“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father’s will …. Fear not, therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:29-31).

Mary hummed as she beat…

Now that the election is over, one of the most chilling prospects of the future administration is the president-elect’s determination to sign the “Freedom of Choice Act” (FOCA). The implications of this — both financial and moral — are staggering,…

Watching Shadowlands with my husband one evening, I was struck by a line in the marriage vows of C.S. Lewis and American poet Joy Davidman: “With my body, I thee worship.” It was the declaration of a man and woman,…

I recently came across this article from ABC News (http://www.localnews8.com/Global/story.asp?S=9163584&nav=menu554_2_3), about an adoptive mother who has been sentenced to fifteen years in prison for the March 2008 death of her 14-month-old son, who had Down syndrome. The family had adopted little…

“How did you and your husband decide to become foster parents?” It’s a question people frequently ask me when they discover we foster-adopted our two children. Most often, their tone indicates that we have done something extraordinary, even heroic.

In reality,…

My birthday present to myself this year was a membership to Curves. I love their approach — 30 minutes (twice around a preset circuit), three times a week, in an environment where there are no oglers or “Barbie” types, decent…

The late, great Pope John Paul II proclaimed the family the “domestic church.” Within the loving embrace of family, strengthened by the sacraments of the Church and guided by her teachings, we receive the graces we need to make it…

July 25, 2008 marks the 40th anniversary of one of the most eloquent and (in some circles) controversial of encyclicals, Humanae Vitae. Penned by Pope Paul VI shortly after the convocation of the Second Vatican Council, this letter examined the…

Two weeks ago my friend Sarah and I loaded our four kids into the van and drove twelve hours to Atlanta to attend the Catholic New Media Celebration… and to meet an extraordinary group of writers face-to-face for the first…

If May is for mothers, June is the month we think of our fathers. Fathers who gave us life, and who later taught us to ride a two-wheeler and a stick-shift. Fathers who tested the mettle of boyfriends (and steered…