My friend Gracie went to court again a few weeks ago.She’s not in any trouble—Gracie is one of the most law-abiding people I know—but her son is. He’s 18 and has been sporadically in trouble with the law for at least the last four years, mostly for stupidity. He’s sold marijuana. He’s passed on photographs to other kids that he shouldn’t have. That sort of thing. And every time it happens, Gracie is in despair and does what she can to get him out of the ...

It’s finally here! We who live in the Northern Hemisphere are delighted to welcome the flowers that April showers (and there were a lot of them!) bring to us now. May is the most delightful of months, because it feels like the earth itself is awakening from hibernation.It’s also the Month of Mary. Many of us have childhood memories of May processions, of crowning statues of the Blessed Virgin Mary, of the songs in her honor. But… do you know why May is especially Mary’s ...

Today Pauline Books and Media is releasing Catholic Funny Fill-ins, written by Karen and Tommy Tighe. Karen and Tommy are the proud parents of five boys. Tommy Tighe is co-host of the video program Repent & Submit airing on CatholicTV. (You can see past episodes here.)If you're looking for some fun for family road trips, get-togethers, youth group parties, or just a great evening at home, then Catholic Funny Fill-ins is for you! It helps you bring together both humor ...

Imagine this scene. There is a blackout in the city. A young couple has planned a romantic and elaborate Valentine’s Day evening together—dinner at an expensive restaurant, excellent tickets for a popular show, expensive gifts for each other.But now the blackout. No dinner. No show. No way to drop by the jeweler’s to pick up the gifts. Just the two of them in their dark apartment.It would be easy to call the evening ruined, wouldn’t it? But let’s look more closely a...

For many of us, Thanksgiving dinner wouldn’t be complete without pumpkin pie. But there are so many other things we can do with pumpkins, and they’re all delicious! Pumpkins are very versatile in their uses for cooking, and most parts of the pumpkin are edible, including the fleshy shell, the seeds, the leaves, and even the flowers!Here at the convent, we have the opportunity to try many wonderful and varied dishes, as each sister brings her own family recipes into the bigger family ...

Being a father is difficult. You’re supposed to do everything: earn a good living, fix everything that breaks around the house, help with homework, have a close relationship with your kids… and still see mothers get most of the props for parenting!It’s difficult to find the time to be the kind of father you’d like to be, but there are things you can do to make it clearer, if not easier! Here are five ways you can increase your interactions with your kids and enrich both ...

We asked a few fathers we know what they’d really like to have for Father’s Day. You might enjoy their responses… and please feel free to add to them! We’d love to hear what you’d truly like for Father’s Day, too! What would make a great gift or activity for your special day?“Honestly, my favorite thing is playing board games with my wife and daughters. We do it once a month, have a nice supper then make some popcorn and play games for hours on end. Som...

Who is your mother?When we answer that question, we all probably think first of our biological mothers, the women who brought us into the world, the women who packed our school lunches and helped us with homework and told us bedtime stories. But “mothering” is an activity that covers a lot of ground: there are countless women out there (and a few men, too) who have played a significant role in “mothering” us. Unfortunately, on Mother’s Day, we tend to forget them. W...

"Just talk to me." That’s what I used to say when I telephoned my mother. I was in my early twenties, living alone for the first time and feeling completely overwhelmed by life, and from time to time I’d call her up, crying, and I’d say, “please just talk to me.”And she would. She chattered on about the repairs to the roof that my father was finally getting around to, or the neighbor who’d thrown a loud party last Saturday night, or the book she&rsqu...

It’s almost Valentine’s Day, and thoughts turn easily to romantic love. But what if you could read something thoroughly romantic… and thoroughly spiritual and thoughtful as well?  The love letters exchanged between Saint Gianna Beretta and her husband, Pietro Molla, might provide just what you’re looking for. Better than a theological treatise, these letters are a convincing proof that the way of holiness does not necessa...