One Catholic Life Blog

Jesus and Twitter

Homily

Is Jesus Part of Our Social Network? – Homily for the Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C

Our youngest daughter is playing in her very first Hoopfest this weekend, so I went online to find out when she was playing and what bracket she was in, and I noticed there was a place where you could follow particular teams. You register with your email address, type in the name of the team, click the follow button, and you’ll get updates about how well the team is doing in the tournament. Technology has made following other people very easy but it might also cause a bit...

Kissing Jesus' Feet

Homily

Do You See This Woman? Homily for the Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year C

First let me wish a happy Father’s Day to all the dads here today; we remember in our prayers those fathers who are deployed overseas, and we also remember and pray for the souls of those fathers who have passed away, especially in the last year. For those that are here, I hope that you and your families have a great weekend and really get to celebrate. That’s one thing that St. Peter Parish is really good at–celebrating. Just a few days ago, an amazing team of parishioners,...

We Didn't Start the Fire - Billy Joel

Homily

We Didn’t Start the Fire: Homily for Pentecost Sunday

[Note: I gave this homily about five years ago but didn’t realize I hadn’t posted it to my blog until a friend brought it up in a conversation today after Mass. When I went to find it I realized it was missing and decided to finally post it.] On this Solemnity of Pentecost the red vestments are reminiscent of the fire that descended on the disciples. We see this color more and more in our own lives as the weather heats up and the fire season begins. Last...

The Voice Logo

Homily / Music

The Voice – Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Easter – Year C

Some of you might be familiar with a reality TV show called The Voice that’s been on for a few seasons. Contestants come on stage one at a time and sing to three [actually four] judges whose backs are turned. Based solely on the sound quality of the singing voices and their potential, the judges try to choose the most promising contestants to continue on in the competition. There’s something compelling about a distinctive voice. The music industry is filled with great voices from many different genres and...

Student Boot

Catholic Education / Music / Teaching / Technology

Sights and Sounds from NCEA 2013 in Houston

As my time at the NCEA Convention is coming to an end, I see that I didn’t really get to post as much as I wanted to. I still want to share some of the sights and sounds of the convention however, so I’ve put together a few things in this final post. First, I’ve attached a recording from the second Eucharistic liturgy of the conference. This is a performance of “Be Still, My Soul” by the Houston Catholic Schools Choir. It’s a tragedy that my recording is...

Shuttle Crash

Catholic Education / Friends / Travel

Houston, We Have a Problem – NCEA 2013 Day One

On my first day in Houston for the 2013 NCEA convention, I expected to tell you all about the city, the conference center, and meeting Barb Gilman and Nancy Caramanico for the first time. But life seldom goes as we expect. Barb and Nancy were involved in an automobile accident on their way from the Houston airport to the hotel. The shuttle van they were riding in struck a barrier in the road and flipped, crushing the roof and shattering the windshield. Their injuries weren’t life threatening, but...

I Love Catholic Schools

Catholic Education / Travel

On My Way to NCEA 2013 in Houston

My bags are packed and I’m getting ready to leave today for the 2013 NCEA convention in Houston, Texas. Thousands of Catholic educators will be converging on the George R. Brown Convention Center on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday this week for keynote speeches, professional development sessions, liturgies, and camaraderie. Barb Gilman and I will be presenting Catholic Classrooms Without Walls: Interactive Projects Connecting Classrooms Around the World, and I can’t wait to finally meet so many of my online teacher friends, especially those who participate in #CatholicEdChat each...

Pope Francis at General Audience

Spirituality

Pope Francis on Living Holy Week

In his first general audience, Pope Francis challenges us to “go out of ourselves”: “Living Holy Week is always going deeper into God’s logic, into the logic of the Cross, which is not first and foremost a logic of sorrow and death but one of love and the self giving that brings life. It is entering into the logic of the Gospel. Following, accompanying Christ, staying with him when he demands that we ‘go out’: out of ourselves, out of a tired and habitual way of living the...

8th Grade Conclave

Catholic Education / Teaching

Our 8th Grade Conclave Makes the News

I didn’t get a chance to post about this earlier, but before Pope Francis was elected we held our own conclave in the eighth grade. Two local media outlets covered the story, and unlike the conclave in Rome, we let them in for a peek. Here’s an excerpt from the story in our local paper, along with video coverage: Before Jorge Bergoglio was selected as the new pope Wednesday, students at All Saints Catholic School held their own conclave. They came dressed in red capes. Some were made...

The Court Jester

Family / Movies

10 Great Family Movies You and Your Kids Probably Haven’t Seen

Catholic film critic Steven Greydanus gives his list of ten movies kids probably haven’t seen that are well worth their (and your) time: Kids today are lucky if they know the likes of The Wizard of Oz, The Song of Bernadette, Singin’ in the Rain, The Sound of Music, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Babe and The Iron Giant. Lots of good stuff there (though older movies may require adult mediation to help kids adjust to the slower rhythms of the Golden Age). But what’s really off the beaten path for kids today? What have most kids...