The Sorrowful Mother Shrine

Recently three of us Sisters of Notre Dame drove to Bellevue, Ohio, to spend time at the Sorrowful Mother Shrine. We attended the liturgy outdoors at 11:00. Then in the afternoon we walked the pathways lined with the Stations of the Cross and many statues of saints. I was impressed by the variety of saints…

Read More

Passing the Torch

  I recently attended the National Pastoral Musicians Convention in Cincinnati, an event in its 40th year. To commemorate the anniversary a large bronze bell was cast. It sat prominently in the Grand Ballroom and called the attendees to prayer and plenum sessions. Unfortunately the convention has dropped attendance in the past few years, and…

Read More

The Assumption of Mary into Heaven

When Jesus ascended into heaven, he left his Church in a fragile state. Although all power in heaven and earth had been given to Jesus Christ, who in turn handed that power to his first disciples, the situation was far from what a CEO would want for a corporation. Fortunately Jesus’ mother Mary knew the…

Read More

Making Your Day Special

I’m starting a work week, and I hope there will be something special about the week. “Special” could happen unexpectedly, but often enough it means I have to create “special.” One way is to change my vision. An experiment I participated in recently proves this point. The audience was asked to introduce themselves to someone…

Read More

Does “Shelf Life” Dictate?

To some today, especially youth, many things have a one-year shelf life. Some need a new phone every year, for example, and the weekly “Business” section of the newspaper touts new brands and styles that suggest any former model is obsolete. Clothes hang idly in closets for fear someone saw us in the outfit last…

Read More

Pie

Recently four Sisters of Notre Dame from Germany visited our Sisters in the Toledo area. On their last evening before traveling on to the Cleveland area the sisters had dinner at one of the Sisters’ homes. The pork loin meal ended with raspberry pie. Although some of the German sisters spoke English, “pie” was not…

Read More

August Ripeness

August is here, time of ripeness, time of fullness, time of fulfillment. Plump red orbs on tomato vines. Bushels of zucchini. (“Please take some off my hands.”) Buttered sweet corn crackling under eager bites. Watermelon juice sticky on face and fingers. (“Anyone for a seed-spitting contest?”) Ripening peaches. Fresh cherries. Succulent, taste bud-tempting, glorious August–the…

Read More

A Teardrop on Each Leaf

The morning after a nighttime rain each leaf of a pin oak tree held a teardrop at its tip. The tree had become a chandelier of droplets. Often we think of rain in negative terms, such as “It’s raining on our picnic.” But there can be beauty after the rain. If today has “rain on…

Read More

Cheers!

During my annual retreat I started each day by taking a cup of coffee with me to the edge of a lake where I would sit for a while in reflective silence. One morning without any previous thought I lifted my cup and said “Cheers!” to God. Simultaneously I sensed God saying “Cheers!” to me.…

Read More

Christmas Is Coming

Just six months until Christmas Eve! Have you started your shopping? Today’s feast on the Church calendar is a solemnity—the Solemnity of the Nativity of Saint John the Baptist. John was the precursor of Jesus, the Messiah, so today looks toward the birth of Jesus. Today’s feast and Christmas were selected for their proximity to…

Read More