We’re so excited our Des Moines Mary’s Meals: Race to Feed Kids (5K/10K) is back for 2021!! The Des Moines Mary’s Meals: Race to Feed Kids isn’t your average run/walk. It’s a passion to end hunger for our world’s youth – every single race registration will feed 1 child at our school in Malawi, Africa for an ENTIRE school year! For many of our youth, this may be their only…
By Tom Quiner Psalm 130 “Out of the depths, I cry to you, O Lord.” The psalmist might allude to drowning in the depths of dark, cold water. Or he might allude to life’s addictions and sins that separate us from God. Whatever the depth of our suffering, our soul is hardwired by God Himself to cry out to Him, our Creator and Savior, in times of distress. When our…
By TOM QUINER Reprinted with permission by Iowans For LIFE Lent has started. What a perfect time to enjoy a good religious movie, especially with so many still homebound due to coronavirus concerns. At some time or other in your life, probably during your Lenten fast, you have asked yourself the question, “what is the meaning of life?” And the answer is, that life has meaning. That meaning comes from…
By Janet Bradford It was Lent 2014 the night before Ash Wednesday and I didn’t have my Lenten sacrifice figured out. Jeff and I had been having pretty significant financial struggles over the years. I hadn’t however been trusting that God would provide for us through the trial. I grew fearful of our future and became tight fisted with what little money we had. As Ash Wednesday morning came around,…
Excerpted from the book “Strangers in a Strange Land” by Archbishop Charles J. Chaput “The most powerful kind of witness doesn’t come from a classroom or pulpit. It doesn’t need an academic degree or special techniques. Instead, it grows naturally out of the lives of ordinary people – parents and spouses and friends; people confident in the love that God bears for them and eager to share it with others:…
by Mary Beth Beacom Some years ago, deep in the midst of raising several children of several ages, I found myself wandering through the neighborhood drug store, quite aimlessly. It was so rare to be anywhere alone, that I was using the opportunity to be anonymous, think through my current worries, and shop. I came to buy shampoo, but must have looked like I couldn’t remember what that was, or…
My good friend Carol Zimmerman (from Divine Treasures Catholic Books and Gifts) recently gave me some gems from the store. They are three little prayer books based on the spirituality of three different saints. Each one is designed with a very short, powerful reflection, a short phrase from the reflection that you are meant to meditate upon throughout the day, and then a response prayer to pray before bed. Each…
On Wednesday, father Ruben Perez de Ayala, a 36-year-old priest, died in the explosion of a building in Madrid. Here is a text written by this young priest: “THE JESUS KISS ′′ Six months after being ordained, my bishop sent me to run a parish; I had to replace a priest who had been there for over 30 years, so I noticed the coldness of the inhabitants of this place….
O Lord hear, O Lord forgive us. We have lost the awe of You. Have mercy, have mercy. O Lord, cleanse Our hearts which are divided. Stir the faith that we once knew We’re thirsty, we’re thirsty. O Lord restore The church that bears Your name. O Spirit send A revival to this nation. Breathe on us again, Breathe on us again. Breathe on us again. O Lord restore The…
