On one of the last chilly mornings of October, I received a text from a producer friend of mine, telling me that there was a an opportunity to be part of the crew for a film called “Triumph of the Heart.” For someone laying upside down on their bed, sponging fallen...
Testimonies
Let This Be The Year You Stop Comparing Yourself To Others
I have a confession to make. Through my spiritual journey, and even through my professional path, I have struggled again and again with comparing myself to others. It has been a bump on the road that has stopped me from flourishing in an authentic, peaceful, and...
What Creed Do You Live By? Be Dangerous & Make A Stand!
The following is an excerpt from 12 Rules For Manliness | Where Have All the Cowboys Gone Be Dangerous - Make a Stand “Be on the alert, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” 1 Cor 16:13 “There is no man more dangerous than one who does not doubt his own...
Lessons From The Underground Catholic Church in Czechoslovakia
In my new book, When the Sickle Swings: Stories of Catholics Who Survived Communist Oppression, I document the testimonies of heroic Catholics who kept the faith despite persecution by hostile regimes the world over. I was privileged to interview survivors of...
How I Find True Joy In Difficult Times: Insights From A Catholic
Our Catholic faith is an absolute treasure trove of wisdom that I truly believe is deeper and greater than any human suffering, no matter how intense and unbearable. So if nothing you’re about to read appeals to you - keep digging through the treasure, my friend,...
The Hill: A Faith And Sports Movie We Will Talk About And Re-Watch For Years
Not every movie causes an emotional experience for a grown man, but I’m willing to bet you might shed a tear of happiness at the end of The Hill,a new movie releasing in theaters on August 25th, 2023. The Hill Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upE1VupKCW8 I...
The Advice You Need To Discern Your Vocation
There are really two camps when it comes to discernment. On the one side, some believe that discernment is discovering what is the will of God so they can do it, and on the other side, some believe essentially that a person’s vocation is just a free-willed response to...
Barbie, Identity, And Being Enough
Imagine a land where everything is pink, every night is girl's night, and women hold all offices of power. This describes Barbieland, the place where all Barbies live: the stereotypical Barbies, the discontinued Barbies, all the Kens, and even Allan. This world may...
World Youth Day And St. Théresè: Traveling The World
You might say that I’m a groupie. Beginning when I was sixteen, I attended four World Youth Days: Denver (1993), Manila (1995), Paris (1997), and Toronto (2002). My experience, along with millions of other young people, was transformative. The impact is still felt in...
How World Youth Day Continues To Inspire Me Today
My whole life, I have stated I am a member of the Catholic Church. I specifically remember learning in youth group that the word “catholic” meant universal, but the definition didn’t mean much to me until I partook in World Youth Day 2005. It was the summer before my...
How The Beauty Of The Mass Saved Me
One of the great mysteries of life is understanding the motivations our own hearts. I can look at the sky, see the moon, and if it catches my fancy, look up all sorts of facts about it. I can know how big the moon is, what it’s made of, how far away, how fast it...
Finding Joy In Times Of Struggle
When my grandma turned 91, I remember her saying: “You can find joy in all stages of life.” That’s always stuck with me. I know it to be true in regards to getting older, but I also believe it to be true in relationship to the world: You can find joy in all...
What I Wish I Knew When I Left The Seminary
It was December 24th, 2019, and I was on my way to Rochester, Minnesota to serve at the Christmas Vigil Mass at our co-Cathedral for my Bishop, John Quinn. I showed up early to get things set up, but I was distracted like a teenage boy trying to clean his room. My...
This Is Your Invitation To Daily Mass
When you love someone, you don’t just hang out with them once a week for Friday night dates. You want to be with them, in person, every moment you can. You don’t need entertainment. You don’t always need to understand each other or even say much. You just want to be...
Is Pope Benedict XVI A Future Doctor Of The Church?
Today we mourn the loss of Pope Benedict XVI, a holy man of God who lived the faith well. May he rest in the arms of God for eternity! Read more about his life and be inspired by his legacy. Pope Benedict XVI Dies At The Age Of 95...
St. Ambrose And The Legend Of A Bizarre Encounter With Bees
Living in the 4th century A.D., St. Ambrose was bishop of Milan during a tumultuous era of Church history. His road to ordination was an interesting journey. The sudden death of the current bishop of Milan in 374 A.D. left the bishop's seat open amid the climate of...
All Or Nothing: The Moment That Changed One Athlete’s Life Forever
Imagine kneeling in a room with eleven-thousand college students. The lights are dim, and the spotlights follow the priest holding a Monstrance, walking through the aisles. The choir is singing the verse, “I give myself to you, Lord,” over and over again. People are...
A Reflection On The Queen’s Life And Legacy, By A British Catholic
These last twelve days for me as a British subject have been very strange ones. We have continued our ordinary lives, while all about us in the public sphere, momentous and solemn things have happened. The death of our Queen, the instantaneous transferral of symbolic...
Can Catholics Use Tarot Cards? An Exorcist Shares What You Need To Know
Let us first look at scripture, the place a Christian must start. In the Old Testament we find “Let there not be found among you anyone who causes their son or daughter to pass through the fire, or practices divination, or is a soothsayer, augur, or sorcerer, or...
10 Things To Know About Child Loss That Will Help You Support Grieving Families
https://vimeo.com/642910917/510f2312a7 What do I do now? A question all families of loss ask themselves the day after the funeral. Family members are going back to work. The house is a mess. You have no energy and find...
5 Ways To Nurture Your Marriage In A Season Of Infertility
It is estimated that 1 in 6 couples struggle to get pregnant. Infertility is often a hidden suffering, and is even considered a “normal,” albeit temporary, difficulty encountered in some marriages, but easily fixed if the couple...
Get To Know St. Charles Borromeo The “Practical Genius”
Who is St. Charles Borromeo? Carlo Borromeo was born in Arona, Italy near Milan in 1538. He became a cardinal archbishop and was active in the Catholic Counter-Reformation (after the Protestant Reformation) in Italy. St. Charles Borromeo died at the age of 46 in 1584...
“I’m Not Pro-Murdering Babies”: Resources For A Catholic Response To Abortion
There has been a post circulating around Facebook and other places which begins “I’m not pro-murdering babies.” The post then presents various circumstances in which an abortion could be justified, in the view of the author. The problems with the post and many and...
The Sweet And Sour Of NFP (Natural Family Planning)
It doesn’t take long when first discovering the world of natural family planning to realize that most couples have a love/hate relationship with NFP. The reasons to love it are obvious and the reasons to hate it are obvious. It is a strange mix of sweet...
Church Was Boring…Until I Discovered These Four Things
I’m just not getting anything out of it! is a common cry for many who find church boring. For many raised Catholic, feelings of “not being fed” cause some to leave church altogether or at least find another Christian experience. Many go for churches that emphasize...