by Serena Dyksen
When I was ten years old I began being groomed by my aunt’s husband as I babysat their children. He eventually raped me at the age of 13.
Author Archives: Guest
Jesus, Teach Us to Pray
Jesus’ words recorded in Sacred Scripture continue to speak to us just as clearly today as to the eager crowds who listened to Him on the hills of Galilee. The subject of prayer, which Jesus addressed often and practiced consistently throughout His time on earth, is one eminently worthy of revisiting. The Gospels make it clear that, by word and example, Jesus modeled for us the importance of a close personal relationship with the Father we share in common.
Take the Ordinary Time Challenge!
We find ourselves now well into that lengthy liturgical period termed Ordinary Time. For some of us, there is a tendency to take this season at its name, to treat these weeks as a ho-hum, colorless gap bridging the feasts of Corpus Christi and Christ the King. Give us Lent and Advent, when we can focus on the tough stuff!
Our Lady of Knock ~ Silent Messenger of Hope
Our Lady of Knock Chapel of Apparitions, at Knock Shrine in County Mayo, Ireland (wikimedia)
This August marks the 140th anniversary of an event of the highest spiritual significance for the people of Ireland, and in fact, for the faithful of the world.
Morning of Grace Deepens Faith, Lifts Hearts
by Denise McKane
Every Morning of Grace is another opportunity to have our Lord stretch our hearts ever larger. Our Blessed Mother and her Holy Spouse take us and form us more and more into His little handmaids. “For Such a Time as This” we give Him our “fiats.”
The Lady Clare ~ Assisi’s Brilliant Light
August 11th, the Feast of Saint Clare of Assisi (1194 – 1253), offers an opportunity to explore the life of a woman of shining virtue. Her religious vocation was a direct outgrowth of that of her contemporary and mentor, the beloved Saint Francis (1182 – 1226).
Let There be School!
There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
Our Lady of the Angels and “The Little Portion”
The original Portiuncula, located within the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels in Assisi
For Franciscans worldwide, August 2nd marks a very important, special feast day – the Feast of Our Lady of Angels. The title of Our Lady which this feast commemorates has a direct connection to Saint Francis of Assisi (1182 – 1226) and to the Religious Orders which he founded. The “little portion,” or Portiuncula, brings to mind significant events which resound in our hearts as we celebrate this feast day once again.
Martha, Martha: A Question of Priorities
“[Jesus] entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary [who] sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, ‘Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving? Tell her to help me.’ The Lord said to her in reply, ‘Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things. There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her’” (Lk 10:38-42).
And What of Saint Anne?
On this feast day of Sts. Joachim and Anne, being a wife and mother myself, I find it quite natural to feel myself being drawn to Saint Anne and the problems she must have encountered after the birth of her daughter, particularly following that world-changing event, the Annunciation (Lk 1:26-38).
