Category: Uncategorized

With Earth Day fresh in our memories, serving as a reminder of our intimate connection with God’s creation, I recalled an experience which served as an unlikely lesson in divine mystery. As my husband and I pulled into a diner for lunch, I noticed a large black bird with a wide wingspan swooping overhead. Exiting…

During a recent visit to the drug store, a young child, maybe 5 years old, followed his mom up and down the greeting card aisle. She was looking for a card and gift bag for a baby’ gift, asking for the little boy’s thoughts on her choices. Mom showed him a bag and a card…

Seeking a really special recipe to top off Easter dinner for loved ones and friends this year? Pilgrims, your search is ended! Look no further than the carefully crafted recipe for the mildly sweet rice pie below. Known as Pastiera di Riso, this lovely version originated in the kitchen of Carmela (Millie) Martucci and has…

With food prices rising astronomically this Lenten season, I can’t help but envision my mother during similar financial squeezes. Every Sunday before Mass, she’d go through the food pages in the newspaper, clipping coupons with a manic glow on her face. She’d come of age late in the Depression and made it through rationing as…

Headlines recognized it as a miracle. An earthquake let loose an avalanche from a nearby mountain, nearly wiping out the homes and businesses of a small Ukrainian rescuers check the remains of a street in Chernigiv. community and killing thousands. But somehow, the boulders stopped within feet of the local church. It was deemed an…

Headlines recognized it as a miracle. An earthquake let loose an avalanche from a nearby mountain, nearly wiping out the homes and businesses of a small Ukrainian rescuers check the remains of a street in Chernigiv. community and killing thousands. But somehow, the boulders stopped within feet of the local church. It was deemed an…

I was seeking a simple, inexpensive and tasty dinner recipe to serve friends before heading off to the “Treasures of the Church” exposition at the Co-Cathedral of St. Robert Bellarmine in Freehold Feb. 16, and was blessed, yes, blessed, when I mentioned it to the rector, Msgr. Sam Sirianni during a phone interview about the…

As I watched my three-year-old grandson sitting at the kitchen table, creating a Get Well/Valentine card for his great-uncle, it brought back memories of my own sons doing the same thing for their grandfather many years ago. It was Valentine’s Day, so on my way home from the hospital, I stopped to buy the small red…

As the pandemic grinds on in its so-far relentless pace, this is the question that has been opening up most conversations around here for quite a while. At first, I found it annoying – especially when one of my friends, who was cooking for her household, would routinely toss it out at me after describing…

As a blogger for a Catholic publisher, my task is to write on topics of concern for today’s parents. This sometimes proves to be a challenge because I am no longer raising children in today’s culture and am sometimes at odds with my own children about how to raise grandchildren. But I have found there…