Top Ten Stories of 2018
What an amazing year 2018 was. Looking back there were so many ups and downs it is hard to believe that some of the events happened only in 2018. Here is a list of our top ten stories in order of engagement by you over the entire year. Sister Mary Jo Acquires Fame on the Internet for her First Pitch at a Major League Game “My goal is to just inspire young people to do their best and […]
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Transform Your Life: Sing Mary’s Song
This essay was originally published on Sunday December 30, 2018, in the Springfield State Journal-Register Beliefs column for which Sister Beth Murphy writes regularly. For many of us, January 1 has become unmoored from the faith context of Christmas. It’s New Year’s Day, of course, and holds a sense of promise and fresh start that can renew everyone’s spirits this time of year. For sports fans it’s Bowl Game Day, serving to rally friends and family around a […]
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Grieving at Christmastime? That’s okay.
Grief is part of life, but when we grieve while it seems the world is rejoicing, the pain and loneliness can seem that much more acute. Here are three ways to help get yourself or a loved one through a sad time at Christmastime. Go low key. If you don’t feel like a Christmas season with all the trimmings, that is okay, too. Do what you can do, or want to do, to honor the season. Don’t worry […]
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International Migrants Day
Today is International Migrants Day. People are fleeing record violence in Central America, crossing thousands of miles in nearly unimaginable conditions to seek asylum in the United States. We can respect their right to migrate and welcome them while having a secure border. The militarization of the southern border is a waste of taxpayer dollars and the money spent does not making us any safer. Illinois Senator Dick Durbin asked the officials at the ports of entry what […]
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“People are Frightened for their Children”
An NPR Illinois Interview with Sister Marcelline Koch. Sister Marcelline Koch, standing center, above, invites US citizens to do two things when it comes to grasping what’s happening at the US-Mexico border: See the immigrants as people who are frightened for their children. Do the analysis necessary to understand why mothers and fathers are compelled to flee their homes with their children. Listen to this interview Sister Marcelline gave to NPR Illinois reporter Daisy Contreras last week from […]
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Light the Way: Sister Kathleen Anne Tait’s
6 Big Ideas for Giving Tuesday
Giving Tuesday began in 2012 to counterbalance the rampant consumerism that has crept into our culture with the shopping frenzy known as “Black Friday.” Donations to good causes are appropriate! We hope you make some! We also encourage you to “Light the way” to a gentler world by making a gift of human kindness! Here are six things you can do to Light the Way on Giving Tuesday, or any day. If you do any of these, let […]
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“Rico”—A Story of Gratitude
We received this message from Sister Marcelline Koch regarding her experience volunteering at Annunciation House a Catholic Charities-sponsored ministry serving families who arrive in El Paso, Texas, seeking asylum. Sister Marcelline, Sister Anita Cleary, and two of their friends, Kathryn Raistrick and Julie Wullner, volunteered at Annunciation House Nov. 13-19, 2018. She wrote on Sunday, Nov. 18. El Paso, Texas. Sister Anita Cleary and I, along with two colleagues, Kathryn Raistrick and Julie Wullner, have been working in […]
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My Kind of Apocalypse
This essay was first published on November 18, 2018 in the Springfield State Journal-Register Beliefs column for which Sister Beth Murphy writes regularly. There is a certain way of reading Jewish and Christian apocalyptic texts that makes excellent B movie material. I believe we are living in an apocalypse—but not that kind! The word apocalypse means a revelation, or an unveiling. There is a strain of thinking among certain Christian theologians, which I favor, that recognizes the death […]
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