All Posts

I was sitting on a bench on the beautiful lawn behind our convent. It was Labor Day and I realized that it wasn’t a time for reading, which I had intended to do, but a time for reflecting. It was on a Labor Day many years ago that I walked up the front sidewalk of St. Francis Convent, opened the door and stepped inside, beginning my journey into religious life. Read More

When the priest entered our chapel to begin Mass, wearing a green vestment, it signaled something to us. The Church had returned to Ordinary Time. Having completed the seven weeks of Easter, during which we celebrated the Lord’s Resurrection, mourned the death of Pope Francis, rejoiced in the election of Pope Leo, prepared for the coming of the Holy Spirit, and then focused on wind, light, and fire as we reached the climax of the Easter season, the great feast of Pentecost, we were suddenly jolted back into the time when we simply number the weeks as we remember the events in Jesus’ public life. Read More

One of the joys of the approaching Easter season is the fun of watching children search for things that are hidden. They race through the yard, looking for Easter eggs hidden in the bushes or behind a tree. Inside the house they chase from room to room, trying to find their Easter baskets, hidden in a closet or behind a couch. What delight they express when those special items are found. Read More

One of the highlights of the Christmas season was upon us, the feast of Epiphany. As I contemplated the beauty of my Nativity scene, with the colorful lights surrounding it, the phone rang. Read More

As I walked into the building to begin my first evening of teaching religion to middle school students, I felt a sense of awe. During the previous spring I had moved to our convent in Green Bay, and now I was about to engage in ministry in the first place in which our Sisters had taught, over 150 years ago. Somehow their spirit seemed to envelope this old school, a spirit of dedication and self-sacrifice, a spirit of commitment and perseverance in face of the many challenges those Sisters confronted in bringing the Word of God to people living in the wilderness of Wisconsin. Read More

On the front cover of some greeting cards that I recently purchased at a retreat house are two pictures of a very old tree that stands on the premises. It has lost most of its limbs and its trunk is almost completely hollow. Located on the edge of the lake, it has endured the force of the wind through many storms. One picture was taken in the winter, when the branches were bare, and another in the summer when, amazingly, the branches were covered with bright green leaves. Read More

Recently our pastor shared the story of how he bought a new bumper sticker for his car. It said: “Slow down. Chill out. Enjoy the ride.” He was hoping that irritated drivers behind him, anxious to get somewhere fast, would read the message and calm down. Apparently that bumper sticker wasn’t too effective, and Father Joe has since removed it. Read More

Many people, even lifelong Catholics, wrongly assume that Ash Wednesday is a holy day of obligation;    it’s not, but more of a “holy day of invitation.”  Read More

One of the first things I do when Advent begins is get my CD with George Handel’s musical masterpiece, “The Messiah”, and insert it into the player in my car. I listen to it as I drive throughout the season. My favorite part is when the soloist proclaims the words from the prophet Isaiah: “O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into a high mountain ...." and concludes with the words, “Behold your God.” Read More

I was getting very excited; it was the beginning of a new school year and I was going to be teaching a seventh grade religion class. However, my enthusiasm was quickly deflated when, on the evening of our open house, a boy indicated that he was not looking forward to being in my class. After some prodding from his mother, he accepted the little gift that I had bought for each student. Read More