I don't buy what the New Age writer is selling in his latest book, and I'm guessing most other CE readers don't, either.

Ten years ago, when Anne was four years old, and Betsy was a toddler, I had my first inkling of real Lenten temptation.

Oh, yes, previously, I'd been tempted to eat chocolate, or to have a juicy burger on…

If you're Catholic …
and you homeschool …
you're A Catholic School!

Celebrate!

You're doing all that you can to give your child an authentic Catholic education. That's worth celebrating.

Personally, I think chocolate should be involved, but follow your own instincts. If…

Monday, January 14, 2008"Mom's Corner" tomorrow for EVERYONE!

Tomorrow morning, Tuesday, January 15th at 9:15 to 9:30 AM Eastern Standard Time on "Catholic Connection" Ave Maria Radio, Teresa Tomeo and I will be discussing our upcoming trip to the…

Planes, Trains, and Elephants!

A lump grew in my throat as I poured my daughter's cup of tea down the sink yesterday morning just after she left. It would be the last cup of tea that I could make…

Posted by Tom O'Toole

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you…

I love Saint Joseph!

I want to share a little story with you. My friend has been looking for a place to live for a while. She has been staying with friends temporarily. Certainly she was very appreciative for…

Advent seems a good time to revisit some older (19th century) theology that contrasts Eve with Mary.

Friday, November 16, 2007Hidden in the Tabernacle

Recently my daughter, Mary-Catherine volunteered to help at the parish with the Christmas pageant auditions. The people in charge decided to use the Church to hold the auditions. Various stations were set…

If you spend any time with email, you've probably received an occasional chain letter, in spite of any spam filter settings meant to protect against that sort of thing. The spam promising a financial windfall from little-known African…

Posted by Tom O'Toole

44 points was not nearly enough to keep Notre Dame from losing to the Naval Academy for the first time in 44 years, as the Midshipmen torpedoed the Fighting Irish 46-44 in three overtimes Saturday…

I caught you!

I caught you not resting on a Sunday! Oh, you are resting? You're just checking out a few blogs? I'll let it slide this time.

When I was growing up, Sundays were special–reserved for Mass together as…

This essay was sparked by musings from another blogger with whom I am friendly, and the question he opened with was "are we all called to heroism?"

I don't know whether his timing was intentional, but it fits wonderfully with…

Every year since she was five, Mary Beth and her friend Bailey have had a tea party in the autumn to celebrate Mary Beth's birthday. Sometimes, they've been larger affairs, with several friends. Sometimes they've been "tea for…

Posted by Tom O'Toole

“You have some rural Protestant kids from Kansas who decide to tackle the story of a Polish Catholic woman who saved thousands of Jews … it makes absolutely no sense …”
–Norm Conard, retired history teacher…

"The soul is healed by being with children."  Fyodor Dostoyevsky

I am asked frequently about avoiding burnout and recovery from burnout.  There is a chapter in Real Learning devoted to burnout. I wrote that chapter ten years ago. Still, I…

I respect Mark Shea, and do understand that zinging him in this forum might be as impolite as Steve Earle's assertion that he would stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in his cowboy boots to proclaim Townes Van…

From my site:

Cincinnati vocations director Fr. Kyle Schnippel wrote another fine essay for the Catholic Telegraph of Cincinnati, this time focusing on how your domestic church can promote vocations. I've highlighted just the first few paragraphs, but read it all;…

So, yesterday I mentioned this woman. She wrote a book detailing her "40 Reasons Not to Have Kids."

Today, I present:

40 Reasons to Have Kids.
(loosely based on her 40 reasons not to ….)

1. Desiring children with the man you…

From my site:

We've previously addressed the popular adult faith formation program "Why Catholic?" My take has been that it's better than nothing, but not by much. Perhaps that's too generous an assessment.

In the most recent edition of the…

Posted by Tom O'Toole

"A government not ruled by justice is just a bunch of thieves" (St. Augustine).

Although those familiar with Chicago politics might have attributed the above quote (with a few choice expletives) to Mike Royko rather than…

From my site:

Who knew!?

 

The Our Father is actually a guide to reducing our "carbon footprint."

An interpretative key overlooked by scores of Church fathers and doctors for two-thousand years has been discovered by a nun in Cincinnati:

One must only…

A study done by the Christian Film & Television Commission showed that movies with strong moral content averaged more than six times more money than movies with strong immoral or anti-religious content. This study seems vindicated by blockbuster…

Ours is not an age of reason. We tend less towards debating today, than to attacking those that disagree with us. Debate is a power game, not a common search for the truth. The true spirit of debate…

Saturday, September 22, 2007

Close to home…

We live in difficult times, especially for teenage and "tweenage" girls. Girls these days are up against so much pressure to conform to what society thinks a young girl should look like and…

