Posted by Samantha Laveau on 9/23/20
When I was young and still in the practice of going trick-or-treating, I was Johnny Cash pretty much every year except for one. That one year I was the Fonze from the popular 1970s television series Happy Days. Arthur Fonzarelli, aka “The Fonze,” was simply the coolest thing that ever showed ... Read More »
Posted by Samantha Laveau on 9/18/20
The month of September contains the feast day of a saint that is associated with one of the strangest occurrences in all of Catholicism, and the crazy thing is that the event happens with great regularity.
September 19 is the feast day of an obscure, yet celebrated saint by ... Read More »
Posted by Samantha Laveau on 9/14/20
Of all the priests in our diocese there is one in particular who you might call our “living history book.” I have had many occasions to listen to Father Dick Partika talk about everything and anything you wanted to know about the history of the Diocese of Duluth. I ... Read More »
Posted by Samantha Laveau on 8/13/20
A Patron Saint for a Good Argument
Is there a patron saint of arguing? No, not officially, but if there was one, St. Barnabas would be in the running. One of the most common things brought to the confessional is the “sin” of arguing: arguing with one’s spouse, kids, ... Read More »
Posted by Samantha Laveau on 8/13/20
I am a true son of the Catholic Church. I love everything about being Catholic, and I happily do not dissent from any of Mother Church’s teaching because I see the clear logic in all of it, and I have faith that the Holy Spirit is guiding it as ... Read More »
Posted by Samantha Laveau on 4/06/20
In April, we tend to think of Easter, but before we get there we of course have to go through Holy Week and the Passion of Christ. For this column I want to explore some of the lesser known facts of Christ’s passion, as portrayed in the four Gospels. ... Read More »
Posted by Samantha Laveau on 3/10/20
My favorite place in the world to visit is Rome, Italy. Anyone who knows me even a little knows that much about me. I love Rome.
The problem is, so do countless others. It does not matter what time of the year you may travel to the Eternal City, ... Read More »
Posted by Samantha Laveau on 2/26/20
Years ago one of my seminary professors cited a study listing the most well attended Masses of the year. The first two were obvious — Christmas and Easter — but the third and fourth most attended Masses were a bit of a surprise to me at the time. They ... Read More »
Posted by Samantha Laveau on 12/05/19
The Immaculate Conception: An Ancient Belief
Guess who has appeared on the U.S. stamps more than any other person: The Blessed Virgin Mary. Yep, you read right. Mary has appeared on the stamp more than any president, founding father or entertainer.
The reason, of course, is all the religious-themed ... Read More »
Posted by Samantha Laveau on 12/05/19
Last weekend we celebrated the Feast of Christ the King: the last Sunday of Ordinary Time. It is one of my favorite liturgical feasts because it was established by one of my favorite popes, Pius XI (1922-1939) and because it was written to stave off a growing secularism in society.
And there is no better example of that growing secularism than the crazy commercialism of Christmas. We celebrate the birth of Jesus the Messiah in Christmas, and yet nearly every mention of Him is done away with. It’s like celebrating your child’s or friend’s birthday and telling them about how great the party is going to be but then asking them not to come. It is ... Read More »