Perspective
Listening as Loving: Beyond ‘Good Job’
I am a compliment-er by nature. Giving sincere, spontaneous compliments feels as comfortable to me as remarking on the weather – and brings me more joy. In high school, friends […]
Perspective
Do More: One Catholic’s Call to Action
The McConnon sisters needed a trumpet player. The three young women performed in a liturgical ensemble at St. Luke’s in St. Paul, Minnesota, and they were seeking a little brass […]
Perspective
Holy Attention: Reclaiming Quiet in the New Year
If you’re trying to write a book about quiet and you’re a mom of four, you might need a few extensions on your deadline. Such was the reality for writer […]
Perspective
A Gift for Yourself in 2025: Planning Ahead as Self-Care
Growing up on a small farm, vacations were rare for Liz Gilbert. But one summer, her parents enlisted a neighbor to tend to their goats and chickens so the Gilberts […]
Perspective
This Old House: Catholic Edition
There was a time when Katherine Louise DeGroot didn’t consider quiet suburbs or small towns. She was a city girl, thank you very much, and it suited her work as […]
Perspective
Sacred Scribbles: Piece by Piece, Page by Page
Opal Whiteley was 6 years old when she began keeping a diary, scrawling with a crayon in tightly spaced, phonetically spelled words. She recorded her wanderings and wonderings in the […]
Perspective
Keep the Story Alive
The winter of 1915 was so cold in northeastern Minnesota that a moose wandered into the small town of Biwabik and settled in a horse stable. The moose gradually won […]
Perspective
New Book Gives Saintly Women the Disney Treatment
St. Thérèse of Lisieux is getting the Disney treatment, thanks to a talented Catholic artist. Fabiola Garza, 37, a character artist for Disney Creative Group in Orlando, brought six female saints to life in her stunning […]
Perspective
Find the Spark This Summer and Cling to It
Penguin Random House is beginning to market a special release coming this August: a picture-book biography of acclaimed children’s book creator Barbara Cooney. The cover feels like a familiar Cooney […]
Perspective
Stop Scrolling, Begin Creating: A Wake-Up Call for Catholics
The latest admonition comes from a 60-year-old social psychologist whose book hit the No. 1 spot on The New York Times’ hardcover nonfiction best-seller list. Using a smartphone threatens a […]
Perspective
Gowns of Grace, Heaps of Joy: Rediscovering Catholicism
Jenna Wright has come a long way from being an NFL cheerleader to a first Communion catechist. Now, rather than sporting a skimpy outfit at the Super Bowl, she’s selling […]
Perspective
The Painting Beneath the Painting: Faith That Endures
I was a first grader when I made my inaugural trip to Disney. This month – decades later – I returned with a first grader and a fresh set of […]