Category: Essay
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The First Millennial Saint: Carlos Acutis
Thursday, April 17, 2025 Day 5 of Holy Week Reflections, First Day of the Triduum, Holy Thursday In February of 2022, I was teaching middle school religion, coming back after my first retirement, at my parish school, St. Jude Regional Catholic School. Our faculty retreat that year was held at the Shrine of St. Anthony…
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Feast Day of St. Bernadette of Lourdes
Wednesday, April 16, 2025 Day 4 of Holy Week Reflections On the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, February 11, 2025, I shared with my parish family at the Shrine of St. Jude a reflection I wrote after visiting Lourdes in July of 2024. Today is the feast day of St. Bernadette, who was the…
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The Papacy and the Pendulum
Tuesday, April 15, 2025: Day 3 of Holy Week Reflections Pope Francis, who at age 88 is one of the oldest reigning popes of modern times, is the current Bishop of Rome. His papacy began on March 13, 2013, and I remember the day very clearly. I was in my classroom at my first school,…
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His Standards Are Contrary to Ours
Monday, April 14, 2025: Day 2 of Holy Week Reflections “His standards are contrary to ours,” said Fr. Juan Pablo, one of the two young priests currently assigned to our parish, in a homily at daily Mass on Thursday, February 6, 2025, the memorial of St. Paul Miki and Companions, martyred in Japan in 1597.…
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My Two Special Saints
On an unseasonably warm March day this year, I attended the 5:00 Vigil Mass at my parish, which was also Confirmation with Bishop Evelio Menjivar of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Washington. The large church was packed, with folding chairs lining the entire interior perimeter of the church and chairs outside the doors of the…
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Holy Week
Today, Palm Sunday, is the beginning of Holy Week in preparation for Easter this coming Sunday. This week I’ll post a religious reflection each day and resume my book reviews after Easter!
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First Quarter 2025 Reading Tally
I looked forward to several things as I approached retirement in January of 2024: more travel, get serious about writing my novel, reach out and reconnect with family and friends who live far from me, exercise more, and finally, but certainly not least, READ MORE. I believe I have indeed accomplished all of them, but…
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Book Review: Life Skills by Katie Fforde
Of the 46 or so novels written by British author Katie Fforde, Life Skills is my 6th. Life Skills was published in 1999 and has been reprinted several times since, so I chose this light, breezy rom-com from Fforde’s back list. Quite a few of her novels have been adapted for German TV, but I…
Michelle Blanchard Ardillo 