In the Acts of the Apostles, we read that when the Spirit came upon the disciples in wind and fire, they proclaimed the Word in languages they didn’t even know, so that everyone who heard them would understand.Understanding and connectedness: those are two of the gifts of Pentecost, and two that we need sorely today. Division has been a theme in politics for a long time, but these last few months of the coronavirus pandemic have brought our polarization of thought into sharp focus, forcing...

Whenever we’re forced to stay still, as we are while sheltering in place during these days of the coronavirus pandemic, many of us turn to reading in order to escape the confines of our homes—and, occasionally, of reality itself! There’s nothing quite like losing yourself in a book. But how to choose what to read?Here’s a story that might inspire you with options in these stay-at-home, sometimes boring days.On May 20, 1531, the youngest son of a noble and wealthy fam...

Two days ago I exited our temporarily closed Pauline Book & Media Center and a twenty-something-year-old woman bounded up to me excitedly and asked, “Do you work at the Catholic bookstore?” I responded with a big smile, “Yes!” She asked, “Are you hiring?” I replied that we weren’t, and she quickly rejoined, “Do you know anyone who is?”Promising prayers was all I could do, though I wished I could do more. And once again, I was reminded of ...

May 3 is the 57th World Day of Prayer for Vocations. In these days when young women can't come to stay with us, to "come and see" as the Lord first invited his apostles and continues to invite women and men throughout the centuries, we Daughters of St Paul have moved our vocation retreats online. Just as in other ways the Lord has surprised us with his presence in the pandemic, so our accompanying of women interested in religious life through online events has been amazingly b...

Dear Brothers and Sisters,The month of May is approaching, a time when the People of God express with particular intensity their love and devotion for the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is traditional in this month to pray the Rosary at home within the family. The restrictions of the pandemic have made us come to appreciate all the more this “family” aspect, also from a spiritual point of view.For this reason, I want to encourage everyone to rediscover the beauty of praying the Rosary at ho...

I recently asked an elderly neighbor how she was faring, and whether she needed me to pick up any groceries for her. “I’m fine,” she responded, then added, “Just trying to keep busy!”It’s a common expression, “trying to keep busy,” and it reflects a common belief that as long as we’re doing things, keeping productive, then everything is fine. Except that everything isn’t fine, is it, and no amount of activity is going to ...

This past Sunday was the feast of Divine Mercy. We celebrated this feast as best we could, virtually joining with each other in prayer, but what we need to remember is that the feast is not really over: mercy needs to be practiced every day of the year. And in particular, this year, when people around us are in so much need of compassion and understanding, the message of Divine Mercy lived every day is a blessed way to live.Jesus wants us to trust in his mercy, because he is goodness itself...

Maybe you’re the mom in the grocery line frantically trying to keep one kid’s hands off the candy bars while the other kid erupts into howls from the cart, and feeling the judgmental stares of people behind you… people who see the disruption, but who don’t see you trying. Maybe you’re the teacher who hasn’t been to the washroom all day for trying to keep your students safe and learning in a rowdy classroom, and just got yelled at by the parent of a child who ...

(Interview with Sr. Mary Leonora Wilson, FSP, author of a new novena to St. Mary Magdalene)Hello, Sister! Thanks for taking this time. So let's start... I understand that you are the author of St. Mary Magdalene: Novena and Prayers, released just in time for Lent. How did you first come to know and connect with Mary Magdalene?I first connected with Mary Magdalene when I was stationed in Germany, and I was going through a very difficult time. Traumas from my childhood were surfacing. One day,...

Author of The Perfect Blindside and Extreme Blindside, Leslea Wahl kindly took some time away from writing this week to chat with Pauline Books & Media.First, let’s talk a little about your life.I live in Colorado. In fact, I’m a Colorado native, even though my husband and I moved away for eight years… our families were here, though, and we were happy to be able to come back and live near them. I have three children, the youngest is in college now!  I’m a writer...