I have just returned refreshed and renewed in spirit from a pilgrimage to a place once described by our Blessed Mother as "this wild country" - the National Shrine of Our Lady of Good Help.
We pulled up to my childhood home in the middle of the night, the Wisconsin green shrouded in darkness. I immediately sensed all the summers of my childhood in the dim stillness as the screen door squeaked shut behind us. Whispering, I led five of my desert-dwelling children upstairs to the bedrooms, each step groaning with a familiar creak in the century-old bungalow.
The original Portiuncula is located within the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels in Assisi (Wikicommons)On the Franciscan calendar, August 2nd marks a very special Marian feast day, one which commemorates the remarkable connection between Our Lady of the Angels and Saint Francis of Assisi. The story behind this connection is well worth telling.
The following blog was submitted Nancy B. Mann, Ph.D., a fan of Women of Grace radio who listens to our show every day. She recently had a very disconcerting experience at her gynecologist’s office that revealed the secularism that dominates women’s reproductive health care in the U.S. and generously shares that experience with us here.
After accepting and even celebrating Humanae Vitae and its teachings about love and marriage, in this third part of the series, Deacon Pat discusses options for couples and explains the harm that can be done to both families and society when God’s plan for the creation of life is disobeyed.
Humanae Vitae had me at “hello.”
Deacon Patrick Mongan and his wife, EllenIn this second part of the journey of Deacon Patrick Mongan and his wife, Ellen's, embrace of Humanae Vitae, we read about the tragic death of their eighth child and how the lessons of life convinced them of the truths of Humanae Vitae.
The Mongan family at daughter Kaitlyn's wedding in June, 2017I was not a good candidate for motherhood. Had I gone for a “job” interview, I would not have been given the job. If there had been a try out, like for a cheerleader squad, they would not have selected me for the team. I did not have the qualifications, the necessary skills or the “heart” required. I don’t think I even had a desire to apply for the job. However somewhere on my journey God grew within me a “mother’s heart.”
Deacon Patrick Mongan, MD and wife EllenBy Deacon Patrick Mongan, MD, MAPS
In this poignant three-part series, Deacon Patrick Mongan, MD, MAPS, husband of Catholic author Ellen Mongan, he documents the couple’s journey through doubt, skepticism, a tragic loss, depression, and ultimately to acceptance and admiration of one of the most controversial documents of modern times - Humanae Vitae.
“Behold, I am sending you like sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and simple as doves.” (Matthew 10:16)
