Bands Build Community at Catholic Schools by Bonny Van Nothing heralds the change of seasons from summer to fall like the rat-a-tat-tat of snare drums in a high school marching band. “The first football game always feels electric,” said Carl Soucek, band director for 23 years at Carroll High School …

If you looked in St. Gertrude School’s windows on their service day last year, you would have seen elementary students bustling about the room, creating welcome cards to Afghan refugees. The reason? A partnership between Catholic schools and Catholic Charities of Southwestern Ohio (CCSWO). Mary Anne Bressler is the Parish …

Over the past few years, there have been contentious public arguments over who has authority to educate children and what should be included (or excluded) from the curriculum. Many politicians and pundits declared that parents should have little or no input into curriculum decisions and proposed learning outcomes. For example, …

We believe that Mary was assumed into heaven body and soul, but was that before or after her death? The belief in the Assumption of Mary is not based on eyewitness accounts, nor is it recorded directly in Scripture. This means that the exact details are unknown, which leaves several …

There are thousands of tips and techniques out there for all aspects of parenting. But the single most important one gives meaning and purpose to the joys and struggles of everyday life: eternal salvation! God has given us charge over our children for His good purpose; namely, to teach them …

Twenty-three-year-old identical twins Katherine and Hannah Geiger always planned their lives side-by-side. This changed, however, when they realized God was leading them down different paths. This year, Katherine, who works for the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, is marrying her fiancé, Ben, while Hannah, a schoolteacher, is entering her first year of …

In her book Grit, Angela Duckworth explores how much talent matters in achieving success, as compared to good old hard work. Duckworth is the founder and CEO of Character Lab, a nonprofit whose mission is to advance scientific insights that help children thrive. Her research uncovered an insight, which she …

Growing up has always had its difficulties, but young people today face a particularly challenging environment in our country–rising violence, such as riots and horrific school shootings; civil discourse that is increasingly uncivil; and a secularist culture that continues to push faith to the margins as weekly religious practice declines. …

August’s arrival means summer is wrapping up. Vacations are over and we’re headed back to routine, with a little more structure than a month ago. Our noses are back at the grindstone for work, school and practices—and that means busyness. Days fly between August and May, with us dashing between …

This article is part of an ongoing series on Pope St. John Paul II’s Theology of the Body (TOB). In recent articles, we reflected on the logic of gift and the spousal meaning of the body. Our very existence is a gift from God that He lovingly gives us at …