A seminarian prepares for priesthood June 5, 2021 Dcn. Noah Thelen There are a few common questions I have received since I began telling people I was going to the seminary, such as, “What did you do before seminary? What…
What do the woman caught in adultery, St. Peter and Bartimaeus the blind man all have in common? THE WOMAN CAUGHT IN SIN: “Teacher, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery. … Then Jesus straightened up…
Pope Francis has declared 2021 the year of St. Joseph. In his apostolic letter Patris corde (“With a Father’s Heart”), Pope Francis explains the role of chastity in St. Joseph’s vocational call as the husband of Mary and the father…
Fatherhood is a beautiful vocation. We typically think of fatherhood as a husband married to a wife, where the two are now one flesh and give life to their own children. Fatherhood is the total and selfless love for…
IS IT BAD TO BE A PERFECTIONIST? Is it bad to be competitive? Perhaps these are odd questions to ask. If perfectionism is the desire to do things well and competitiveness is the desire to win, then one may rightly…
What do you want to do? We ask this question all the time, especially when we talk about the future of those who are in high school or recent graduates. We ask what they want to do with their lives…
“And perhaps the going forth from God is still more divine than the return home to God.” …
The Latin hymn Ecce quam bonum has great significance for the priests of the Grand Rapids Diocese. We sing it together after every funeral of a brother priest. As our brother is brought out of the church and placed in…
By Father Andrew Ayers ‘I stand on holy ground’ On June 1, 2019, I was ordained a priest, and I am still the same person I was before that date. I still go to confession. I am still intensely poor…
Challenging times remind us to pray for vocations As I begin writing this article, it is a surreal time. Moments ago, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer issued her shelter-in-place order. I have heard from many people about this unnerving time. “Father, I…
