The Apostles’ Youth Reveals a Greater Sacrifice


by Elizabeth Turello – Growing up, I was used to seeing the Twelve Apostles depicted as middle age or older: Da Vinci’s Last Supper, Ghirlandaio’s Vocation of the Apostles and Caravaggio’s The Incredulity of St. Thomas, to name a few. Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ in 2004 broke away from this with a […]
Crossing the Finish Line of Family Consecration


by Michaelyn Hein – When I was young, I desperately wanted to learn how to play the piano. I begged my parents for lessons, and they appeased my pleas. Soon enough, I was contentedly tapping out elementary tunes. Within a year, though, I grew tired of the monotony of practicing. I yearned to be outside […]
God Above All Else: Resistance is not Futile


by David M. Carollo – Placing God Above Blind Conformity The cyber world in which we live has brought about an interconnected consciousness, defined not by an individual’s focus on God, but on one of uniformity to group thought and constantly shifting norms. Individualism, which is the hallmark of the American ethos, seems to have […]
As Easter People, Our Light Must Shine Brilliantly


by Donal Anthony Foley Christ is the Light of the World On the first Easter Sunday, early in the morning in the garden near Calvary, there was a moment of great light for the world; the moment when Christ rose from the dead after His terrible sufferings on Good Friday. At the site of the […]
St. Francisco: The Boy Who Died Smiling


by Barb Ernster – The holiness of St. Francisco is hidden in the stories of Fatima. Putting it together, one sees Francisco’s advancement in the spiritual life during his time on earth, primarily in his devotion to the “Hidden Jesus.” Francisco died the morning of April 4, 1919, after a six-month battle with the Spanish […]
Find Joy in Your Suffering


by Donal Anthony Foley – The fourth Sunday of Lent is also known as Laetare Sunday – Rejoice Sunday – from the opening word in Latin of the Entrance Antiphon at Mass, a text from the prophet Isaiah, which begins, “Rejoice, Jerusalem, and all who love her.” Traditionally, Jerusalem, and especially the heavenly Jerusalem, has been seen […]
Our Human Journey is One of Bumps and Bruises


by David M. Carollo – Holy Week is approaching fast. As we look back on this Lent, most of us will certainly feel that we have not fulfilled the promises made on Ash Wednesday, when we planned a perfect period of abstinence and made a commitment to attaining perfection. Oh well, I guess that we are imperfect […]
The Devotion of Guam to Our Lady of Fatima


by Larry Maginot – In February, Our Lady completed her fifth tour on the Island of Guam. Though the level of enthusiasm of her recent visit may not quite match the first visit of the International Pilgrim Virgin Statue to the island back in November – December 2006, the devotion of the people there who […]
The JOYFUL Season of Lent


by David M. Carollo – Ashes on the forehead, fasting and abstaining. Discomfort and deprivation. 40 days of difficulty. On a positive note, a chance to lose a few pounds. No, that’s still not right. The season of Lent is a time of preparation. Sure, we are called to sacrifice in this time when we unite our […]
Spiritual Advice for Lent from St. Padre Pio


By Donal Anthony Foley – As we begin the Lenten season, we often think of ways to improve our spiritual lives. One way of doing this is to look at the spiritual advice St. Padre Pio of Pietrelcina gave to his early followers. There is a long-standing connection between St. Pio and the World Apostolate […]