Anointing of the Sick and the Virtue of Hope

Posted by Caitlin Sica on Feb 24, 2021 7:03:00 AM

The woman before us was frail, lying peacefully, unalert—a shadow of the fierce, intelligent, vivacious woman she had been. Her 95 years on this earth had been lived to the fullest. The years had not been without their trials and sufferings, but they had always been lived for God. With God as her lifesource, Joan radiated light, joy, and love to all whom she encountered. The time had come for God to let his good and faithful servant go in peace. 

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Topics: death, healing, Hope, sacraments, theological virtues, virtue

The Gift of Grieving as a Parish Community

Posted by Tom Eggleston on Nov 20, 2020 9:36:48 AM

In Catholic parishes, the sacraments give rhythm to our lives, along with the days, weeks, months, and years of the liturgical calendar. Yet, even as the liturgical calendar punctuates our daily lives, the forward movement of time can feel deeply impersonal. Parish life, however, offers ways of accompanying universal experiences—even ones as complicated as death and grief—with tender rituals and personal touches. Throughout the month of November, we focus on death and grief as common human experiences through which God and parish companion us. Ministers and fellow parishioners accompany each other through moments that matter, even when those moments are hard.

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Topics: death, parish life, All Souls, ministry, coronavirus, bereavement ministry

Stories of Grace: Really Good Ponds

Posted by Madeline Infantine on Mar 6, 2020 7:15:00 PM

I think that, if we’re lucky in this life, we’ll get to come across perhaps three or four really really good ponds. This story begins with one such pond: a koi pond at Balboa Park in San Diego. This particularly good pond was something that I happened upon while ambling around the park one sunny June afternoon in the company of someone I dearly love. We weren’t alone in thinking it the perfect day to take advantage of such a treasure: there were dog-walkers and stroller-pushers, families and friends, couples old and young. Loveliness seemed to flutter all around this large pond, gently begging us to lend our attentiveness.

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Topics: death, Jesus Christ, Resurrection, stories of grace

Ben Howard's Beatific Vision

Posted by Francesca Patti on Nov 15, 2019 7:07:00 AM
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Topics: Culture, death, All Souls, music, Ben Howard

Dignity, Defiance, and Mirth: A Plan for Dying Well

Posted by Rick Becker on Nov 13, 2019 7:03:00 AM

“Perhaps however joy is the outgrowth of suffering in a special way.”
Flannery O’Connor (The Habit of Being, 527)

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Topics: death, human dignity, All Souls

Living and Handing on the Faith

The McGrath Institute Blog helps Catholics live and hand on their faith in Jesus Christ, especially in the family, home and parish, and cultivates and inspires everyday leaders to live out the fullness and richness of their faith in the simple, little ways that make up Church life.

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