by RJ Jacobs, SJ | Mar 28, 2022 | Lent, Prayers ~ Approx. 4 mins
Receiving ashes this year was different for me than in years past. Instead of attending an Ash Wednesday service at a church, I attended Ash Wednesday Mass in a chapel at the hospital where I typically volunteer on Sundays. That Wednesday at the hospital, I was...
by Steve Molvarec, SJ | Jan 13, 2022 | A Deacon's Diary, Christmas, Series ~ Approx. 6 mins
This is the sixth installment of A Deacon’s Diary. In the fifth installment, strange dreams kept waking Steve up. I. She said to me: You’re the one who’ll come and put the coins on the eyes of the dead. It was almost the darkest day of the year. I was in the middle...
by Shane Liesegang, SJ | Dec 1, 2021 | Current Events, In the News, Music, Pop Culture ~ Approx. 5 mins
I was a musical theater kid growing up, listening to shows until I knew them by heart, staring at tiny production photos in the booklet that came nestled between the two CDs in original cast recordings. It wasn’t just the music for me — the stories, the crafting of...
by Brett Helbling, SJ | Nov 11, 2021 | Addiction, Blogs, Prayers, Religious Life, Spirituality, Topics ~ Approx. 5 mins
As I shake the hand of the man in front of me, I can’t help but wonder if our paths will ever cross again. The handshake is brief and firm. This isn’t a happy goodbye, but an unexpected departure, stealing at the shelter will get you fired; and it got Bobby, whose...
by Eric Immel, SJ | Dec 2, 2020 | Blogs, Spirituality ~ Approx. 3 mins
A few months ago, a friend introduced me to WeCroak. It’s an app for my phone, and it’s premise is simple. According to its ‘about’ page: “In Bhutan they say that contemplating death five times daily brings happiness.” So five times a day, with no discernible...