How I see St. Joseph in my father

Ava Lalor shares how St. Joseph has always had a presence in her life through the witness of her own dad. While St. Joseph has become a special patron in recent years, Lalor can now look back and see how her dad

3 book recommendations for Lent

Ava Lalor reflects on how last Lent was different than usual. She writes: “It was a time of scrapping our own plans. Looking back, I honestly don’t know what I gave up or intended to do during the penitential season. All I

The best confession I’ve had in a long time

Assistant editor Ava Lalor writes about how she never thought she would want to go to confession with a priest she also considered a friend. She writes: “I remember one of my seminarian [friends] making a comment about looking forward to offering

What door-to-door ministry taught me about availability

Ava Lalor shares what door-to-door ministry taught her about availability and how she is making it her word of the year for 2021. She writes about availability, saying: “This doesn’t have to be complicated. It could be as simple as the suggestion

After a spiritual winter, let’s claim Christmas

“Always winter, but never Christmas.” In her latest column, assistant editor Ava Lalor reflects on the popular phrase from the classic children’s novel, “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.” As she writes in her latest column: “While we may not have

A young adult’s reflection on the McCarrick report

Assistant editor Ava Lalor reflects on her experience as a young adult Catholic amid the second wave of the Church’s reckoning with clergy sexual abuse. She writes: “As a young adult who had then been too young in 2002 to know anything

A lesson from C.S. Lewis in light of Christ the King

This month, assistant editor Ava Lalor reread a popular classic by C.S. Lewis, “The Great Divorce.” For those who are unfamiliar with the story, Lewis provides a visual representation of what heaven, hell and purgatory might be like. An unnamed narrator, who

Before 2020 ends, pray the surrender novena

Assistant editor Ava Lalor shares a prayer that everyone should pray before the end of 2020: the surrender novena. She writes: “While novenas should not be about ‘fixing’ a situation, they should guide our hearts to closer union with Christ, with a

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