Annually, the SS. Isidore and Maria Parish Faith Formation Office confers a Distinguished Service Award on one of our parish’s catechists. This recognizes the service of catechists who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to their ministry over a significant period of time. Recipients have devoted personal attention to each young person they have worked with, shown a consistent fidelity to the teachings of our Church, and been a role models of discipleship and self-giving. We are pleased to announce that Mr. James Bedard has been named as this year’s recipient of our Distinguished Service Award. Jim has served as [...]

In December 1938, 29-year-old British stockbroker Nicholas Winton visited Prague to assist in Jewish refugee camps. Winton was shocked at the atrocious conditions, especially for children, who were facing almost certain death by the Nazis. In order to get these children to safety, Winton established a small operation in Prague. He contacted European and American governments, asking them to take in children. Only Sweden and Great Britain agreed. The British Parliament required that each child entering the country have a foster home, an entry visa and 50 pounds for return transport. Winton pleaded with the British Home Office to expedite [...]

My friends and I stroll through the mall but no one notices us. I stop at a convenience store on the way home, and no one’s pulse spikes in fear. If I move into your section of town, you don’t think, “There goes the neighborhood.” I am a white woman. Therefore, unless I draw attention to myself, people leave me alone. People don’t fear me or worry that I might be carrying a concealed weapon. In the event that I do something stupid, people say, “That was really stupid.” They do not say, “See? All those white women are idiots.” [...]

The call came years ago on a raw afternoon in early spring. The woman on the other end of the phone introduced herself as a writer. She explained that Parenting Magazine had hired her to write a story about how to prevent spoiled children, and she wanted to interview me on the topic. She'd been given my name through a convoluted series of contacts, none of whom had ever met me - or my children. How did she know my kids weren't spoiled? The interview was fascinating. The writer presented me with 8 specific scenarios involving children who were not [...]

For Father George the Humble. It was a stupid idea. What was I thinking? Something had been bugging me for months. I knew God wanted me to take my faith to a deeper level and I was pretty sure it had something to do with humility. The prospect didn't thrill me. After months of ignoring God, I finally acknowledged His not-so-gentle nudging. Okay, it was more like an affectionate shove. And thus it happened that on a Tuesday in November, I began to pray an extremely dangerous prayer. I asked God to strip me of pride and teach me humility. [...]

The year was 1942, and Holland was under Nazi occupation. The elderly Casper ten Boom and his middle-aged daughters were leading quiet lives as watchmakers until Jewish neighbors began disappearing. One night after curfew, a terrified Jewish woman arrived at the door of the ten Boom shop. The woman's husband had just been arrested, her son was in hiding, and she was anxious about returning home for fear of arrest. She'd heard that the Christian ten Boom family had helped a Jewish neighbor, and she didn't know where else to turn. Casper ten Boom kindly assured her, “God's people are [...]

Just moments into the discussion, I knew where it was going. A group of women had gathered over coffee, and for reasons that now escape me, the topic turned to the homeless. “You know what I don't understand?” one woman began rather stridently. “Where are their families? Why should their care be left to government hand-outs and charities?” “Yeah,” several women agreed. “Don't the homeless have families to care for them?” Should I or shouldn't I? I wondered. Did I have the emotional energy to enter the controversy? I put my toe into the water. “Do any of you know [...]