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Finding Unity in a Divided World

A simple map for living is why St. Francis is still listened to and followed today in our fractious and divided world. What he teaches, if lived out, brings joy, which is the result of union with God who lives with us and within all of creation. God lives in creation but is also apart from creation as its Creator who existed before the existence of the universe. St. Francis’s teachings, then, become both a theology and a way of living.

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Sisterhood of Saints: Kateri Tekakwitha

Kateri Tekakwitha, called the “Lily of the Mohawks,” had virtually no traditional family support on her Christian journey. By some reports, her Algonquin mother was a Christian, educated by French missionaries. 

However, before her mother, father, or baby brother could have much influence on the four-year-old’s life, all of them died of smallpox. The disease also left the child with facial scarring and partially blind. It was because of the latter that she became known as Tekakwitha—“she who bumps into things.”

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two doors

Saints Next Door

It’s easy to view saints as distant, historical figures that we can only try to imitate. Pope Francis encourages us to consider as examples the quietly holy people in our lives who inspire us to a deeper spiritual life.

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US Veterans

St. Francis and US Veterans

In Assisi, there’s a statue of St. Francis like no other. There’s no tonsure, no brown robe, no birds, no halo. Many visitors and pilgrims don’t at first recognize this bronze of an armored soldier on his horse as the saint at all.

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Cupcakes Broken and Shared

This month, we are entering a time of year that is very focused on food and togetherness first Thanksgiving, then Christmas. It is in that spirit that I am writing this column. But this gathering of food and friends wasn’t tied to any big holiday. No, it happened on a random Saturday night.

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God the Warrior?

Our faith teaches that peace overrides force. In the Old Testament, however, there are passages that describe how God cleared a path for the Hebrew people through war and displacement of other people and cultures. Isn’t that a contradiction?

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Can Laypeople Give Blessings?

Can someone give a blessing to a sick friend, or a birthday blessing, a blessing at a meal, or on other occasions? Does the person need the permission of the local bishop?

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