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  • Amazing Grace – Raised Catholic episode 17

    The following is a transcript from the Raised Catholic podcast. To listen to the podcast, click here. Today is episode 17: Amazing Grace When you think of the word ‘grace’, what comes to your mind?  Is it the prayer you say around a table before you eat a meal?  The period of time before the late fees…

  • Crown

    Crown

    I’ve never seen anything like it in my life.  Not even in the immediate aftermath of 9/11, when the sky was empty of planes and no one knew just what horror might come next.  Back then, it took a few days for me to feel safe and appropriate about bringing my babies out for a…

  • Flowers

    On Wednesday, I sang at the funeral for Arlene, a longtime member of our community. I watched with awe as the flowers came in, one huge arrangement after another. Made of coordinated fall colors, they were perfect for Thanksgiving and I thought to myself: in their grief, this family is giving their beloved chapel a…

  • Sing

    I am pretty sure I sang flat for almost all of Mass today. There was a monitor issue, and one of my ears is a bit blocked, and (insert excuse here), but I wasn’t happy with what I was doing and not entirely sure that any ministry I may have been attempting was hitting its…

  • Love

    Valentine’s Day is a hard day for a lot of people. I have friends who are still searching for a partner, friends whose marriages are in trouble, friends who are divorcing or divorced, friends whose spouses are in Heaven. For them, this is a day in which they are bombarded with images of romantic love,…

  • Connect

    I’ve been thinking about the idea of connection, how we are designed ideally to fit together with one another to build something better, like a great big community of legos. A friend of mine recently said that this time in life is about finding your people. Obviously, everyone is not for everyone and we are…

  • Best Worst Mass

      “That was the best worst Mass,” my daughter said at the conclusion of a morning that was filled with mistakes. And she was right. As music ministers during the busy Advent season, we grapple with new Mass parts and seasonal music and we do our best to bring a prayerful spirit to what we…

  • Lessons from a Blizzard

    Now that we have thawed a bit, I have the time to note some of what were real blessings in the last few difficult days.  From Friday at 11pm to Sunday 8pm, we were without power, except for a bit provided by a small generator that Tim had the good sense to rent on Thursday…