For many years I have been privileged to be a member of the writing team which has contributed to this column, always under the banner headline of “Herald of Hope.”
The “heralds” are in fact many within our Catholic community of southeastern Wisconsin, certainly far more numerous than the few authors of this weekly column in our Catholic Herald over the years! Every one of us as members of Christ’s Body, the church, is a herald of hope.
As we approach Christmas, we are again bombarded with the usual Christmas stories. For the children there is “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” finding his niche as a directional signal, or “The Night Before Christmas,” enkindling the excitement of Old St. Nick.
For the adults there is George Bailey discovering “It’s a Wonderful Life” (“To my big brother George, the richest man in town.”) and, of course, there is the timeless favorite, Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol,” in which Mr. Scrooge will be visited by the three spirits of Christmas – past, present and future.
During the season of Advent we deepen our sense of God as King of the Universe and Lord of History. [...]
It seems that even before the last piece of leftover turkey is digested and the taste of the pumpkin pie [...]
As the holidays approach, we look forward to many family gatherings. Thanksgiving and Christmas are occasions for going to Grandma’s [...]
Thanksgiving is one of those national celebrations that breaks down barriers and calls us to recognize our unity instead of [...]
For Catholics the month of November has traditionally been a time to remember the poor souls. It is the season to realize that in Christ we are destined for life with God forever, that virtually every human being requires some purification in order to be fully embraced by God’s loving mercy and that we are bound together in Christ by the mystery we call the “Communion of Saints.”
Four events experienced recently have highlighted this wonderful mystery of our faith in a new way for me this year.
Chances are either you or a loved one has been in the hospital at sometime during the last 10 years. [...]
Oct. 18, 2010 This morning’s formal announcement that the Holy Father has accepted my resignation from my administrative responsibilities as [...]
As a boy growing up in a Catholic culture, I always found the Gospel passage about the healing of Peter’s [...]