How Catholic innovations changed western civilization. Strange question you might think. I assure you that this is not a thought experiment. Here we have authentic history. Picture a dismal swamp. Picture murky streams, land submerged in spring-time floods, invasive reeds, and thick peat all devouring forests of fir and oak. Imagine rank soil and dead … Read moreWho turned swamps into farmland?
Watch that woman standing on the farmer’s porch. She pulls on her work jeans that still show patches of garden dirt. She sprays insect repellent on her work boots, arms, and neck. Next comes a mesh insect protection net that loops under her armpits and covers her entire head. With great precision, she dons her … Read moreBattles in the Garden
An old woman ambled down a dirt road from her cottage on Christmas Cove along the coast of Maine. Hilda Hamlin was her name and she had a secret. It was a secret kept in her pocket. Now on her way back from the post office, she fumbled in her pocket for little treasures brought … Read moreThe Secret of Christmas Cove
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, first celebrated on August 31, 1670 in Rennes, France. Devotion to the Sacred Heart became a universal celebration based on the visions of St. Margaret Mary Alacoque on June 16, 1675, thus establishing the solemnity to be celebrated during the octave of the Feast … Read moreMiracles of the Sacred Heart
Ten years ago on June first, I had a brush with death. Here is the hair-raising story… In the quiet of a library, I first heard news of the tornado watch. A mother and her young daughter gave clues that danger was afoot. Hurriedly, she gathered up an armload of books. “Radar shows that an … Read moreTrapped by a Deadly Tornado