Archive for December 2025
An Ongoing Conversion of Heart
When Al and Beth Budelier met at a Lenten noon Mass nearly 20 years ago, they had no idea how profoundly God would use that moment to shape their lives. What began as a simple encounter soon unfolded into a story of ongoing conversion—conversion to one another in marriage, to deeper trust in God’s plan,…
Read MoreA Child Born in Simplicity
As we draw close to Christmas, our gaze shifts from the hiddenness of the Incarnation to the moment when that quiet miracle breaks into the world. The Child conceived beneath Mary’s heart now enters the light, born in simplicity and welcomed by two people whose lives had already been shaped by trust: Mary, who offered…
Read MoreAll-In for Shared Mission
When John and Mary Jo Thayer first spotted an NFP class announcement in a parish bulletin, they had no idea it would lead to decades of service, a shared mission, and even John’s eventual conversion. Their story begins with a quiet openness to God that transformed their marriage from the inside out. Mary Jo was…
Read MoreBearing the Light Himself: An Advent Reflection
In our parish adoration chapel, a German leaded-glass window glows softly in the afternoon light. Its warm colors shift across the floor as if alive, but it was a small detail, almost easy to miss, that recently captivated my prayer. The Blessed Virgin Mary stands in the center of the window, robed in sparkling blue…
Read MoreFaith, Life, and Love: The Thibodeaux Journey
The Thibodeaux Journey shows how trust, Catholic faith, and NFP guided their marriage and how they embraced God’s design for faith, life and love. Finding Faith Faith and Zach met on CatholicMatch. Just a few years ago, neither of them would have expected that. Raised in the Church of Christ, Faith became agnostic as a…
Read MoreQuiet Beginnings: The Immaculate Conception and the Incarnation
These sacred December feasts—the Immaculate Conception and the approaching celebration of the Incarnation—invite us to contemplate how deeply God enters human life through the gift of fertility. Both moments are quiet beginnings. They unfold within a woman’s body. Both remind us that God works through the ordinary pathways of human generation, elevating them so that…
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