St. Joseph's Day pasta
But as St. John Paul II said, St. Joseph was more than “a just man and tireless worker.”
The Candlemas Connection
Mark the holiday on Feb. 2 with French Crêpes
German Advent cookies are a labor of love
This fall, my husband and I hosted our first-ever Oktoberfest gathering, which i...
Discovering the cross with sweet-smelling basil
Both the sign of the cross and this sweet-smelling herb help us uncover the true cross of Christ
Blessed Fruit on the Feast of the Assumption
The ancient blessing on the Feast of the Assumption reminds us to pause and be grateful
Take ‘heart’ in knowing Jesus loves you
Strawberries and Prayer help you share the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus with your family this June
A dessert fit for a May crowning
A daughter's spontaneous May crowning is a reminder of Mary's beauty and the beginning of a tasty tradition
We can’t live on bread alone … but try this bruschetta
A batch of Tuscan bruschetta with tomatoes celebrates St. Catherine of Siena
There are shortcuts in cooking, but not in faith
On the weekends my kids usually request waffles for breakfast. Not the easy ones...
A Wrinkle in Time
What was the best thing about playing the part of Meg?
What part of her chara...
Creating an appetite for faith
We recently hosted dinner for two of our parish priests, and in the minutes befo...
A recipe leads to Fatima
A short time ago, I met up with a couple of friends for coffee at a small café, ...
Easter lessons for kids
My daughter once asked me, “Mom, what is the best thing that’s ever happened to ...
Fishing for answers
My child asks me if lobster are fish. I say no, they are crustaceans.
He asks...
Enjoy authentic paczki before observing Lent
A year ago, on the eve of Fat Tuesday, I came across a table full of assorted bo...
Anticipating the birth of Jesus with a Jesse tree
A few years ago, I remember going through my 7-year-old son’s backpack and findi...
Giving thanks for the present
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself (Mt 6:34)
...
Slow-cooker chili to break a fast
More than ever, there is a great need for healing in our world. So much so that ...
Michaelmas blackberry crisp
In Ireland and the UK, since the Middle Ages, tradition and folklore have surrou...
Celebrating a selfless Polish priest
“No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends.” (...
‘Get the lead out’ food to fight lead exposure
For a community that has already faced many challenges, Flint’s residents are no...
A Mary Garden - simple and symbolic
May is an exciting time of year for my husband and me. Summer is around the corn...
Keep the Easter flame alive in your home
I love candles. They symbolize life, love and celebration. And I love burning th...
The feast goes on
A typical Easter Sunday during my childhood included attending Mass with my fami...
The recipe for Catholic Education
I remember one day during lunch duty at the kids’ school, I saw a plate of dark ...
Proclaiming the Good News artfully
I can’t speak for everyone, but personally, I find that sharing the faith is not...
Holy enough to forgive: Human enough for a sweet tooth
The life of Pope St. John Paul II is well documented in photos and video, and I ...
Liberating mercy
Mercy. It is lovely and precious when we receive it. It can be arduous and chall...
Making the case for a Rosary
A year before I met my husband, I had hit a low point in my life. I was feeling ...
A tall stack of hospitality
To harbor the harborless is a corporal work of mercy that simply means to provid...
Why not donate something new?
Laundry is at the top of my list of most daunting household chores. But there ar...
Serving up Dignity
When it comes to feeding the hungry, I think of our neighboring soup kitchens an...
Treasures of faith: An Advent project
This last year, we were blessed with a new addition to our family. It was very u...
Seasoned with sharing
The impulse to share can start at a young age. I’ll never forget the one day my ...
Words that help us mind our words
"…Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, w...
Stolen French bread and fine silverware
Les Miserables reminds us that no possession is worth more than the opportunity to save a soul
A recipe for all seasons
The news lately seems filled with stories about situations in which religious in...
Maybe Mom was right - Developing a taste for Brussels sprouts and God’s laws
For the longest time, Brussels sprouts have gotten a bad rap. We are haunted by ...
Rediscover Sunday, family time, and POTROAST
The rediscovery of this day [Sunday] is a grace which we must implore, not only ...
Lighting the way of the cross
I’ll never forget the time back in high school when my dad put the kibosh on my ...
DAILY BREAD for the body and spirit
During the holidays, we can be prone to overindulging between Christmas and New ...
Hecho en México
Celebrate the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe with this delicious Mexican cho...
European seeds, American harvest
Thanksgiving is one of the most purely and authentically American of holidays. O...
