52 Masses: What is it and how to order

Daniel

Over the course of 2021-22, I attended Mass in all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, writing about something at each parish he visited. In Bakersfield, California, I sat down with the inspiring women of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who have dedicated themselves to the care of families who have lost children in the womb through its Shrine of the Unborn. In Newton, Connecticut, I visited St. Rose of Lima to learn how the parish helped the community recover from the tragedy of the Sandy Hook shooting, both in the immediate aftermath and the years that followed. And in Gallup, New Mexico, I explored how the Little Sisters of the Poor provided care for that most vulnerable of groups, the elderly poor.

All of these stories are collected in 52 Masses, written to explore the many ways we are living our faith as Catholics.

To order 52 Masses, visit here.

Or go to https://52masses.square.site

You can order the book in one of three ways, autographed hardcover, paperback or autographed paperback.

Thank you so much for your interest in the book and my experiences. I pray you are as inspired by the men and women featured in the book as I was.


Fly Balls and Flies

Daniel

Saturday was Catholic Family Night at Great America Ballpark. Catholic families from the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and the Diocese of Covington, located just beyond the outfield walls at the park, were invited to cheer on the Reds.

I decided to attend Mass before the game, choosing the well-timed 5 p.m. Saturday Mass at Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Clifton neighborhood. It was a wise decision.

The church itself was beautiful and the liturgy was even better, with the use of incense and a full roster of altar servers. (I like it when my Novus Ordu incorporates some traditional elements).

And best of all, we learned something, which Father Tim Fahey related to us after Mass.

Following the consecration, Father noticed a fly had landed inside the wine. That’s a problem. You can’t flick the fly away, since it’s now covered in the Precision Blood. Similarly, the priest is not expected to consume the fly, as Mass is not an episode of Fear Factor.

But, as is usually the case, the church has a plan for this, Father explained. The priest takes a small pin and pierces the offending insect and then roasts it on an altar candle.

Father admitted it was a first for him.

The Military Life Welcomes a Civilian

Daniel

I got a surprise invitation Monday that I couldn’t have been more grateful for, from someone who has been helping me out for more than seven years now.

As I was laying out my plans for my trip, one of the few places I knew I wanted to attend Mass was on a military base. In the spring of 2019, I reached out to Taylor Henry, director of public affairs and media relations at the Archdiocese of the Military to see if that would be possible. And to my delight, it was not just possible, but Mr. Henry handled my request perfectly. He understood exactly what I needed and set me up with Monsignor McManus at Ellsworth Air Force Base to write about Catholic life in the service. It was an incredible experience.

So, as I’m now putting together stories for the new book, I knew I again hoped to include the story of a man or woman who had come home to the faith while on active duty. I reached out to Taylor again, who once again came through with a gentleman I hope to be interviewing in the near future.

But, that wasn’t all. Taylor wondered if I would be interested in being a guest on his podcast, Catholic Military Life. Since I never pass on the chance to prattle on about my experiences, I jumped at the chance. We had a nice 30-minute conversation on Tuesday and the podcast is already up on the site.

Thanks so much to Taylor and the Archdiocese of the Military for all of the help they’ve given me. And a thanks as well to all of the men and women serving in our armed forces. May God protect you in your service.

You can find the podcast here: https://soundcloud.com/catholicmilitarylife/catholic-author-daniel-Dan Markham

A Thoroughly Catholic University

Daniel

I’ve long known that Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, is one of the most vibrantly Catholic college campuses in the U.S., simply based on the folks, both in-person and in media, I have met with a connection there.

But it was even more remarkable than I ever imagined.

I was there last week to interview a Franciscan, TOR sister for my next book. After our delightful conversation (well, at least her contributions were delightful; I’m sure my comments were typically oafish), we attended the noon Mass, one of four celebrated daily at the Christ the King Chapel on campus. And despite finals fast approaching, the 590-seat church was filled to the brim, mostly with students. For daily Mass.

Moreover, the sister assured me that while the noon Mass was the busiest, crowds like these were the norm for all celebrations of the liturgy on campus.

So if you’ve ever in the Pittsburgh-Weirton, W.Va. area, hightail it over to Franciscan for Mass. You won’t be disappointed.

San Xavier del Bac Mission

Daniel

Tuesday in Tucson brought my 26 in ’26 quest up to an even dozen, remaining ahead of pace. And the 12th was the most spectacular to date.

San Xavier del Bac Mission is located just outside the city on the Tohono O’odham reservation, where it continues to serve the people of the village of Wa:k. The mission was founded in 1692 by Padre Eusebio Kino, but the original church was destroyed in a raid. The current building was constructed between 1983 and 1797 and remains the oldest European structure in Arizona.

Though the mission was founded by a Jesuit, it has long been run by the Franciscans, with assistance from the Franciscan Sisters of Christian Charity and the  Dominican Sisters of Peace also supporting the operations of both the parish and the mission school.

He is Risen

Daniel

Happy Easter. He is Risen.

We celebrated Easter Sunday at the Church of Good Shepherd in Campton, Ky., a small mission church in Central Southeastern Kentucky.

The entire family spent the past two days at Red River Gorge, so we opted for Good Shepherd in nearby Campton for Easter Mass.

This wasn’t my first time at Good Shepherd. The Knights of Columbus at my parish supports the food pantry and thrift store operated by the church. Once a quarter, we send down supplies, and I’ve accompanied the truck on a few occasions to help offload it. This, however, was my first time to experience the liturgy in the tiny church.