Melanie Rigney's Blog, page 69

Wednesday’s Woman: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton

Note: For the next several weeks, I’m featuring women with a connection to the Americas.

The Basics:Born August 24, 1774, in the United States; died January 4, 1821, in the United States; canonized March 17, 1963, by Paul VI; feast day, January 4; wife, mother, woman religious.

The Story:Elizabeth knew both privilege and heartache at an early age. Born into a wealthy family in New York City, she and an older sister were sent off to spend much of their early lives with an uncle after their mot...

Paths to the Lord

Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me atYour Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.

No one’s faith journey is the same. I’ve known people who were raised in the Christian faith of their parents, who found comfort and joy and succor in it, who never really questioned the concept of church, capital or lower case c, for whom obedience and submission come naturally. Their stories are a beautiful witness to faith. They appear the sam...

Returning Catholics FAQs: Baptizing the Baby

On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics , a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.

We had a Catholic wedding, mainly to please my parents. That was it as far as our faith for a few years. Now we’re pregnant and I’m feeling it’s kind of important that we get the...

Friends in Faith: Whitney Hopler

About eighteen months ago, I was looking for someone to help me organize some saints quotes into an ebook for new newsletter subscribers to receive. I reached out to a fellow Capital Christian Writersmember for recommendations, and she introduced me to Whitney Hopler. What a blessing! Whitney did a super job with the quotes, and also did much of the data input and research into the women saints database at my website. Whitney also is now providing author interviews here, starting with Karen E...

On the Nightstand: May 2016

A friend from my parish provided great recommendations for reading in March and April, so I’m turning again to a friend for May. Trudy and I have known each other for several years, and she’s remarked more than once on the story of Brother Yun, the exiled Chinese Christian house church leader and evangelist. So, this month, I’ll be taking on his autobiography.

I think about the people like Brother Yun and those whose names we don’t know who day in, day out, take risks in living their faith. I...

Author Spotlight: Karen Edmisten

Note: In this new feature, writer Whitney Hopler profiles women who write about faith. If you are the author of a new book (published within the past six months) and would like to be considered for an interview, please email Melanie.

By Whitney Hopler

Why do Catholics find it so difficult to share their faith with others – and how can they do so more successfully? Author Karen Edmisten tackles the topic of Catholic evangelization in her thought-provoking book You Can Share the Faith: Reaching...

Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Maria of St. Joseph

Note: For the next several weeks, I’m featuring women with a connection to the Americas.

The Basics:Born April 25, 1875, in Venezuela; died April 2, 1967, in Venezuela; beatified May 7, 1995, by John Paul II; feast day, May 7; woman religious.

By Asolrac1 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/b...)], via Wikimedia Commons

The Story:This woman, born Laura Alvarado Cardozo and the first Venezuelan to be beatified, was devout from a young age. She had already started...

What God Had Done With Them

Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me atYour Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.

They are heady stories, the stuff of action movies and thrillers, the Acts of the Apostles. They are the tales of people in prison and people persecuted, of people fearlessly sharing the Good News and making converts among Jews and Gentiles wherever they go as they travel and travel and travel.

How did they do it? How did they establish a Church...

Returning Catholics FAQs: Church Web Sites

On Mondays, I answer questions frequently asked by those considering a return to the Catholic Church. How do I know this stuff? I was away for more than 30 years myself, and am the co-author of When They Come Home: Ways to Welcome Returning Catholics , a book for pastors and parish leaders interested in this ministry.

I checked out the web site for the Catholic Church near me. It looks like something out of the ’90s! Not very inviting.

I wish I could say this is unusual, but it’s not. Would tha...

Follow Your Heart

An occasional series based on stuff that hangs in my room… or my heart.

When I was seven, one of my cousins faced a serious decision: stay in college, or leave and marry and follow the man she loved who was of a different faith. Nearly everyone told her to stay in college. My father was different. “Follow your heart,” he said. She did, and fifty-odd years later, she and her husband are still happily married.

I’m analytical by nature. It doesn’t take me long to make decisions, but the key con...