’s mind was intriguing and a little frightening. When I heard the premise of Unwind, the most captivating aspect was that I could see it really happening…. [Read More]
When Words Distort
I’ve always been fascinated with the power words have to convey subtle shades of meaning. People are usually considered good communicators when they are able to “get to the point” without cluttering the air with lot of unnecessary words. There are times, however, when we deliberately avoid being direct. More often than we realize we… [Read More]
Feel the Love: 40 Days for Life
This past weekend, I made a big decision. It didn’t come easily. You see, standing on a sidewalk praying for the unborn is a bit out of my comfort zone, yet that’s exactly what I volunteered to do for the next six weeks. 40 Days for Life is a project that originated in College Station… [Read More]
We Can’t Be Catholic Robots
It’s easy to forget what something means when you’ve said it a million times. It’s kind of like when you say a word out loud over and over. Somehow it manages to lose its meaning. Fork. Fork. Fork. Fork. Fork. Fork. Fork. Does it sound funny now? It is possible that this happens to us… [Read More]
Flying High and Falling Fast (Review: “Mockingjay”)
Dear readers, the end has arrived. That is, the end of this series of reviews has arrived. I dove back into the Hunger Games trilogy at the beginning of this calendar year, and I shared that journey with you all in my reviews of The Hunger Games and of Catching Fire. Moving at a speed… [Read More]
Our Lady of Guadalupe “Patroness of the Unborn”
In 1531, the apparition of Our Lady of Guadalupe brought an end to human sacrifice all over the Americas. Before she appeared to St. Juan Diego, cruel human sacrificing rituals were performed on a scale never approached, even remotely, by other peoples of the era. Many methods were used. In one of their religious ceremonies,… [Read More]
Deep in the Shallows (Review: “The Giver”)
We Americans live in a world where choice reigns supreme. Everything from what exotic fruit to enjoy at any given time of year to when and whether to have children is up to our choosing. Whether we should make those choices is an entirely different question. That requires wisdom, faith, and a well-formed conscience. But… [Read More]
Two Guys, a Girl and a Catholic Podcast 30: We Hit The Big 3-0
[powerpress] Current Events: Pope saddened by Egyptian violence. http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/pope-deeply-saddened-by-egyptian-violence/ http://www.romereports.com/palio/popes-general-audience-i-feel-the-sorrow-of-the-victims-families-and-egyptian-people-english-5124.html Updated “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship – http://www.txcatholic.org/index.php/news/for-the-media-tcc-press-releases-and-media-kits/1340-resources-available-to-support-catholics-as-informed-faithful-citizens TCU to the Big 12 – http://espn.go.com/dallas/ncf/story/_/id/7085749/big-12-vote-unanimous-allow-tcu-horned-frogs-2012-13 Church News: Restore, Renew & Reclaim Understanding the Church’s Stance on Contraception Wednesdays, October 12, 19 and 26 · 7:00pm – 8:30pm St. John Neumann Catholic Church St. Timothy Room… [Read More]
Two Guys, a Girl and a Catholic Podcast: Special Vitae Clinic Interview
[powerpress] Vitae Clinic Open House: WHEN: Tuesday, October 18, 2011 from 5:30 – 7:30 p.m. WHERE: Vitae Clinic, Jefferson Building, 1600 W. 38th Street, Suite 115 WHAT: Vitae Clinic’s Open House. Meet Jeremy Kalamarides, D.O., and his staff. Tours given every 30 minutes WHY: Celebrate the Vitae Clinic one-year anniversary in Austin. The Vitae Clinic… [Read More]
Really Knowing Both Sides (Review: “Unplanned”)
I pray every time I pass a Planned Parenthood. I have also prayed outside Planned Parenthood clinics that do abortions here in Austin and back home in D.C. I pray for a world where no one will desire abortion. I don’t think making abortion illegal will change hearts, but it might be a start. By… [Read More]
MOM! DAD! All the cool kids are doing it!
Isn’t this the phrase that most parents tend to tune out the parent frequency? I know I do to escape the pressure of what other parents are doing – obviously, they are way more cool than I am. Or hope to be, for that matter. I am actually writing about something that is coming to… [Read More]