Posted by Tom O'Toole

Yesterday's Sun-Times, the self-proclaimed "Progressive, Independent Conscience of the City," ran an editorial delineating why, despite a judge ruling to the contrary, a proposed Planned Parenthood "health center" should be allowed to open. The following is…

Posted by Tom O'Toole

Most of you FIT readers are already well aware of the Aurora pro-life victory yesterday. Judge Charles Norgle delayed the opening of the Planned Parenthood clinic (which was scheduled to open today) "to give both…

Recently I was lamenting about missing my son, Joseph who just went off to college. I likened the feeling to that of a mother bird pushing her baby bird out of the nest, but I don't feel ready…

Catholic Exchange readers may be interested in an informal dialog over at American Spectator Online, the politically conservative web site to which I sometimes contribute. AmSpec, as some of us like to call her (or TAS, as the editors…

Posted by Tom O'TooleI wrote this poem in the wake of 9-11 in response to the wave of not-always-holy patriotism that came out of it.
“God Bless America” reads the merchant’s marquees
For as far and wide as the eye…

Discussion about Mother Teresa with Teresa Tomeo

In case you didn't get a chance to tune in to Teresa Tomeo's show this morning, here is the link to our discussion about Mother Teresa in light of the fact that…

Posted by Tom O'Toole

It was ten years ago today that Mother Teresa passed away. Although she is now officially listed as "Blessed Teresa" due to her intercessory cure of an Indian woman's incurable tumor, it is hard to…

My interview with Nissa Gadbois of "Simple Gifts" about Mother Teresa

You should probably brew yourself a cup of tea or coffee and have a seat. This will be a lengthy interview with Nissa Gadbois of Simple Gifts who so…

Posted by Tom O'Toole

"And to Joshua the Lord said, 'Have the soldiers circle the city marching around it for six days … and on the 7th day … the wall of the city will collapse'" (Joshua 6:2-5).

For what…

Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta's tenth anniversary of death tomorrow

I'm sure you have all heard about Blessed Teresa's dark night of the soul that she suffered through while she ministered to God's poorest of the poor. Excerpts…

Recently, I had an email exchange with a friend about things that bother, gnaw at, weaken, or paralyze us. You know the things I mean — the ones that begin to loom large in our minds, worries we…

Posted by Tom O'Toole

The Pro-Life Rally held on Saturday, August 25th, to protest the "planned" Planned Parenthood abortion mill set to open at 3051 E. New York Street in Aurora, Illinois, in mid-September proved to be an overwhelming…

Marveling about how God works…

I often marvel about how God works. He really has everything under control–most times, unbeknownst to us. Every so often He makes us aware of the movement of the Holy Spirit and how He…

I am overjoyed to be able to offer this to all of you on this marvelous Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary! Please read the following through and pray about how you can help to…

Like Andrew Sullivan's fear of "Christianists," my friend Stacey's fear of "Christo-fascists" is entirely misplaced. It also bears striking resemblance to those those ill-informed warnings about how George Bush or James Dobson or Fr. Richard John Neuhaus is…

I recently had a conversation in emails with Sally Robb about the holy Mass. We were sharing our thoughts about how people might be more attracted to the Mass. The subject came up because of a friend of…

Posted by Tom O'Toole

Admittedly (by this writer, not those indicted), the last few weeks in sports have not left a very positive taste. This is not to be confused with a positive test, for nearly half of the…

Nancy C. Brown's The Mystery of Harry Potter, a Catholic Family Guide,published by Our Sunday Visitor, is a book I've been waiting for.

Weary of defending the fact that I've allowed Harry into our home, I longed for some…

Posted by Tom O'Toole"There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be made known.
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul" (Matt. 10:26,28).You can bet…

Review of "Prayerfully Expecting: A Nine Month Novena for Mothers-To-Be"

Changing the Way You'll Experience Your Pregnancy, August 2, 2007
By  S. Reinhard
    

"You have been blessed with the privilege of conceiving a child, whose heart beats within…

Look no further:

I received a copy of "An Illustrated Catechism" earlier this week and am utterly captivated by it. The combination of crisp, orthodox text and beautiful illustrations is masterful. Biffi and Vignazia have created not just a…

Work Widows: Maintaining the Family Bond While Dad Is Away
By Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle
From: Canticle magazine

“I might as well be a widow.” I vividly remember my mother expressing her feelings about my father’s absence at family functions, leaving her to…

Because it's summer and pets can get overheated in the sunshine, they often (cats and dogs) seek the shelter of the shade if they are outside. Oftentimes they will lie under a car or other vehicle, usually right…

I've been talking on my blog about plans, and in doing so, I was reminded of this piece that I wrote several years ago for New Covenant magazine. This was after our fifth miscarriage, and before we had Ramona…

The Cincinnati Enquirer runs my short essay on the motu:

In the discussion over Pope Benedict XVI's liberalization of the rules permitting the celebration of the "old Mass," i.e., the form of the Mass celebrated before - and during - Vatican…