Melanie Rigney's Blog, page 89

Being Christ in Our Lives: Monica McBrady

“Never see a need without doing something about it,” Australia’s first saint, Mary of the Cross MacKillop liked to say. Mary would have loved Monica McBrady. Monica made her Cursillo Weekend in New Jersey, and when she and her husband moved to Northern Virginia, they were both struck by just how much the Cursillo teams had to do to prepare for Weekends beyond the most important thing: getting to know each other so they could reflect Christ to the candidates.

Thanks to Monica and Mike, Cursill...

Wednesday’s Woman: St. Buriana

The Basics:Born in the sixth century in Ireland; died in the sixth century in England; canonized pre-congregation; feast day, May 1. Evangelist, hermit, and healer.

The Story:Imagine being so on fire for God that you are willing to move away from the comforts of life to an area about which you know little or nothing. It appears that’s what Burianna, the daughter of a king, did. While details of her life are scant, we know she was part of a mass of missionaries who left Ireland with St. Piran...

Let’s Make a Deal

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

“No one can take them out of my hand,” Jesus says of his followers in today’s Gospel reading from John 10. He makes it all sound so easy: he leads, we follow. He gives eternal life; we accept it.

Except, of course, that it’s not that easy.

He leads us to places we may not want to go, places of beauty and prestige and honor for which we feel woefully unqualified a...

Returning Catholics FAQs: Standing, Sitting, and Kneeling

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 with all the standing up, sitting down, and kneeling during Mass, especially during communion?

The posture during Mass can vary by country. In the United States, we stand...

Wednesday’s Woman: St. Tarbula

The Basics:Birth date and place unknown; died 345 in what is now Iran; canonized pre-congregation; feast day, April 22. Martyr.

The Story:Tarbula’s brother, the bishop Symeon, already had been executed by King Shapur II. Symeon’s martyrdom had been particularly cruel; on the day he was beheaded, he was the last of one hundred Christians to be killed. But Tarbula’s end would be even more gruesome. It came when Shapur’s wife fell ill, and religious officials who had Shapur’s ear blamed Tarbula,...

Commending the Spirit… and Our Future

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

Recently, I spent time with someone I consider a special friend, though we don’t see each other as often as we’d like. I remarked that it had been almost ten years since we met; she was involved in ministry to those exploring a return to Catholicism, I was giving the faith of my childhood another chance since nothing in my life was working at the time.

My friend...

Returning Catholics FAQs: About the Sacraments

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.

Why do we have sacraments?

God gave them to us so that we can see his grace working in our lives. Grace is invisible to the human eye. Gathering in community—whether it’s with a...

Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Marie Anne Blondin

The Basics:Born April 18, 1809, in Terrebone, Canada; died January 2, 1890, in Lachine, Canada; beatified April 29, 2001, by Pope John Paul II; feast day, April 18. Educator, woman religious.

The Story:Born Esther Blondin, this blessed was born the third of twelve children in Quebec. She was illiterate when she went to work as a domestic at age twenty, but learned to read and write when she volunteered with the Sisters of the Congregation de Notre-Dame. She briefly entered the order, then lef...

About Heavenly Things

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

It’s so much easier for us to understand and accept the gifts we receive from the Lord when they are accompanied by outward signs, such as oil and water and rings and the hugs and kisses from family, friends, and other well wishers. Prayer cards, phone calls, rides to the doctor, casseroles, and other signs of support also show us Christ working through others in...

Returning Catholics FAQs: About Fasting and Communion

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.

Why do we have to fast before receiving communion? What if I haven’t fasted? What if I’m not in a state of grace? Is lightning going to strike me or something?

Fasting an hour be...