A Union veteran of the US civil war, Father Baker later donated his life savings to support the outreach institutions he ran. He created the Our Lady of Victory Association uniting Catholics around the USA in support of these successful missions.

When I think of the Beatitudes, I think of collectible coffee mugs emblazoned with the words Blessed are the peacemakers, with little pastel flowers stenciled in the white spaces of the lettering. I think of greeting cards and decorative wall hangings.

In my parents’ bedroom there were on the wall two photos of my mom and dad from their early adulthoods. The photo of my mother entranced me when I was a boy. I loved looking at it, even though I saw her in daily life. Something about that picture captured her perfectly. It was an image of the joy, wisdom, beauty, and strength that enveloped me from the start of my life. It was an icon of the woman who fed, taught, and encouraged me. I felt a deep pride that I came from such beauty. 

St. Marianne Cope immigrated to the USA from Germany when she was a child. A gifted leader, she oversaw schools, hospitals, and missions during her long life. Most notably, she volunteered to provide care to those outcast with leprosy in Hawaii.

Social media has made it far too easy for me to share my opinion.   These virtual spaces tend to strip our words of all empathy. Someone will post something that I think is nonsense, and I just have to tell them why — and quickly! Hurry! Before they delete it!

When I was a young seminarian, I asked a wise old priest how to pray better. He said simply, “Don’t lie when you pray.” He helped me to see how much energy I waste in trying to appear acceptable to God when I pray. For me, prayer was showing off for God and hiding what was ugly. 

Known as the Snowshoe Priest, Venerable Bishop Frederic Baraga, was a lifelong missionary to the Native American people of the upper Midwest. He loved the people he served, knew their languages, and even published the first Ojibwe-English dictionary!

I broke my foot once, when my second child was only 12 weeks old, and I was about to move houses. For six weeks I was confined to a chair, a shrieking newborn in my arms, a toddler running circles around me, and my right foot rendered useless by a plaster cast. I couldn’t do anything without assistance. I couldn’t eat or get a drink or change my clothes or feed my children.

When I was a kid, I remember the priest at Mass announcing, “The Lamb of God!” Frankly, it struck me as nonsense. I thought: Why in the world does God have a lamb? And where is this lamb? 

Leonard LaRue, or, Benedictine Brother Marinus LaRue O.S.B., had his cause officially opened for sainthood in June 2021.This incredible man was born in Philadelphia on January 14, 1914, and died on October 14, 2001, at the age of 87.

When I was little, you could tell I believed in the destructive power of the monsters who lived beneath my bed because I would never let my ankles anywhere near the bottom of the mattress. (It’s common knowledge that bare ankles are premium monster bait — ask any child you know).

John is pointing to a baptism greater than his and to a person greater than him. Jesus asks John to baptise him in order to “fulfil all righteousness” and thus show forth his continuity with the tradition in which John stands. But more happens. When the heavens open, the Spirit descends and Jesus is announced as the “beloved one”, a new tradition is born, and humanity’s relationship with God is changed forever.

St. John Neumann, patron saint of educators, immigrants, and sick children, was the first male saint to be canonized from the USA. An immigrant himself, he expanded Catholic education in his region from 2 schools to 100 & ministered in 6 different languages!

“What was my first word? Who was there when I was born? When did I start to walk? Which toys did I play with? What made me cry when I was a baby?”

We hide ourselves and our secrets from God because we are afraid. Even Mary can seem too perfect to approach. The shepherds find the strength to speak to Mary and Joseph at the moment they see the child in the manger. They open their hearts and share what they’ve experienced. Saint Luke writes of the shepherds, “When they saw this, they made known the message that had been told them about this child.” 

Saint John was one of the Twelve, part of Jesus’ inner circle, among the few that witnessed the Transfiguration, the raising of Jarius’ Daughter, and the Agony in the garden at Gethsemane. He and his brother James were the sons of Zebedee and Salome. When Jesus called them, they left their father mending nets and followed him. Jesus called the brothers “Boanerges,” meaning “sons of thunder” — they were passionate in their faith and Jesus had to rebuke them for their fiery zeal on more than one occasion. John, the younger brother, possibly the youngest disciple, was the only one present at Jesus’ death.

The true meaning of Christmas is not found in the twinkling lights, the beautifully adorned trees, or the exchanged gifts. It is revealed when we find God along the way of our lives, especially when we feel displaced, desperate, and alone.

I think the real challenge of evangelization in the modern age is the reality that pretty much everyone has already heard of Jesus Christ — or, at least, they think they have.

As we age, time seems to pass more quickly. Years seemingly fly by as one holiday flows into the next, January quickly becomes December and life maintains its hectic pace. What do we accomplish in all of that busyness? Perhaps technology is responsible for some of the frenzy, keeping us isolated in our social media worlds, communicating through texts rather than in person, and always connected to world events. We’re over stimulated in many ways by information, noise, opinions, and ideologies.

Saint John, sometimes called John Cantius, was born in the Polish town of Kanty in 1390. Not much is recorded about his early life, however, he was a bright young man who did well in his studies at the university in Krakow. He earned his doctorate in philosophy and went on to be ordained and earn a doctorate in theology as well.