Something to offer
Jesus loves the poor. Scripture doesn’t just mention that fact; it repeats it ov...
A display of support
"Behind and prior to every vocation to the priesthood or the consecrated life th...
Selfish or shellfish?
I never used to like seafood. Particularly shellfish. Extra-particularly, raw sh...
A little change for a malt
Every day after school, at pick-up, I ask my kindergartener the same question as...
A prayer for battle
Just a few months before our wedding, my husband and I attended a retreat for en...
A real American hero
Americans love to root for the home team. We celebrate our nation’s historical h...
ReADVENTing a calendar
When I was a child, I was given one of those chocolate Advent calendars. It was ...
Leftovers redeemed
A year ago, I prepared a last minute Thanksgiving feast for my husband, kids and...
Nobility for Christ
A Message of HOPE
Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you ...
Imagine a young man of noble birth living in the early 16th century...
Imagine a young man of noble birth living in the early 16th century in the pictu...
Faith the size of a mustard seed potato salad
The Lord replied, “If you had faith like a mustard seed you could say to this mu...
Growing in faith
I’ll never forget the day when, newly married, I walked into my kitchen and foun...
Sweet mercy
It was a cold and dreary April day. Easter Sunday had come and gone. I was feeli...
Meatless Variety
It seems there are many Catholics who groan during Lenten Fridays. Is it really ...
Poletown pierogies
During my college years, I would, from time to time, work off-campus at a diner ...
A light for us all
Christmas is great. Winter is not. Outside of the excitement for the holidays, m...
Eat and be Mary
Now it came to pass, as they went, that he entered into a certain town: and a ce...
A feast fit for a priest - Chicken piccata with mushrooms
The older I get, the more I realize the value, sacrifice and contributions of th...
A blessing for the home
It happened in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was bapti...
The dish on working together
As a wife and mom, I find that sacrifice can be broken down into two categories....
A Polish Easter
I laugh when I think back to the times my neighbor and I would take long walks t...
Remembering a shepherd
Imagine entering a hostile land filled with savage people. You know but a few wo...
What I learned from a pretzel
I will never forget the afternoon God spoke to me through the Google search engi...
An Advent’urous design
For several Advents now, I have felt that I should observe the tradition of usin...
Once upon a time
Albert Einstein once said, “The only reason for time is so that everything doesn...
Sundae School
It’s funny what we remember from school. I’ll never forget the poster that hung ...
From recliner to remembering
Let’s face it, a reclining chair is a man’s greatest treasure. There’s just no p...
Will evangelize for food
Have you ever considered how dining together can break down walls? The meal, as ...
Managing God’s Gifts – a stewardship journal
Since birth, my 4-year-old daughter has been quiet, independent, sweet and easy ...
Got milk? Got a date? Tres Leches Cake
Having met my husband through an online Catholic dating network, there is often ...
Starry Night Christmas Punch
It’s the official drink of the “Please join us for refreshments after Mass” Cath...
Make leftovers gourmet rice and potato soup
I recently had the displeasure of deep-cleaning my fridge and finding a couple o...
Good to the last leaf
Most moms struggle with the daily dinnertime trauma of getting their kids to eat...
Jesus vs. the Easter Bunny
A recent trip to Target made me rethink bringing my 2-year-old son anywhere just...
From fat to frugal
Fat Tuesday has really developed a name for itself. Spring break and the New Orl...
Christmas recycled - what to do with all those cards
Every January, it happens. I collect the beautifully illustrated Christmas cards...
Soup that’s a work of art – one of God’s simple blessings
One crisp, autumn evening, I decided to make some of my homemade butternut squas...
Frame of faith
I remember getting scolded by my grandmother at a very young age for what she co...
Irish roots
I discovered quite a bit on my recent trip to Ireland. First, traveling overseas...
Cathedral cookies for Christmas
I’ll never forget that first day of being away from home when I went to college....
Irish roots
I discovered quite a bit on my recent trip to Ireland. First, traveling overseas...
A tisket, a tasket
Not long ago, a friend of mine was sharing how down she was feeling. She was pon...
Good-cheer smoothie
One hot summer day, my husband David came into the house with an ice-cold smooth...
St. Peter's Fish pronto
It’s Saturday evening and I reach into the fridge for last night’s leftovers to ...
Imagery that's good
As a relatively new mom, I am growing more and more sensitive to the corrosive e...
Hearty soup to honor a strong man
Lent is upon us, and I once again have that $64,000 question on my mind: What al...
