Returning Catholics FAQs: Where’s Mary?

On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of  When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics, a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this… Continue reading Returning Catholics FAQs: Where’s Mary?

On the Nightstand: August 2016

A friend and I went to lunch recently with a priest friend, who brought along two books from, as he put it with a twinkle in his eyes, “My very small lending library.” He lent my friend a Thomas Merton work, as they’re both huge fans. Me, I got John O’Donohue’s Conamara Blues. I’m not… Continue reading On the Nightstand: August 2016

Loving the Strays

Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there. When I returned to the Catholic Church after thirty-three years, I loved today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 18: “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of… Continue reading Loving the Strays

Sinking in the Moment

Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there. I read somewhere recently that men are more likely to find God in the moment while women are more likely to go back and look at past crises… Continue reading Sinking in the Moment