I’ve scaled back on participating in book reviews and blog tours, primarily because I want to safeguard my holy leisure reading time for whatever the current book is for Well-Read Mom. But when I received the request to participate in the blog tour for The Kiss of Jesus by Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle, my intuition told […]
5 Steps to Embracing Natural Family Planning
Editor’s Note: In honor of Natural Family Planning Awareness Week, welcome back Renee McGuire to The Practicing Catholic. Read Part 1 of Renee’s testimony 6 Things I’ve Learned Since Dumping the Pill. * * * Once we removed the pill from our marriage, my husband and I experienced healing we didn’t know we needed. This truly was a […]
One Couple’s Story: The Moral Shipwreck of In Vitro Fertilization
The desire to have a family leaves couple stranded with a moral dilemma Editor’s Note: In 1987 the Sacred Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under the direction of Pope Blessed John Paul II and prefect Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), issued a document known as Donum Vitae (“The Gift of Life”). […]
God’s Plan for Parenthood (Part 2)
In honor of Natural Family Planning Awareness Week, please once again welcome contributing author Renee McGuire to The Practicing Catholic. Renee and husband Kerry are fellow parishioners at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in West Des Moines, IA, where they also teach NFP classes. Part 1 of their story appeared yesterday. Pick-up from Part 1. […]
The Pope of the People ‘Album Release Party’
An unusual musical project takes another step forward this Saturday, June 25th, at Divine Treasures Book Store in Des Moines, Iowa. The Pope of the People, the John Paul II Musical, will be released in CD and DVD formats at a party to take place from 10 AM to 2 PM, CDT. Some of JPII’s favorite […]
We Survived the Beatification (Part 2)!
Read We Survived the Beatification (Part 1) first. Before we all got separated, our pilgrimage guide Mountain Butorac (The Catholic Traveler) had encouraged us to keep to the right (left in the photo). Initially, this seemed like a huge mistake. Not only did we get split up, but the crowd swept us into a portico outside […]
We Survived the Beatification (Part 1)!
It was Day One of our pilgrimage. After seeing some of the major sites of Rome, we went out for dinner as a group. But on the way back to our hotel, things changed. Around 11:00 PM while going around the streets blocked off for the 1 million plus people expected to cram the streets […]
Beatification Update #1
2:00 a.m. – Sitting outside Saint Peter’s Square with, oh, probably at least a million others waiting for the beatification Mass for Pope John Paul. The crowd, comprised of people all over the world, is energized and eager. We are blessed to be here, witnessing this moment in history. More updates to come as events […]
Seven Quick Takes Friday (vol. 10)
~ 1 ~ The Pope of the People: The John Paul II musical opened last weekend in Des Moines. As I’ve written about a good deal lately, I have a role in the production, and it’s been amazing — one of the most uplifting musical experiences I have ever been involved with. But don’t just […]