Those Catholic Men

Wake Up!

Wake Up! I set the alarm late in order to sleep in, but my internal alarm harbors other intentions. I wake at the normal time but not in my normal, well-rested manner. Instead, I am panting from a dream of running across a church parking lot that is packed with cars. I’m frantically searching for my own [....

Hallowed Ground: A Reflection on the Life of Sister Dorothy Stang

Hallowed Ground: A Reflection on the Life of Sister Dorothy Stang The death of my sister calls me home to Ohio. The week of her funeral, I find myself driving down the country road to my brother’s farm, the one on which four generations of our family were raised. My mood is somber, but my spirit is buoyed by the faith that resides in the loam […]

Ash Wednesday

Ash Wednesday The voice of hospital receptionist sounded concerned. “His name is Angel.” She was calling to inform me that a family was requesting my presence at the bedside of a man who did not have long to live. It was Ash Wednesday. I was filling-in for a vacationing pastor, so I checked the Mass schedule,...

A Mower named "Tuff"

A Mower named "Tuff" I cease yanking the pull cord on my push mower to catch my breath. Gas fumes waft in the air. “No, Tuff! Don’t kick the bucket today!” It is mid-November and the last time I’ll need to mow the lawn. “Just one pass, pal.” I glance at a swath of grass beyond the mole hills, then […]