My mother was born in 1928, in Nice, France, one year before the arrival of the Great Depression. My great Grandfather arrived in New York from Ireland during the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s. As a boy he found a job delivering phone books for ten cents a day. I was told that he was a determined man. He worked hard and made his way all the way up to becoming vice-president of AT&T, New York.
Lord Conrad Black, former proprietor of the National Post, remembers his friendship of many years with Emmett Cardinal Carter, who died Sunday, April 6 at the age of 91.
Once upon a lifetime ago, Shelly Pennefather was the sweetest of shooting stars, an All-American at Villanova and the 1987 national player of the year. Since 1991, she has lived here, in the Poor Clare Monastery, at the end of a quiet cul-de-sac in a very modest middle-class neighborhood.
An adult conversion to Catholicism or indeed to any form of orthodox Christianity is not an everyday occurrence in the American academy. Most secular academics seem to receive any profession of Christian faith with a vague sense of embarrassment.
Popular interest in the Olympic games involves a curious irony. Despite our culture's unswerving commitment to a life of comfort and convenience, people are drawn to the Olympic spectacle precisely because it celebrates the place of discomfort and inconvenience.
Like much of the world, the postulator of Mother Teresa's cause, Father Brian Kolodiejchuk, thought the story of Mother was summed up by her simple faith. The work he did revealed much more.
The world remembers Professor Jérôme Lejeune as the world-class geneticist who discovered the genetic cause of Down's syndrome. While his scientific accomplishments go far beyond that landmark discovery, those who knew Dr. Lejeune personally saw a different side of his nature. They saw his heart and the great compassion he had for all who suffered.
Andreas Widmer was casual about his faith until an unexpected encounter with Pope John Paul II. On watch as a Swiss Guard on Christmas Eve 1986, Widmer discovered a compassionate Pope who cared deeply about his sorrow.
Carl Cleveland had it all. Wealth. Love. Success. Then the FBI showed up. Out of the blue, he faced obscure legal charges. He was innocent, but the deck was stacked. His sentence: 10 years in prison. Cleveland relates his riveting tale - a story of three grueling years in prison where he was sustained by constant prayer. And ending in joyful victory - an appeal that would prove to be the fastest handed down in Supreme Court history.
Mike and Kathie Clarey suffered the worst trauma any parent can endure. Their beloved 11-year-old daughter was brutally murdered. In the days that followed, the Clareys were numb with grief. Yet in the midst of their pain, they experienced God's amazing grace. And while the suffering didn't go away, it became a source of deep peace as Our Lord brought good out of evil.