by Joanna Dailey This is the juxtaposition of seasons: you go away for Thanksgiving weekend, and then when you arrive back home it’s Advent. And the big plastic Halloween pumpkin is still on the front porch! But maybe that’s just me. So let’s dig out the Advent wreath (maybe you … Read more...

by Joanna Dailey The religious education program for teens in our town has changed somewhat, beginning this past September. We now have optional Bible Study on alternate Sunday evenings. Well, just say "Bible Study" and I am there. This program is also totally optional for adult volunteers, and I happen … Read more...

by Joanna Dailey Lately, I happened to drop in on the Web site of the local diocese of my childhood and high school years, the Diocese of Gary, Indiana. I also took a peek at the Web site of the diocesan newspaper, the Northwest Indiana Catholic. I can now say … Read more...

by Joanna Dailey If you have ever endured a home-improvement project of any size, then you know what chaos is like. Today my entire house is topsy-turvy because I am getting a new kitchen floor. Hurray! It has been a long time coming. But, because I am fortunate to have … Read more...

by Joanna Dailey This is the first time that The Servant Leader is devoting an entire Faith Focus column to one saint. But, given that this saint has been chosen by the current Pope Francis as his papal name and patron—and so highlighting the Pope’s ideals for the Church—it might … Read more...

by Joanna Dailey "Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens. . . ." We all know this song! ("My Favorite Things" from the musical The Sound of Music.) Let us give due credit to its authors, Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers. This song is a meditation on the little … Read more...

by Joanna Dailey "A what?" That is the usual reaction when one of my colleagues at Saint Mary’s Press announces his or her new job title to . . . . you, maybe, or anyone. "What IS a content passioneer?" The descriptive word is con-tent— accent on the first syllable. … Read more...

by Joanna Dailey "All beginnings are hard," wrote Chaim Potok at the very beginning of his novel, In the Beginning. Recently I learned that this is a well-known maxim from the Talmud, a book of Jewish teachings and scriptural commentary. This maxim seems particularly appropriate at the beginning of the … Read more...

by Joanna Dailey Three television commercials have caught my eye this summer. One tells me that, with a particular smartphone: "You are more powerful than you think!" Another tells me that, with a certain app, I can exercise away that "chicken fat." (This song, by the way, was written and … Read more...

by Joanna Dailey Happy Pentecost! Yesterday evening, I walked to church. The seasonably mild temperature (neither too cold nor too hot) made walking a joy, and, as I passed lawns and flowerpots up close and personal, I was reminded of all that I miss whenever I whizz through the neighborhood … Read more...

by Joanna Dailey It’s time to celebrate the Easter sacraments: Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist! Whether celebrated together at the Easter Vigil or separately, now is the season to rejoice in God’s gift to us of his life and love! Here in Terre Haute, we had Confirmation yesterday. The bishop usually comes … Read more...

by Joanna Dailey It was the early 1960’s. My mom announced at supper that we had to "pick up" the living room, because the neighbors across the street were coming over to show slides of their trip to Europe. My dad groaned, but I was excited. London! Paris! Rome! It … Read more...

by Joanna Dailey Let us bless the Lord, alleluia! Alleluia! Thanks be to God, alleluia! Alleluia! Easter Week is a week of Sundays! Every day is a solemnity, and every day celebrates the Resurrection of Christ in a new way. The Easter Week readings remind us of what the resurrected … Read more...

by Joanna Dailey Winter/spring weather is hard on birds. This came to my attention via a video from last year created from a video-cam based at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. A pair of hawks (Big Red the mother and Ezra the father) made a nest and were sitting … Read more...

by Joanna Dailey As the winds of March blow hither and yon, some in leadership among us are already thinking of August or September. What programs shall we put in place next year? Who will be on staff? When can we meet to plan? For others of us, these tentative … Read more...

by Joanna Dailey Happy Lent! In the churches of the East, the season of Lent is known as "Great Lent." There is a prayer woven throughout the season (often accompanied by prostrations—that is, kneeling on the floor and then bowing your head to the ground, standing up, then doing it … Read more...

A change of season in the outer world (from winter to spring, although many of us can hardly believe it will ever come, and from Ordinary Time to Lent) seems to inspire some kind of change in the inner world of our spirits. Lent offers a new beginning, a new … Read more...

In the past year, I have become intrigued by the reruns of a television series titled Leverage. Each episode of the series is introduced by its main character, mastermind Nathan Ford, in this way: "The rich and powerful take what they want. We steal it back for you. We provide … Read more...