Photo Credit: Pixabay Several of you have asked what to do in preparation for voting, assuming I might be able to help. I have spent most of my professional life as a professor of journalism, specializing in media ethics. I am also a freelance journalist. I will draw on this experience, as well as my... Continue Reading →

Photo credit: Pixabay At least once a month, I try to carve out a Sabbath Day. Last Sunday, I wandered into the Cleveland Metroparks within the Erie Drift Plain, the part of Northeastern Ohio where I live. I have wandered there almost daily for 30 years with my dogs (three over the last 25 years) and have had many experiences to share. Fortunately, dogs don’t talk, at least not... Continue Reading →

Photo credit: Pixabay The story is told in all four gospels. John’s gospel is the most detailed, but each narrative is brief and to the point. Coming into the Temple with his disciples, Jesus mounts an attack, yes,  an attack against the merchants who have set up stalls selling produce, animals, household needs. He fashions a whip and lashes... Continue Reading →

Photo Credit: Pixabay On a golden September day in 1946, right after Labor Day, I began my education in the “little kids building” of a Catholic school in Cleveland, Ohio. Here is what I remember of that day. I walked to and from school, just over one mile, along tree lawns and front yards dappled... Continue Reading →

Photo credit: Pixabay I thought we might want to think about a few saints who can be held up as examples during this period of intense heat and I’m not referring to climate. I am referring to the warming up of the campaign season with the political conventions of our two major parties in the United States. I want to look at three... Continue Reading →

Photo Credit: Pixabay.com Though I agree with removing monuments throughout our country that commemorate historical injustice, I recently came across a toppled statue that was simply a result of juvenile vandalism. So I’ve been told. The statue was near the entrance of our former Motherhouse and can barely be seen from the main road. However, while driving past the property, I spotted the overturned hollow base of the statue and... Continue Reading →

Photo Credit: Pixabay.com As I write this, Joe Biden, presumptive Democratic Nominee for the Presidency, is selecting his running mate for the office of Vice President. He is committed to choosing a woman. All of the mystery surrounding the selection has led me to look into the lives of other women who have also contributed... Continue Reading →

Photo Credit: pixabay.com A few months back The New York Times did a special section for one of its Sunday editions on the subject of JOY!  Yes, full-throated, zany, frothy, essays by fourteen writers on how they are welcoming the gift of joy into their lives at this time. The editors seemed honestly intent on spreading what we recognize... Continue Reading →

Photo Credit: pixabay.com I’m reading a lot of newspapers and magazines lately that are encouraging us to visit zoos, aquariums, animal parks, and natural history museums with our children as part of education and distraction during isolation. What a great project! So, I thought I’d share something with you about an amazing animal you might... Continue Reading →

Photo Credit: pixabay.com Are you re-discovering the joy of summer reading sans the beach and interruption of the errant beach ball bouncing into your private space as you thumb the pages of the latest Grisham or Patterson tome? Several years ago I asked a retreat group what their favorite book was and they asked me... Continue Reading →