Category: Articles
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The World Meeting of Families: A Catholic Conference
Day 1 A Catholic Conference In my professional career, I attend lots of conferences.  I have attended conferences that had over 100,000 attendees, Networld/Interop was held in Las Vegas because it was the only city in the United States that had enough hotel rooms to house everyone, it also has not just one but many large…
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Just Getting There is an Adventure
An Arduous Journey Initially when we planned to attend the World Meeting of Families, we intended to take our time getting up to Pennsylvania, but then we were asked to speak at a parish event in the Austin area related to the World Meeting of Families. Â How could we resist? Â So we said yes, then…
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We’re on a Pilgrimage!
What is a Pilgrimage? A pilgrimage is a spiritual journey to a destination of religious significance. It is not a vacation, but a quest for deeper faith. The pilgrimage is more than just the destination, it begins as soon as you leave the comfort of your home and your normal routine. A pilgrimage can include…
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Joyfully Visiting the Sick
Our Time on This Earth is Short There can be joy in the dying process. I remember my reaction when my father was diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. It was significantly different from the other times I had experienced the loss of a loved one. In the past, I felt somewhat devastated and every fiber…
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Learning To Love During Death
It’s Hard to Grow Closer to Someone you Know is Going to Die I grew up in a loving family, we were very service oriented — giving of our time, talent, and treasure to help those in need. My parents constantly set an example, to show love in everything you do; give of yourself to…
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The Gift of Grandparents
Today would have been my maternal Grandmother’s 107th birthday. We affectionately called her “Maw Maw”, but we spelled it Mama. When I give talks on my personal walk of faith, Mama is always talked about. I attribute the reason why I am a committed Catholic to her personal witness of faith and fervent and constant prayers…
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The Foundation of the Family
After almost 22 years of parenting, we have tried just about everything, encountered just about every struggle and have learned a lot from others about what it takes to have a happy holy family. This year Denae and I will celebrate 25 years of marriage. What a great gift the past 25 years have been…
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Love Will Win The Culture War
… One Family at a Time I believe that the cultural battles today are a direct result of a lack of joy-filled families. The scourge of abortion, declining birth rates, increasing divorce rates, and a pervasive hedonistic lifestyle can all be traced to a breakdown of the family. According to Blessed John Paul II in Familiaris…
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May Quick Update
The last few weeks our family has been too busy with activities related to aging parents who need special attention to allow for me to post our weekly article. In fact it has been almost one month since my last post. I have written about the dangers of being too busy and over the last…
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It’s All About Attitude
Attitude, we all have one. Our approach to a person, situation or event usually has a great influence on how it will turn out for us and everyone else involved. One bad attitude can wreck an entire party. The same thing can happen within our homes. There is one chapter in the book Arms of…