Author: Daniel

I Wish this Could be the 53rd Stop

Daniel

I’m feeling an odd mixture of pride and jealousy right about now.

My oldest son, Ian, just sent me photos from Columbia, specifically Santuario de Nuestra Senora del Rosario de Las Lajas. It’s a church I mentioned in the book while writing about man’s most amazing places of worship, but I have never been blessed to see in person. He beat me to it this morning.

As you can see, if the exterior is not the most beautiful Catholic Church and setting anywhere in the world, I can’t imagine what would exceed it.

Of course, his reason for being in Columbia softens any of that sinful jealousy and replaces it with a healthy kind of pride. He’s on a two-month stint in the country for his work as a refugee officer for the Department of Homeland Security, interviewing men and women who are seeking asylum in the United States to escape violence and other threats in their home countries. It’s incredibly meaningful work he’s doing and I’m in awe of the man he has become.

For more on my experiences, visit http://www.52masses.com.

A Conversation with Rhonda

Daniel

Rhonda Ortiz, an author based out of Michigan, has been running a yearlong series of interviews with fellow Catholic authors. She graciously invited me to participate in this worthwhile endeavor.

You can find our conversation at Instagram here or on Facebook here.

Thanks so much to Rhonda for including me.

Mass at the Cathedral

Daniel

Work took me to the capital city this past week, which gave me the opportunity to add another cathedral visited to my list, fortunately this one with Mass attendance.


St. Joseph Cathedral in Columbus, Ohio, is a gothic revival-style church constructed in 1878. It remains the seat of the DIocese of Columbus, one of six dioceses in the Buckeye State.

While small by cathedral standards, it was still quite a beautiful worship space, as the photos below demonstrate.

Am I More Devout Than a Second Grader?

Daniel

The past two weekends I was blessed to be present for First Holy Communion celebrations at two separate parishes. Last week, my wife and I were at our home church, St. John the Evangelist, and this week we attended Mass at the church where she serves as the school principal, St. Vivian.

I was transfixed as the young men and women sat with their families at the front of the churches, all decked out in pint-sized suits and traditional white dresses. They were often joined by their entire extended families, all present for this monumental day. Cameras were out in force, their holders taking snapshots and filming video for eternal preservation.

And I marveled at the excitement obvious in their eyes, eager to fully participate at the Lord’s table for the first time. One young boy at St. John was practically bouncing out of the pew, ready for his name to be called and take his place near the altar. Another lad at St. Vivian was saddled with a broken arm for the special day, but he slung his sports jacket over one shoulder and soldiered on.

When they got to the presiding priests at both churches, the First Communicants proudly held their hands up high, practically begging for the sacred Eucharist to be placed there. It was a beautiful sight to behold.

I envied their enthusiasm and I began to think that every Mass should resemble First Communion. Every time we get to participate in this amazing sacrament, we should do so with the excitement, with the anticipation, with the awe it so deserves. We are blessed to have Christ with us in the Eucharist every single time we attend Mass. May we never take it for granted.

So let’s all of us strive to be a little bit more like those second graders, this week and every week. Let us always be fully present for the Real Presence.

By the way, the accompanying photo was not taken over the past two weekends. Rather, it’s from my daughter Kiera’s First Holy Communion almost 20 years ago. A version of this photo, much worse for wear, has been carried in my many wallets ever since.