Catholic Church – Page 19 – Perpetual Adoration

March 10, 2012

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The Iron Fortress

Every Christmas season, I sit down with my family and watch the movie, It’s A Wonderful Life. The movie is available on DVD and is regarded as one of the top 100 movies of all times.

March 3, 2012

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During the summer of 2010, I met with Brenda, a sales representative for a large company, to talk about leasing some office equipment. During our conversation, I told her I had 3 daughters who were working for my law firm. She asked me if I had any other children. I told her that my wife and I have 7 children – 1 boy and 6 girls. She responded by telling me that she had a son who was 10-years-old and a daughter who was 6-years-old. She went on to say that she would love to have more children, but her husband “would never allow it.”

February 25, 2012

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Honey Boys

When I was growing up, my oldest brother, Jerry, was everything a mother and father would want in a son: intelligent, gentle, and respectful. I never saw him argue with my mom or dad. Never. Not even once.

February 18, 2012

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A Reservoir of Love

It happened on a Friday evening in April of 1977, when I was 19-years-old. I was home from college for the weekend and after dinner, my mom brought out a cake she had baked for my youngest brother, Tony. There were 2 candles on the cake and it was time to sing Happy Birthday to the baby of the family. As usual, the candles were lit and the lights were turned off. Tony sat in mom’s lap while we sang to him. After Tony blew out the candles, someone turned on the lights to the dining room. It was then that we noticed mom was wiping away tears from her eyes.

February 11, 2012

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The Unanswered Question

The first time I ever heard the phrase “Academic Freedom” was when I was 22 years old. It happened in 1979, when I was a student at St. Louis University School of Law. I had no idea when I started law school that I was going to get a real “education” on how a Catholic university operated.

October 8, 2011

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The Perfect Family

It all started when my wife got pregnant within a month after we were married. What I mean by “it all started” were the questions we got from friends, relatives, and even strangers. Questions like: “Was it an accident?” or “Why didn’t you wait a few years before having your first child?” or “How long have you been married?” Then of course there was the 2-part question. First part: “When’s your due date?” Second part: “Oh, so when did you get married?” Then a pause to do the math to figure out when the pregnancy occurred – before or after the wedding.

October 1, 2011

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The Tavern Owners Club

Did you know that at one time Peoria was known as the “Whiskey Capital” of Illinois? According to a PeoriaMagazines.com article written by Jerry Klein, between 1837 and 1919, there were 24 breweries and 73 distilleries in Peoria. In another publication, “A Brief History of Peoria,” published by C.A. Cockle in 1896, it was noted that out of all of the breweries in Peoria, three of them had the lions’ share of the beer market: Gipps Brewing Co., Leisy Brewing Co. and Union Brewing Co.

September 10, 2011

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Predicting The Future

In the movie Back To The Future Part II, the main character, Marty McFly, travels 30 years into the future with scientist, Dr. Emmett “Doc” Brown. The movie starts with Doc returning from the year 2015 to 1985 and notifying Marty (who at that time is 17 years old and in high school) that they have to go “back to the future” to help Marty’s (future) son.

July 2, 2011

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American Exceptionalism

Every July 4th we celebrate “Independence Day,” the anniversary of when our founding fathers signed the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776).