I love sunflowers. There is something about their grand size, their vivid yellowness, and of course their sun searching. In Italian, the flower’s name is girasole—literally “sun turner.” No matter…
We, John and Laura, both have stories in the new fiction book, Pilgrim Tales: the inaugural anthology by the Catholic Writers Guild (CWG). The other ten authors in the anthology…
Our St. Joseph Altar or Table. How to Celebrate St. Joseph’s Day the Hallowed Home Way “Tupa, tupa.” (Knock, knock.) No, it’s not the start of that old child’s joke,…
Requiem Mass held in honor of Alex Klucik. We headed to NYC to attend a Requiem Mass for the repose of the soul of Laura’s nephew and godson, Alex Klucik.…
La Rocca, The Godfather, and “The Etna!” {#4 in the series} Dear Reader, This is #4 in our series of travelogues all around Italy, the UK, and Ireland from October…
Introduction: Reframing the 40 Days For many of us, Ash Wednesday brings the familiar question: "What am I giving up for Lent?" We often see these forty days as a…
Mosaics, a Market, Marsala, Monasteries, Miei Cugini and Martorana – from Sicily with Love Dear Reader, This is #3 in our series of travelogues all around Italy, the UK, and…
Bologna and Cheese, Two Seas, Our Family Trees (And, Of Course, The "Usual" Saints and Eucharistic Miracles!) Dear Reader, This is #2 in our series of travelogues all around Italy,…
Dear Reader, This is #1 in our series of travelogues all around Italy, the UK, and Ireland from October 2024 through June 2025. This opening one largely lets the pictures…
Michelangelo, St. Luke, and the World's Longest Portico Saint Luke's Madonna, Painted by the Evanglist. Bologna is world-renowned for its food, home to ragu, lasagne, and pink-hued mortadella. We arrived with…