Of Sound Mind and Spirit

Shelly & Bryan Kelly are pleased to introduce Douglas Arthur Kelly born Friday, October 14, 2011 at 10:49 a.m. weighing 7 lbs 11 oz 20 inches long

"If you are tired of career politicians, GOOOH is for you. If you believe money has corrupted Washington, GOOOH is for you. If you believe politicians have too much power, GOOOH is for you. If you are weary of the death grip the two parties have on our government, and are ready to return control of our government to the people, then GOOOH is for you." In this charged political climate, does that grab your attention?  It did mine when I met a representative of GOOOH (pronounced "Go") in Houston a few months ago.  This grass roots, non-partisan system allows a community to choose a citizen representative to serve their district in the House of Representatives.  GOOOH founder, Tim Cox, believes the problem with the current political system lies with career politicians who are more focused on their reelection and power than affecting positive change for our nation.  The GOOOH goal is to select, support and fund average citizens interested in representing their

Rachel Campos-Duffy Shares her Secrets Even after eight years as a stay at home mom, a book with the title, Stay Home, Stay Happy; 10 Secrets to Loving At-Home Motherhood sparks my interest.  Who doesn’t want to know all the secrets that will help us be happy, thankful, and appreciate the best job in the world even when the going seems tough? Rachel Campos-Duffy writes with a friendly conversational style that invites the reader in to discuss motherhood, as you would with a friend over coffee.  You smile, you laugh, and nod your head at times in a knowing way.  She becomes a girl friend who is sharing her story, her difficulty, and advice as you reflect upon your own.                                                                                      The section dedicated to centering your life as a mother through the importance of prayer resonated with me.  With many little kids and a busy life, she is practical in her approach of how to achieve a prayer life in the m

Today, the Church celebrates the first liturgical feast day of Pope John Paul II. "Be Not Afraid" After beatification last May, October 22nd was selected for the feast day of Blessed John Paul II.   During his heroic life he was a faithful and inspirational witness bringing Christians around the world closer to Christ. "What really matters in life is that we are loved by Christ and that we love Him in return. In comparison to the love of Jesus, everything else is secondary. And, without the love of Jesus, everything is useless."  - Pope John Paul II Blessed John Paul II, Pray for us.

New Year Teaching Religious Education My stomach filled with butterflies as I walked back into the parish classroom to begin another year as a 3 rd grade catechist teaching religious education . When I worked over the summer preparing my lesson plans, I was full of enthusiasm and excitement about teaching the faith once again; however, facing a new class of 23 students found me extremely nervous.  My mind focused on the difficulty I had last year getting my footing as a new teacher.  I experienced a roller coaster of emotions from week to week while dealing with the struggles of discipline, learning how to present the material, and finding myself inspired by the students’ demonstrations of faith. Perhaps I stress a little too much over teaching one hour each week, but I feel the weight and responsibility of teaching and representing the faith. As I set up for my first class of the new year I took a few minutes to quiet myself and pray, asking God for strength, courage, guidance

Last week I wrote about an offensive Catholic stereotype used in our university system mandatory EEO training . The post, with a screen shot of the slide, received quite a bit of attention when Thomas Peters, American Papist at Catholic Vote.org wrote about it . After noting the overwhelming response and shared outrage, I posted in the comments asking for time to do a little follow up on my end. I contacted our Human Resources Associate Director for Organizational Development (including mandatory training) who in turn contacted the main campus Human Resources Director of Talent Management/Training and Development. Here is what I have learned. I can now confirm that the EEO training program, including the scenario depicted, was written by our university system main campus human resources training department. According to the Director of Talent Management/Training and Development, the scenario used…“is based on an actual case that was reviewed by the EEO office during the past year.”

Last night’s Republican Presidential Debate hosted by Bloomberg Network focused entirely on the economy, exactly as it should.  The debate format allowed for all eight candidates to sit around a table to discuss topics in a less formal setting.  Overall, after the two-hour debate concluded, I felt good about the current crop of candidates.  Many have bold, specific plans for America and appear to be focused in the right direction toward putting our nation on the path to prosperity.  Discussions on cutting federal spending, restricting the size of government, returning personal freedoms back to individuals took precedence.  All were in agreement that government must get off the back of the working person, return manufacturing jobs to the US, develop our natural resources and create an environment where banks and businesses are confident about investing in our future. They argued over specifically how to lower the tax and regulatory burden on American citizens and enterpris

My Top 10 Favorite Quotes heard during the 2011  Catholic New Media Conference by SQPN . 10.   "A new evangelization is needed whenever you encounter a new culture.    That is what is happening today with new communication." – Sister Anne Flannigan 9.    "You must become the leaders, the encouragers of new media.    God doesn’t call the equipped, but equips the called." – Pat Gohn 8.   "It all goes back to storytelling.    Jesus taught with stories." – Sean Patrick Lovett 7.   "Let it be done in our lives before we can communicate it to others." – Sister Anne Flannigan 6.   "The Church has a beautiful positive message that caters to the soul." – Father Roderick 5.  "Personal Prayer is essential to effective communication." – Jeff Geerling 4.  "Technology is not going to bring people back to the Church.  You are.  People are.  Through building meaningful relationships."  – Matthew Wa

I work for a state university. Every two years all employees, from the faculty down to student workers, are required to complete mandatory training. It’s part of our minimum job expectations. The topics are pretty basic, covering the usual expected areas: Fraud Awareness, Cash security, Secure Computer Systems, Ethics, External Consulting, FERPA, and Equal Employment Opportunity. After ten years of employment here, I’ve reviewed the training and passed the assessment exams five times. This year I noticed that some of the training videos/ PDF slides were redesigned from the previous training two years ago. Instead of simply presenting the necessary information, the reviews include suggested scenarios, with a little Q&A to make sure you understand the concept. Under the EEO training, we are reminded that “equal employment opportunity is the requirement that all persons receive the same opportunities for hiring, training, promotion, etc. without regard to race, color, sex, religion,