In the 1850s, Western Pennsylvania was a vast wilderness that was quickly swelling its numbers through immigration from Europe. Roman Catholics who arrived on our shores received little spiritual shepherding due to a shortage of clergy and vowed religious. Bishop Michael O’Connor had the responsibility…
Author: Dana Robinson
A Light on the Narragansett
Does anyone else wonder where surnames have gone? Today it seems that no one has, or at least uses, his last name. The practice of addressing a stranger by his first name – regardless of his age or ‘station in life’ (to use a superannuated…
Santuario Della Beata Vergine Di Pompeii (The Shrine of Our Lady Pompeii)
The designation ‘Catholic’ as it relates to the Church was first used by Saint Ignatius of Antioch around the year 110 A.D. in a letter to the nascent Church in Smyrna. By that time the seeds planted by the Apostles and St. Paul had sprouted…
The image of a grass eating bull
On that wondrous night two millennia ago what did it signify, that jubilant cry of the heavenly host when, announcing the birth of the Savior, they sang “Glory to God in highest”? What is glory? What has it to do with God? How does one…
University of Mary
The University of Mary is a private, Christian, Catholic, Benedictine university that welcomes students of all faiths and backgrounds. Infusing Benedictine values throughout the educational experience, Mary offers distinguished, professionally focused academic programs enlivened by the liberal arts, global and civic service, robust internships, and…
The Reign of Error
Either because of or in spite of having so many children the man who raised my siblings and me rarely expressed annoyance. His two pet-peeves which I recall were the abuse of the first person pronoun in that grammatical aberration: “between you and I” and…
Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi
The Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi is the oldest Franciscan congregation founded in the United States. Since arriving from Bavaria in 1849, the Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi have been a loving and powerful force for change. With trust in the Providence of…
They disguised their circumcision
As the turbulent calendar year 2020 draws to a close many in our nation this Thanksgiving will be thinking twice about what blessings there are for which to be grateful. Rampant violence, the pandemic, lockdowns, economic duress, et ceteracertainly call into question our national wellbeing.…
“Awokening” or “Awakening”
Was there ever a time when there was no time? To contemplate this oxymoron – addressed by St. Augustine in his City of God – is to bring to mind our belief that in some mysterious way all of us are in God’s hands. Perhaps…
Holy Family Hospital of Bethlehem Foundation
Faten’s Story Faten, a Palestinian social worker from Gaza, was 33 weeks pregnant with twins when she traveled to Bethlehem to attend a training course. Upon her arrival to Bethlehem, Faten suddenly found herself in preterm labor. As the only hospital in the region capable…