Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Eugenie Smet

Note: To observe the Jubilee Year of Mercy (which runs through November 20), for several weeks I featured women who exemplify one of the corporal or spiritual works of mercy. Today we wrap up with pray for the living and the dead. The Basics: Born March 25, 1823, in France; died February 7, 1871, in France;… Continue reading Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Eugenie Smet

Returning Catholics FAQs: About Purgatory

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 ministry.… Continue reading Returning Catholics FAQs: About Purgatory

St. Lidwina of Schiedam: 2014 Daily Lenten Reflections

St. Lidwina of Schiedam was born April 18, 1380, in the Netherlands and died on this date in 1433.  One winter day, the teenager went skating with a friend and fell on the ice so hard that she broke a rib. That was the beginning of pain and illness that would wrack Lidwina’s body for the… Continue reading St. Lidwina of Schiedam: 2014 Daily Lenten Reflections