Points in heaven versus pounds on hips
If you belong to a gym or fitness center like I do, you’ve probably noticed the ...
A candle for remembering
With Thanksgiving and Christmas around the corner, it’s hard not to get caught u...
Thank you for that really important gift
In the last year and a half, I have received generous gifts for two wedding show...
Light up your summer nights with Luminaria
In January, I attended a prayer service for Sanctity of Human Life Sunday at my ...
Meatloaf? Grilled cheese?
There are a number of different true miracles that have been recorded in history...
Soup for the soul
Let’s face it. We have all experienced times when we’ve been mid-burger at the f...
A tasty tradition
Shortly after my parents got engaged, my father was sent to Vietnam. During his ...
Fighting evil with prayer
During the last months and years, evil has been in the news. War, terrorism, hum...
What would Jesus eat?
It would appear as if the low-carb diet phenomenon has finally started to wane.
...
Shoes for St. Nick
It’s easy amid the commercialization of the Christmas season to forget that Sant...
Dresser ministry
In Nancy Kujawa’s opinion, a pregnant woman without means shouldn’t have to go w...
Mother's Day devotion
What do you do to honor your mother on Mother’s Day? Do you take her out for a n...
Flowers of faith
Have you ever seen a statue of Mary standing in a flower bed in somebody’s yard?...
Meatless meals
From the dawn of Christianity, Friday has been set aside as a day of abstinence ...
Prayer nook
Ever watch those home improvement shows on TV – the ones where a team of profess...
Nativity sets
I’ve always been a bit boastful about my family’s nativity set. Made of sturdy w...
Blessed biscotti
What do a modern-day professor from Canada and a 13th-century saint from Italy h...
The legend of St. Anthony’s Bread
Ever hear the phrase “St. Anthony’s Bread”? If you have, you probably associate ...
Hot cross buns and Easter egg bread - Easter favorites
Hot cross buns! Hot cross buns!
One a penny,
Two a penny,
Hot cross bun...
St. Joseph’s table
Legend has it that St. Joseph – patron of fathers, carpenters, social justice, a...
Christmas isn’t over: celebrate Epiphany
Spain: Children in Spain celebrate the day the Three Wise Men visited the newbor...
How to make a rosary out of roses
On Dec. 9, 1531, an Aztec Indian was making his way to Mass past the hill of Tep...
Comfort food
From Comforting Foods: Feel Good Recipes from America’s Great Chefs.
You don’...
Flaming foods put us in the spirit of the Holy Spirit
Among the symbols of the Holy Spirit which are mentioned in the Bible – e.g., clouds and light, water and fire – perhaps the most enduring of these is fire.
The simple act of making and breaking bread
The first Wednesday in February can be bone chilling outside. But inside, in the...
Palm Weaving
What do you do with the fronds you bring home from Palm Sunday Mass?
Place th...
Christening customs
Making plans to celebrate the baptism of your child? One of the first things you...
Family tree tips – rooted in faith
Besides the family members you grew up with and those you’ve heard tales of arou...
Loading up then open up
Ask anyone who lives here and they’ll tell you that Michigan is still the motor ...
Souvenirs of sanctity
From time to time everyone thinks of “remembrance” as a part of life that in some special way seems to elude us.
Passover seder – a great way to connect o Jesus’ story
Celebrating a seder meal can really bring our Catholic celebration of the Euchar...
Take a coffee break that really revives
This Lent, change your coffee routine around a bit by adding a couple of spoonfu...
Tomorrow, we fast – today, we eat
While Ash Wednesday marks a somber day of fasting and reflection beginning the L...
Celebrate your second birthday every year
“Wade in the water, wade in the water children. Wade in the water, don’t you kno...
How candles, cookies and closeness can add up to Christmas
Symbolism of the Advent Wreath
The wreath, a circle, expresses God’s unending...
Three family favorites – one common ingredient – Tradition
“Who must know the way to make a proper home, a quiet home, a kosher home? Who m...
Wear your faith
How to Pray a Rosary Bracelet
1 Hold Crucifix and pray:
The Sign of the Cr...
The eternal flame of summer – grilling
“We didn’t start the fire It was always burning, Since the world’s been turning....
Potted perennials with a purpose
Planting flowers on Memorial Day is one way we can remember our loved ones. Our ...
A basket of blessings
What is ham and kielbasa doing in an Easter basket?
Well, ham and kielbasa, a...