Spirituality

The parishes I serve in southern Door and Kewaunee counties in Wisconsin are surrounded by bodies of water. One is close to the Bay of Green Bay, off which, many of my parishioners live. The other is situated closer to Lake Michigan. In my…

John isn’t exactly a funny name to us but when St. John the Baptist was born, his relatives were scratching their heads over it. “Where did that come from? Nobody else in the family has that name.” “Elizabeth dear, shouldn’t the boy be…

Did Jesus really rise from the dead — or was it just a lovely story devised by his disciples to keep his teachings alive?  St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain” (1 Corinthians 15:17). If it…

It is not just Star Wars which works well in trilogies (depending on the trilogy, at least). Dante, not one to leave his readers waiting in purgatory, completes the Divine Comedy with an expedition through heaven. Having seen the damned…

After having the benefit of 2,000 years of Christianity, we sometimes take the teachings of the Gospel for granted. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in…

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the third part of a nine-part series in which Fr. Dwight Longenecker examines the conflicts of the 16th century through its main players. Each article connects with contemporary Church life, showing the origin of the…

EDITOR'S NOTE: This is the second part of a nine-part series in which Fr. Dwight Longenecker examines the conflicts of the 16th century through its main players. Each article connects with contemporary Church life, showing the origin of the…

From the nation of Armenia, in the darkest hours before the dawn, shines this tale of pure friendship. Polyeuctus (died 259) was a soldier in the service of Rome. Closer to him than a blood brother was his comrade in arms, Nearchus. In a…

In the northern part of the United States this is the season when mortality is on the mind. Leaves fall, the harvest is gathered, and nature retreats in anticipation of the deathly stillness of winter. With the Church’s annual…

When you read about the Eastern Rite saints who lived under Roman persecution, you might wonder if they were really as heroic as their biographers say they were. It was so long ago. Maybe people are exaggerating. Then you look at their…