Melanie Rigney's Blog, page 81

Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Bernardina Jablonska

The Basics:Born August 5, 1878, in Poland; died September 23, 1940, in Poland; beatified June 6, 1997, by John Paul II; feast day, September 23. Woman religious.

The Story: Vincent de Paul and Louise de Marillac. Francis de Sales and Jane Frances de Chantal. Catholic history is full of strong working relationships between priests and women religious. This is one of those stories. In 1891, Brother Albert (born as Adam Chmielowski) had established the Congregation of Albertine Sisters to served...

Anniversaries, Stories, and #popeindc

So I’m going to the canonization Mass tomorrow. And I still am totally stunned… and totally grateful.

The way I got the ticket was 100% God. It wasn’t because I write about things Catholic, including two books about women saints and ongoing contributions to a major devotional,Living Faith.It was because my parish of two thousand families held a drawing for the four tickets it received (two sitting, two standing) and my name was drawn first.

It was fifty years ago around this time that I sat i...

No Ordinary Time Here

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.

The mother of Jesus and his brothers came to him but were unable to join him because of the crowd. He was told, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside and they wish to see you.” He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” (Luke 8:19-21, NAB)

The liturgical calendar may say o...

Returning Catholics FAQs: On Communion and Healing

O n 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.

If communion is so important, why can’t anyone take it? It seems like people like me who are trying to figure things out or who are confused or troubled are most in need of this...

Wednesday’s Woman: St. Ludmila

The Basics:Born about 860 in Poland; died September 15, 921, in the Czech Republic; canonized precongregation; feast day, September 16. Grandmother.

The Story: You surely remember the Christmas song about Wenceslaus going out on the feast of St. Stephen to help the peasant. Much of what the ruler knew about charity and kindness came from his grandmother Ludmila. She was named to look after the boy after his father, her son, died when Wenceslaus was just eight. But Ludmila’s daughter-in-law, w...

Of Piercings and Faith

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.

Imagine being Mary, perhaps thinking the most confusing parts are over: she’s said yes to the Lord, things are resolved with Joseph, she’s had the baby, and he’s healthy. Maybe now, life can return to normal. So she and Joseph take the forty-day-old Jesus to the temple as the rules of their faith require, bringing a pair of turtledoves since they...

Returning Catholics FAQs: About Annulments

O n 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.

What’s involved in getting an annulment?

First, a bit of a refresher. If you were married by a priest or deacon and since have divorced, you’ll need an annulment to remarry in th...

Wednesday’s Woman: St. Wulfrida

The Basics:Born in England; died 988 in England; canonized precongregation; feast day, September 9. Mother and woman religious.

The Story: Wulfrida, also known asWulfthryth, was living at Wilton Abbey when King Edgar took her away to his palace. She was not a nun at the time; the thinking is that Wulfrida, who came from a wealthy family, may have been ha student at the abbey or something similar to a novice or postulant, and likely was not taken against her will. However, Edgar already had a...

Those Who Came Before Us

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.

My maternal grandmother was born on September 8, 1900, in Bessemer, Michigan, an Upper Peninsula town near the Wisconsin border where almost all the men, including her father, worked at either the iron mine or in logging. He had come to the United States nine years earlier from Poland, where the family he left behind included a sister who was a n...

Returning Catholics FAQs: Marriage While “Away”

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 got married while I was away from the Church. Do I have to dump my non-Catholic spouse?

If you were married outside the Church, you and your spouse can receive the sacrament of...