By Michelle DiFranco In our dining room hangs a framed print of Caravaggio’s “The Calling of St. Matthew,” which is a reliable conversation starter when we have guests over for dinner. Like clockwork, right about the time we are serving the soup course, my husband starts explaining the layers of symbolism in the painting: “... the source [...]
By Dr. Cathleen McGreal My daughter is bullying a friend online. What can I do as a parent to stop her? Most of us can remember childhood incidents that led us to feel isolated. At recess, my classmates and I occasionally would sing, “Nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I’ll go eat worms .…” [...]
By Nancy Rosebush Schertzing "My father grew up in a small South Carolina farming community – one traffic light and a Baptist church at its center. My grandfather was a deacon in that church, and every Sunday, Daddy, along with Grandma and his two sisters, would attend services and Sunday school as a family. After [...]
1854-1897 Father Augustus Tolton was the first black priest in the United States. Born in 1854 in Missouri, he was a former slave who was baptized as an infant and raised Catholic. After studying at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome, Father Tolton was ordained to the holy priesthood in the Basilica of St. John [...]
By Steve and Bridget Patton Since we can’t ask either of our parents to watch the kids in these times, we are trying to navigate child care together while both working full-time at home. How do we divide tasks such as schooling, and basic child care duties, while both of us are feeling pressure from [...]
By Dr. Cathleen McGreal My teenager won't do his chores. How do I make him? Psychoanalyst Erik Erikson noted that grade school children demonstrate a sense of industry, wanting to help out with tasks. They are eager to grab a snow shovel or mow the lawn! It takes a lot of patience when we have [...]
By Jim Berlucchi When we started working from home during the pandemic, I thought it was going to be short-term. Now, it’s clear that I’m going to be working from home for quite a while, possibly permanently. What are some strategies I can employ to work effectively and not feel completely isolated? Imitate the former. [...]
By Sheri Wohlfert When I was a little girl, a new school year came with some guarantees: a new dress, new shoes, new pencils and some excited sleepless nights. This new school year is teeming with uncertainty instead of familiar guarantees and expectations. In the face of this uncertainty, here are some strategies to help [...]
Recent events have reignited national protests in the United States. The death of George Floyd under the knee of a police officer has sparked a response in cities across the country; sadly, some of those protests have devolved into riots and lootings. George Floyd’s death follows several years of similar incidents – the deaths of [...]
By Steve and Bridget Patton She says: I'm not really willing to take a chance on COVID-19 to do it. Is it worth risking death to visit your grandchildren? Look at it this way: every time you drive your car, you risk losing your life. Likewise with riding a motorcycle, sky-diving or swimming with [...]
