- By Melannie Svoboda SND
(Introduction: September 28 is World Day of Migrants and Refugees. The Church has celebrated this day since 1914. That’s 111 years! I wrote this reflection not with that day in mind. But after I wrote it, I realized the words below are indirectly related to this day, a day on
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
As you know, I read alot. Besides reading scripture everyday, I also pray with small periodicals that nourish my prayer–such as Living Faith, Living with Christ, and Give Us This Day. In addition, I always have several books by my reading/prayer chair. Often I come across little kernels of nourishment,
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
For many years I have been drawn to using works of art during my prayer. When I made my annual retreat in the past, I would be sure to pack a couple of books of paintings and photography to take with me. Now I take my ipad and go online.
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
For me, the answer to that question is, “Yes!” So today’s blog is devoted to humor. I hope some of these make you smile, laugh, or at least groan! Let’s start with the kids: My 5-year-old couldn’t remember the word for tomorrow, so she called it “nexterday.” We gave our
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
The Gospels record many words spoken by Jesus, but these four words are never ascribed to him: “I told you so!” I think this fact gives us an insight into the way Jesus interacted with people. When someone says to us, “I told you so!” they are really telling us
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
The other day I was going through an old file and came across this story I used in some of my religion classes years ago. It’s a true story by Antoinette Bosco (1928-2020), an award winning journalist and spiritual writer. I will paraphrase her words. When I was 11 years
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
I was ordering something online. I needed to spend about $10 more to get “free” shipping. So I checked out the books. That’s when I came across The Book of Delights by Ross Gay. I saw that it was a New York Times best seller, a National Book Award Finalist,
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
This is the story of a teacher, her junior high students, and the statue of our newest saint in the Catholic Church who will be canonized by Pope Leo on September 7. The teacher is Sister Frances Marie Penwell, a Sister of Notre Dame in Toledo, Ohio. Sister, a teacher
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
It’s no secret. Church membership has fallen significantly in the U.S. within the past 50 years or so. I am basing the information in today’s blog on three sources: recent Gallup Polls, Pew Research findings, and an article in the Spring 2025 issue of Notre Dame Magazine entitled “Out of
- By Melannie Svoboda SND
Some say the two most important questions we can ask in life are these: “Who is God?” And “What is God like?” These are questions we may ponder our entire life. To see how others have responded to one or both of these questions, I consulted my boxes of quotations
