Of Sound Mind and Spirit

Flat Father John at VBS Our parish priest is giving up his summer to travel with parishioners, but in a unique way... Head over to CatholicMom.com to read more about Flat Father John from St. Angela Merici Catholic Church.  Read more...

  Two weeks ago CatholicMom.com launched a summer book discussion on Forming Intentional Disciples: The Path to Knowing and Following Jesus .   The challenge to read a chapter each week includes both individual and parish-wide discussion questions.   Meanwhile, CatholicMom writers address the questions every Wednesday.  Author Sherry Weddell focuses on the need for Catholics in the pew to be better evangelized; for us to bridge the chasm between Church teachings and a passive personal relationship with God.    Even though I'm getting a late start, I wanted to share my personal answers to the discussion questions.   There are other personal answers and additional discussion over at the CatholicMom page.   Go visit! How would you describe your lived relationship with God at this point in your life? When considering this question, I thought back to my relationship with God during various stages of my life.   In my childhood, God was a benevolent father and I learned about

With the election of Pope Francis, people are clamoring to learn more about his chosen namesake, St. Francis of Assisi.   Paraclete Press has published a new way for children to familiarize themselves with St. Francis of Assisi in Saint Francis and Brother Duc k .  It is the first graphic novel adaptation of the real life of St. Francis of Assisi.  The author, Jay Stoeckl, a secular Franciscan, was inspired to use his skills as a cartoonist in his first book. You might be like me and thinking a graphic novel (comic book style) about St. Francis of Assisi and a Duck?  Huh?  And in truth, it is an adorable book that easily relates the story of Saint Francis in a colorful, visual way to young readers.   The description reads... See Saint Francis come to life as never before in this colorful graphic novel set in the hill-towns of Italy.  Francis saves the life of an innocent duck, the only fictitious character in the story, and the two become each other's inspiration.  As