Catholic Fire

Archbishop Charles Chaput Over the past two years, we’ve spent a lot of time dealing with challenges in the life of our local Church.  We’ve made good progress, thanks to the hard work of a great many people.  But fixing problems isn’t an end in itself.  That’s just a beginning.  The point of our work is to clear away obstacles to the joy of knowing Jesus Christ and to a life rooted in the Gospel.  We had a taste of that joy last weekend, November 9, with the wonderful success of the Magnificat Day gathering – a combination of beautiful worship, common prayer and great presentations.  Events like Magnificat Day feed the soul and renew the hope at the heart of Catholic life. We need a lot more of the same energy.  And happily, more is on the way.  On Saturday, December 7, the archdiocese will host a uniquely important Catholic women’s conference, “The Feminine Genius: Every Woman’s Gift.”  This will be a milestone in the life of our Ch...

Alice von Hildebrand,  Ph.D. Cardinal Burke also invested her as a Dame Grand Cross of the Pontifical Order of St. Gregory the Great at a ceremony in Manhattan. Original Posting

Italian journalist Marina Ricci (center) moderates the Vatican event on Oct. 19, 2013. Credit: Kerri Lenartowick/CNA. Vatican City, Oct 22, 2013 / 04:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Just down the road from St. Peter's Basilica, a crowd of almost 200 packed into an audience hall to hear a panel discussion on the witness of modern women in the Church. The occasion for this event was the publication of a book in Italian, “Tenacious Women,” which profiles 12 very different modern women throughout the world who have chosen to live their lives as a daily testimony to their faith. Italian journalist Marina Ricci, who moderated the panel, opened the event by explaining that “we begin with experience for this reason: we live in a world and in a society in which rarely does someone see him or her self beginning from reality.” The stories in the book range from that of a 28-year-old mother who died from a malignant tumor while postponing treatment because she was pregnant with her third ch...

Here are my top five picks (in no special order): 1. Blessed, Beautiful, and Bodacious: Celebrating the Gift of Catholic Womanhood   by Pat Gohn 2 .  Catholic Mom’s Café: 5-Minute Retreats for Every Day of the Year by Donna Marie Cooper O'Boyle 3.   Rooted in Love: Our Calling as Catholic Women by Donna Marie Cooper O'Boyle 4.  StangeGods: Unmasking the Idols in Everyday Life by Elizabeth Scalia 5. The Ear of the Heart: An Actress' Journey from Hollywood to Holy Vows by Dolores Hart All of the above books were published within the past year. Which are your top picks of books published within the past year? Please include links to reviews so we can learn more about them.