Countdown to NCCE 2016
Packed for NCCE 2016. Plane flight this evening, Google Summit all day tomorrow.
One Catholic Life Blog
Henry V and the Transfiguration: Homily for the 2nd Sunday of Lent
One of the greatest speeches in all of literature is the St. Crispin’s Day Speech by William Shakespeare from his play, Henry V. It’s October 25, in the year 1415, and King Henry of England and his men are about to fight the French in what will come to be known as the Battle of Agincourt. Henry’s men are exhausted and sick. They’ve been fighting for months, and they’ve just finished a long and grueling siege of Harfleur castle. As they move across the French countryside trying to...
Catholic Schools Week Fun
It’s Catholic Schools Week, and the Student Tech Committee helped set up a Wii system so the 5th-8th grade classes could compete against each other in Mario Cart at recess:
One of Our Catholic Parish Churches Rendered in MinecraftEdu
The eighth graders are continuing to build their Catholic landmarks in MinecraftEdu. Peyton and Dylan in particular have done an amazing job recreating Our Lady of Fatima church. Our Lady of Fatima is one of the three parishes that our school serves, so they’re both very familiar with it. While most groups began by working on the outside of their buildings, Peyton and Dylan began constructing from the inside and worked their way out. The video below shows how much detail they have put into their work. But...
The Force Awakens – Homily for the 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C
I’m sure you’ve heard about the new Star Wars movie, The Force Awakens. It’s breaking all box office records, and I’ve seen it myself a couple of times. One of the things I find interesting about this new Star Wars trilogy is that it begins in the same way as the original trilogy with Luke Skywalker. If you haven’t seen it yet, I’m not giving much away by saying that the main character starts the story on a desert planet feeling forsaken, feeling abandoned, just like Luke Skywalker...
Catholic Landmarks in MinecraftEdu
One of the most enjoyable projects I’ve watched the students work on this year is the Catholic Landmarks Project in MinecraftEdu. Working in groups of two or three, eighth grade students have chosen a Catholic landmark and are constructing it in MinecraftEdu. Some of the landmarks are famous, like St. Peter’s Basilica, the Cathedral of Notre Dame, or the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio. Some of the landmarks are of local interest, like their parish church. Once the building is completed, students will construct information kiosks...
My Favorite Reads of 2015
2015 was a down year for me in terms of number of books read. I had some academic responsibilities in the summer and early fall that took up time I would usually have spent reading. Because of that I missed hitting my reading goal of 40 books. Still, I read 23 books, and these are my top 5: The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas – This was a great re-read, and I hope at some point to read the sequels. In His Spirit by Richard Hauser, SJ – A spiritual...
Mature Faith and the Visitation – Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent
I remember when Brenda was pregnant with each of our four kids, how she would often talk with other women who were also pregnant. There’s a bond that forms between mothers. Only they understand what it’s like to carry a living being within themselves. Only they understand the cravings, the anxieties, the joys. They learn from each other, commiserate with each other, reassure each other. And that bond doesn’t end after the babies are born. It continues as the children get their first teeth, get out of diapers,...
The Wonderful World of Humanities in MinecraftEdu
Yesterday the sixth grade began using Eric Walker’s Wonderful World of Humanities in MinecraftEdu. The World of Humanities is an advanced installation of MinecraftEdu that allows students to explore and learn about ancient civilizations. This world is a perfect complement to our sixth grade social studies curriculum. Even though we are running MinecraftEdu on older MacBooks, the students really enjoyed themselves and were excited to interact with people from ancient Rome and Greece. After initially trying to create and build, as they are used to doing in Minecraft,...
Not One of Our Prayers Is Lost – Elisabeth Leseur on All Saints Day
From Elisabeth Leseur, Selected Writings, as quoted in today’s Give Us This Day: This is a lovely feast, the feast of those who already live in God, those whom we have loved and who have obtained happiness and light; it is the feast of eternity. And what a fine idea to make the feast of the dead follow so soon! During these two days a vast stream of prayer and love flows through the three worlds: between the church in heaven, the church one earth, and the church...
What Are You Asking? – Homily for the 29th Sunday in Ordinary Time
When I was about eleven or twelve years old, I was fascinated by the life of long-haul truckers. I used to listen to songs by Red Sovine and Merle Haggard, watch movies like Smokey and the Bandit, and dream about living life on the road. One year I asked my mom and dad for a CB radio for my birthday so I could talk to all the truckers on the road from my room at home. Their response was similar to Jesus’ answer to James and John: “You...
No More War, War Never Again! – Homily for the 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
This weekend is Catechetical Sunday, the day we recognize and commission those who assist parents in the important task of handing on the faith. While the primary duty of handing on the faith belongs to parents, it’s such a monumental task that it’s good to have some assistance. That’s why Catholic schools and religious education programs exist. It takes an entire community working together in Christ to build the Kingdom of God. And in the work of catechesis, there are three teaching strategies that are particularly helpful: asking...
