by Rebecca Sontag Easter is everything. Easter is God’s ultimate gift of love, mercy and sacrifice. It is how we are reconciled, where we find forgiveness and hope. It is where death is overcome by life everlasting. But in the rush for the next season or the next holiday, we …

by Rebecca Sontag There is no Easter without Lent. Prayer, penance and fasting can be tough for anyone. And meditating on the Last Four Things (death, judgment, heaven and hell) is a heavy task at any age. While it is tempting to ignore the tough spiritual preparation that results in …

On a mountainside in rural West Virginia, the contingency of Mount Notre Dame High School girls made their way from the Big Laurel Learning Center’s large, rambling “main house” down to the woodshed. As two unbothered horses looked on, the gregarious man known as “Angel’s Dad” greeted the students with …

Through its Carroll on the Go program, Carroll High School in Dayton offers travel abroad to its students. Beth Branum, Carroll’s World Languages Department Chair and an EF Tours trainer, oversees the program that typically schedules annual trips over spring break for seven to eleven days. “Eighth grade parents and …

HOW IT ALL BEGAN More than two years ago, Sisters Georgia Kitt, SC, and Madonna Ratterman, CPPS, invited representatives of women’s and men’s religious congregations to meet and determine a joint project to celebrate the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s bicentennial. The group quickly agreed on a day of service. THERE FOR …

by Rebecca Sontag “We knew we wanted our part of the celebration to be a day of service,” said Sister Rita Sturwold, SNDdeN. And nothing could be a more fitting contribution from these women and men religious to the Archdiocese of Cincinnati’s bicentennial celebrations. When the first orders of sisters …

by Rebecca Sontag For nearly 2,000 years, the Catholic Church has been at the forefront of battling pandemics and caring for its victims. COVID-19 is no different. The modern hospital as we know it is a direct result of Jesus’ imperative to the disciples to “heal the sick.” Even the …

by Rebecca Sontag The first known garden to be officially dedicated to the Virgin Mary bore little resemblance to the idea of the “Mary Garden” we know today. It was not filled with purely ornamental flowers, decorative topiaries and manicured nooks punctuated here and there with lovely statuary. This particular …

by Rebecca Sontag Under the musical direction of Anthony DiCello, St. Peter in Chains Cathedral has sponsored “Great Music in a Great Space” for nearly a quarter of a century. Now in its 24th year, the concert series boasts four to five performances each season and features artists of the …

by Rebecca Sontag North: Immaculate Conception When asked why she intends to join the Catholic Church, Amanda Schmerge replied with serene certitude, saying, “It was a slow-growing love.” Amanda was satisfied as a Methodist, always active in her church. Yet, it seemed a reasonable compromise that her children, ages 4-11, …