Melanie Rigney's Blog, page 96

Wednesday’s Woman: St. Mary Joseph Rossello

The Basics:Born May 27, 1811, in Italy; died December 7, 1880, in Italy; canonized June 12, 1949, by Pius XII; feast day, December 7. Woman religious, caregiver.

The Story:Initially, money stood in the way of Mary Joseph’s vocation. She didn’t have enough money for a dowry, so she went to work for an invalid for seven years. She felt then that it was time to serve God, and while the invalid’s family could have provided the additional money she needed, they chose not to because they didn’t want...

Comfort His People

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.

There’s always a thread among the Daily Readings, honest. It’s just that some days, it’s harder to find that thread than others. Further, as you likely know from having heard some long, convoluted homilies or sermons in your life, it’s sometimes folly to try to link up all the readings into one message. Conventional wisdom is to focus on the relevance of a single...

Returning Catholics FAQs: Why Join a Parish?

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.

Why can’t I just pray to God at home?Why do I even have to join a parish or go to church? Is it just so they can send me those envelopes and other requests for money?

Here’s what S...

Then He Touched Them

Note: On Fridays, you can find me atYour Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there. Please note: Starting next week, my turn at theTripodwill move to Tuesdays.

In today’s Gospel reading from Matthew 9, Jesus encounters two blind men and asks if they believe he can heal them. After they say yes, he touches their eyes, says “Let it be done for you according to your faith.” Their eyes then open.

Jesus didn’t have to touch the blind men to heal them, o...

Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Maria Angela Astorch

The Basics:Born September 1, 1592, in Spain; died December 2, 1665, in Spain; beatified May 23, 1982, by John Paul II; feast day, December 2. Mystic, woman religious.

The Story:Maria Angela is called the breviary mystic because it was through the liturgy that she had her closest encounters with Christ. Legend has it that she brought along six volumes of the Latin breviary when she joined a Capuchin monastery at age eleven. (She had been orphaned several years earlier and was being raised by a...

Returning Catholics FAQs: Which One’s My Parish?

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.

How do I know which one is supposed to be my parish? What if I don’t like it there?

One way to find out is to call the diocesan office or a Catholic church near your home and ask i...

On the Nightstand: December 2014

Whenever I see my birthday twin and friend-going-back-to-before-I-had-faith friend Letitia Suk, I come away refreshed and challenged. When we had lunch in Chicago in late October, we got into a discussion of keeping the Sabbath, something I am woefully bad at, using the dodge that generally, I’m writing for God on that day so maybe it’s OK.

Tish gently told me about her own longtime Sabbath practices, which include relaxing and making a big pot of soup. A few weeks later, she sent me this book...

Being Christ in Our Lives: Andrea L. Wirt

I had the pleasure of spending time with Andrea Wirt while I was in the Chicagoland area in late October. Andrea grew up primarily in Colorado and came to Evanston, Illinois, for law school, where she met her husband Dave and converted toCatholicism. Life went on, and they both experienced professional success and attended Mass on a regular basis, but were not particularly active in their parish.

Then Andrea was in a bad car accident. During her recovery, she felt at loose ends, and Dave sugge...

What’s on the Scroll?

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

I recently found myself back in a familiar place. It’s not one I visit as often as I once did, but I still end up there from time to time when things are confusing or uncertain. It’s the place where I’m blunt to the point of rudeness or cruelty, sometimes to people I know who have no more control over the situation than I do. It’s not a happy place for me or them.

P...

Wednesday’s Woman: Blessed Gaetana Sterni

The Basics:Born June 26, 1827, in Italy; died November 26, 1889, in Italy; beatified November 4, 2001, by John Paul II; feast day, November 26. Caregiver, woman religious.

The Story:Gaetana never lived more than five miles from her birthplace in northeast Italy. But even if her locale changed little, her early life was full of upheavals. While her childhood was spent in a comfortable, loving environment, the family was rocked by the deaths of her sister and father and the abandonment of a brot...