Sometime ago I wrote in this column about Saint Francis Xavier School located near the Art Museum in Philadelphia. Founded in 1845 it is now one of the oldest continually operating Catholic schools in the western hemisphere. In this current school year, it serves 206…
Author: Dana Robinson
Straight and narrow, but colorless?
A few mornings ago my wife and I were admiring the activity outside our kitchen window. It was a lovely winter scene. In a snowy background an assortment of birds were feasting on the safflower seeds which frequently fill their feeders. We were mesmerized by…
To decide or to discern
Our twenty-month-old grandson was born 153 years after the birth of my grandfather. The term ‘Catholic education’ means different things to different people. For the majority of us in this country Catholic education refers to the parochial school system which in 1884 the U.S. bishops…
Pasturing in catacombs
Today on National Public Radio the dean of the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C. was interviewed. The first ‘same-sex marriage’ was or was about to be performed at that cathedral.
The Tragedy in Newtown
Following is the homily preached by Father Bernard A. Healey on Sunday, the Third Sunday of Advent. Father Healey is pastor of Our Lady of Mercy parish in East Greenwich, Rhode Island.
My Vocation Story
My name is Sarah Golden and I grew up as the oldest child in a large Catholic homeschooling family. I have always loved God’s creation, from my family’s pets, goats and horse to the wildflowers which fill the woods around our house. I also love…
Poverty and Ignorance
Here’s a story that will delight you fathers with daughters possessing intelligence superior to your own. On Thanksgiving my daughter, a recently minted medical doctor, and I visited someone in the hospital. I was grateful for her presence for in addition to comforting the patient…
Christ the Monarch?
Somewhat jarring, isn’t it? Just days away from the end of the liturgical year when we celebrate the feast of Christ the King to hear this aberration is somewhat odd. The repetition of names can result in a situation where familiarity trumps significance. When we…
Evangelizing power
Earlier this week, I was struck by a line which appeared in an obituary a eulogist wrote for a friend who had died unexpectedly. Addressing his remarks to his deceased companion he wrote: “In a world alarmingly adrift, a world hungry for good news and…
The gentleman saint
The annual Red Mass for the Diocese of Wilmington was celebrated earlier this week. The celebrant was our bishop, Bishop Francis Malooly, and with him around the altar were numerous priests, deacons and altar servers. As has been the case for the past 25 years,…