Browsing PARISH BLOG - INSPIRATION FOR THE WEEK
What is a Pilgrimage?
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 4/17/24
What is a Pilgrimage?
Question:
What is a pilgrimage? Why do people go on them?
Answer:
A pilgrimage is a spiritual journey to visit a holy site, such as the shrine of a saint, a place where the Blessed Virgin Mary has appeared, or an historic church or ... Read More »
(PRACTICING) CATHOLIC - RECOGNIZE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 4/17/24
(PRACTICING) CATHOLIC - RECOGNIZE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS
The Good Shepherd and the Wolf
I remember very clearly the first movie I watched during my pregnancy with my eldest child. In this film, there is a scene where a young boy is kidnapped and shoved into the ... Read More »
GOSPEL MEDITATION - ENCOURAGE DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF SCRIPTURE
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 4/17/24
GOSPEL MEDITATION - ENCOURAGE DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF SCRIPTURE
April 21, 2024, 4th Sunday of Easter
Recently I was with my little dog Libby at a retreat center in the Arizona desert. I sat in a chair near a ravine filled with shrubs. Unbeknownst to me, Libby wandered down ... Read More »
St. Andrew of Crete
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 4/04/24
St. Andrew of Crete
Short Bio
Biography St. Andrew of Crete (650-c.726) also known as St. Andrew of Jerusalem, was born in the Syrian city of Damascus to devout Christian parents. According to legend, he was mute until he was 7 years old and miraculously cured after he ... Read More »
(PRACTICING) CATHOLIC - RECOGNIZE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 4/04/24
(PRACTICING) CATHOLIC - RECOGNIZE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS
By Colleen Jurkiewicz Dorman
Written in the Wounds
For all the condemnation Thomas the Doubter has received in 2000 years of homilies, I think there’s something to admire in him.
Thomas is not unique. We all waver at some ... Read More »
GOSPEL MEDITATION - ENCOURAGE DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF SCRIPTURE
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 4/04/24
GOSPEL MEDITATION - ENCOURAGE DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF SCRIPTURE
April 7, 2024, 2nd Sunday of Easter (Sunday of Divine Mercy)
A protestant pastor friend of mine was invited to meet Pope Francis with a group of other pastors. He noticed the Pope’s chair was especially ornate and set at ... Read More »
EVERYDAY STEWARDSHIP - RECOGNIZE GOD IN YOUR ORDINARY MOMENTS
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 4/04/24
Eye Has Not Seen
They say seeing is believing. But if you’ve ever ordered a pair of pants online, you know that’s not always the case. Whatever the photos promise us, what looked like a perfectly nice shade of navy blue on our computer screens comes in the ... Read More »
Should a Catholic Pursue an Annulment?
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 4/04/24
Should a Catholic Pursue an Annulment?
Question: After a civil divorce, is a Catholic obligated to pursue an annulment?
Answer: Many Catholics are not exactly sure what an annulment does. An annulment does not deny that a marriage took place, nor does it deny that there once was ... Read More »
GOSPEL MEDITATION - ENCOURAGE DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF SCRIPTURE
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 3/30/24
March 31, 2024, Easter Sunday of the Resurrection of the Lord
Outside Chicago, there is a small cemetery in the woods behind Mundelein Seminary, where I was a student. One night I was exploring it. I looked up and was shocked to see an imposing seventeen-foot angel towering ... Read More »
Spiritual Communion
Posted by Lenny Ricciardelli on 3/30/24
Spiritual Communion
Question:
What is spiritual communion, and do you need to be in a state of grace to receive it?
Answer:
The practice of making a “spiritual communion” dates back several centuries and St. Thomas Aquinas described it as “an ardent desire to receive Jesus in the Holy ... Read More »