Visitor Columnist

I love going to Sunday Mass during the special seasons of the liturgical year. Advent liturgies always bring me back from all the trappings of the season and remind me of what is most important.

How many of you remember what it was like to find your very first friend?

The box went up on a Monday evening in August, a plain white box nestled inside a little wooden tent, mounted atop a fence and beneath the outermost reach of a maple.

This year, Thanksgiving week starts right after the formal conclusion of the Extraordinary Year of Mercy. How do we incorporate what we have gained from the prayers, talks, readings and reflections that most of us took part in during the year to shape the way we think about and celebrate Thanksgiving?

I know my mom prays for my family and me. She tells me so. And, I can feel it.

With our nation’s decision, the real work comes to bear — holding our representatives’ feet to the fire to live up to all the promises they made to get our vote.

Our nation is deeply divided along a number of political, economic and social fault lines. As a people, we seem to have given in to a form of discourse and argumentation that lacks basic respect and civility. We may not like the negative political ads or the candidates arguing and debating as if facing mortal enemies, but we are part of the culture that makes it possible.

Project Rachel is a free service, open to anyone in need, regardless of faith, as part of the services available through the Bishop’s Annual Appeal