Today marks the birthday of Shusaku Endo (1923-1996), one of the leading Japanese novelists of the twentieth century. Born in Tokyo, he specialized in
Bl. Charles de Foucauld, c. 1907 Charles de Foucauld (1858-1916) has fascinated us for a long time. He was from a rich French family and had been a cavalry officer and famous explorer. He lived an indulgent, dissipated lifestyle but returned to the Faith in 1886 and soon after became a Trappist. In 1901 he went to live as a hermit in the middle of the Sahara Desert. There he faced years of mortifications, sleeping on rocks, living in utter poverty. Even by the standards of the local Tuareg people—for whom he translated the Gospel into their language—it was a severe life. He did it because he believed God had called him to do it. He thought he would gain brothers to make a monastery and gain converts among the Muslims. He was in the desert, with his Order’s approval, for 15 years. His total number of monks joining him in the hermitage: Zero. His total number of converts: Zero Most of us look for God’s confirming signs, and the fruitlessness of the mission might have lead us to believe we had erred in discerning God’s will. Personally, we probably would have given up after a few years, unless God told us face to face to stay. Yet Blessed Charles stayed there for years. I had an aunt who often said, “God has a plan for my life, even if I can’t always see it.” Charles de Foucauld was martyred in his hermitage. He had faithfully lived as he believed God wanted him to. Faithful and obedient. Trusting in the God. That’s why he’s on his way to being declared a Saint. He is a beacon for all of us who wish to live our lives for God. By some firsthand accounts, he was ‘luminous,’ ‘peaceful,’ and ‘pure.’ Numerous religious orders have since been founded based on his life. The fruits of his life's work didn't start happening until after he died. The things we do in life are like pebbles dropped in a pond; we don't know where the ripples will go. (source:www.franciscanmedia.org) The poster sizes (18x24" and 24x36") look fantastic on church or school walls! !!!IMPORTANT!!! THE IMAGE IS SMALLER THAN THE PAPER FOR THE SMALLER SIZES!!!!! There is a blank white margin around the paper, 1/2" for 5x7", 1.3" for 8.5x11", and 1.6" for 11x14", and 1.75" for the 13x17" and 16x20". For the poster sizes, 18x24" and 24x36", those are cropped and printed to the edge of the paper, without borders. –Archival-quality print. Printed with archival pigments designed to last for generations when kept dry and out of the direct sun. –Acid-free paper. Image is smaller than paper!! –Cardboard backer. –Enclosed in a tight-fitting, crystal clear bag –Comes with the above story of the image. Thanks for your interest! Thanks! Sue & John You might also enjoy original Catholic Art and Jewerly by me, Sue Kouma Johnson, here on Etsy at www.Etsy.com/shop/TreeOfHeaven Also, check out our Catholic Quote shop, where we are pairing authentic quotes from Saints with Art: www.Etsy.com/shop/CatholicQuote “In order to communicate the message entrusted to her by Christ, the Church needs art.” ~ St. Pope John Paul II Original image is out-of-copyright. Descriptive text and image alterations (hence the whole new image) © by Sue Kouma Johnson – CatholicArtAndJewelry.
Share via: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email More It was 11:45 p.m. and I couldn’t sleep. I was anxious about a phone conversation I overheard my wife, Laurie, was having with
“And I walked naked from the beginning breathing in my life, breathing out poems, arrogant in innocence.” –from “A Cloak” Denise Levertov is one of the best, most interesting poe…
Sinise regales 2,000 Knights with stories of his conversion and his admiration for American troops.
For the first time Julia Holcomb, the former fiancée of Aerosmith front man Steven Tyler, has opened up about her tumultuous relationship with Tyler, and the abortion she underwent. These are her memoirs.
In 2011, an unlikely group of non-religious abortionist doctors found themselves visiting the most active Catholic apparition site in the world, Medjugorje. One of the doctors, a gynecologist in her sixties, had personally performed 1000s of abortions. But her life suddenly changed after having a supernatural vision on Apparition Hill! The group was led by Valentina, a young woman from Ukraine. She had had her own conversion experience while visiting Medjugorje for the first time in 2007, and
A mild follow-up to the unbelievably spicy 5 Things No One Knows Are Ridiculously Catholic, But Should. I'm beginning to develop the belief that you could
The conversion stories of 14 famous people who turned to Catholicism later in life.
A theory of intentionality ought to explain how the objective reference or object-directedness of our thoughts is possible. Suppose I am thinking about a cat, a particular cat of my acquaintance whom I have named 'Max Black.' How are we...
“Until two years ago, I was a really committed atheist and I really hated the Catholic Church,” said poet Sally Read, as she explained how all that dramatically changed during nine months in 2010.
Blessed John Henry Newman was a Cardinal of the Catholic Church and one of the most famous English converts to the faith. While he was a distinguished man of letters, an erudite apologist, and an accomplished prelate, he was known most of all for his holiness of life, the result of which has been his recent […]
Hattip to Pat McNamara of Patheos for his post on General Longstreet's conversion which inspired this post. General Lee referred to James "Pete" Longstreet as his "Old War Horse". One of the more talented corp commanders of the Confederacy, Longstreet's memory was long blackened in the South after the War due to Longstreet becoming a Republican
Regular readers of Called To Communion are familiar with Jason Stellman. In September of last year we posted an article he wrote for us titled "I Fought the Church, and the Church Won." In November of last year, I interviewed Jason regarding his conversion from Presbyterian pastor to Catholic, and posted the podcast of that
John Wayne for many was a Hollywood legend who symbolized true masculinity and American values. To Fr. Matthew Muñoz, though, he was simply “granddaddy.”
Gene Wolfe’s science fiction is neither operatic nor scientifically accurate; his fantasy works are not full of clanging swords and wizardly knowledge.
I realize that the Roman Catholic Church is the only genuine form of Christianity. Also that Christianity is the essential and formative constituent of western culture… - Evelyn Waugh[1] These words were written by Evelyn Waugh to the Jesuit, Martin D’Arcy, on 21 August 1930, eight days before his
Yesterday, Friday, Oct. 9, following an announcement on Fox News’ afternoon panel show “The Five,” FNC sent out a tweet about FNC contributor and author Kirsten Powers, a self-described…
Former PM tells Italian audience that church can make globalisation 'our servant, not our master, lit by God's love and paved by God's grace'
Blog post at Odd Loves Company : ~★~♥~♥~★~ El Morno! ♥~★~★~♥ ~ September 22, 2012 ★~ Today’s Quote: 'I don't know half of you half as well as I sho[..]
Sir Alec Guinness is one of the most recognizable actors of the 20th century. While he appeared in lots of films over the years and won many awards, he is best known as having played Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars. What many people don’t know about him, though, is
