Melanie Rigney's Blog, page 94
January 21, 2015
Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Laura Vicuna
The Basics:Born April 5, 1891, in Chile; died January 22, 1904, in Argentina; beatified September 3, 1988, by John Paul II; feast day, January 22. Daughter.
The Story:Laura’s mother must have felt she had few options. Her husband had died after the family’s move to Argentina from Chile,
leaving her with two daughters under the age of five and hundreds of miles from the little family support she might have received. And so, she agreed to become the woman of a rancher in exchange for tuition for...
January 20, 2015
Of Sabbath, No Matter What the Day
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.
Sabbath.
Even reading or saying the word makes you smile and sigh a bit. The sibilant ess, the hard pair of b’s, and that closing th that almost 
begs to be followed by a deep breath and an “ah.” It gives you momentary peace.
In today’s Gospel reading from Mark 2, Jesus reminds the Pharisees what Sabbath is…and what it is not. It is a time of rest, not a time so choc...
January 19, 2015
Returning Catholics FAQs: About Tithing
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.
Do I have to tithe?
We are called to “provide for the needs of the Church” according to our abilities, according to the Catechism. There is, however, no requirement that Catholics...
January 14, 2015
Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Alfonsa Clerici
The Basics:Born February 14, 1860, in Italy; died January 14, 1930, in Italy; beatified July 1, 2010, by Benedict XVI; feast day, January 14. Teacher; woman religious.
The Story:Alfonsa felt called to be a woman religious, but she also had a love of learning. The oldest of ten children, her family’s 
finances required her to work, so she became a teacher after graduating from the College of the Sisters of the Precious Blood. It turned out God wanted her to combine her gifts: In 1883, Alfonsa jo...
January 13, 2015
Time to Clean House
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.
So here we are, two weeks into the new year. How many of your resolutions have you already given up on? Or, did you even bother to make any at all?
In my family, rather than resolutions, we pick a word to attempt to live by/embrace for the year. Mine for 2015 is “tranquility,” something I never seem to embrace, no matter how often I purport to crave it. That inabil...
January 12, 2015
Returning Catholics FAQs: Priestly Wardrobes
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 went to a soup supper at church and the priest wasn’t wearing a clerical collar! What’s up with that?
Some priests dress more casually when they arenot celebrating Mass or perfor...
January 7, 2015
Wednesday’s Woman: St. Gudula
The Basics:Born after 646 in what is now Belgium; died after 680 in Belgium; canonized pre-congregation; feast day, January 8. Laywoman.
The Story:Tradition has it that one of Gudula’s sisters was martyred, and the other spent her life in an extremely unhappy marriage. Gudula’s path was much quieter. After being educated at the abbey of a relative (some say her godmother; others say a cousin),St. Gertrude of Nivelles, Gudula returned home and engaged in a ministry helping the poor. Legend has...
January 6, 2015
No “Family Hold Back” Here
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.
The crowd was hungry. All they had was five loaves and two fish. You know what happened next.
Love’s funny that way. It’s not like when a dozen people show up for a dinner party where you were expecting eight, and the letters “FHB” (Family Hold Back) are softly whispered as you take just a bit of the mashed potatoes and want to 
remind your sister to do the same. Yo...
January 5, 2015
Returning Catholics FAQs: Excommunication
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.
If I disagree with my pastor or bishop on something, am I going to get excommunicated?
First, let’s discuss excommunication, a situation in which a Catholic must have committed wha...
January 1, 2015
On the Nightstand: January 2015
Last month for Living Faith, I wrote about the joyous curveball God tossed to Zechariah, John the Baptist’s father, and heard at the site and via email from a fewfolks. One mentioned a book called The Joy of Full Surrender byJean-Pierre de Caussade, a Jesuit priest. 
It seemed like the perfect resource with which to start the year, at least for someone like me who so has trouble living in the “sacrament of the present moment” instead of obsessing about what’s over the next hill.
Looking forward...
