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Select a Month December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010

November 2015

November 09, 2015

IN GOD’S IMAGE: The Feast of the Dedication of the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome

Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit...

October 2015

October 12, 2015

Columbus, Clemson, and the Perpetually Offended (UPDATED)

Today, October 12, is Columbus Day. Except for the fact that the mail didn't come,...

March 2015

March 17, 2015

Michigan’s Underwater Crucifix Draws Record Crowd for Annual Viewing

For the last 29 years, the faithful and the curious have braved the harsh Michigan...

February 2015

February 23, 2015

How I Spent My (Sorta, Kinda) Winter Vacation….

Blogging's been light over at Chez Schiffer in the last week! That's because I've been...

December 2013

December 26, 2013

Why It’s Hard to Get Ice Cream in Turkey

In Turkey, an ice cream vendor is not just a sales clerk--he's an artist and...

December 08, 2013

Vatican Apartment Up for Grabs?

I first saw this ad over on Connecticut Catholic Corner: A Vatican apartment for rent...

August 2013

August 27, 2013

Ostia Antica: St. Augustine’s Home Town

On August 28, we celebrate the feast of St. Augustine of Hippo, the North African...

March 2013

March 18, 2013

La Verna: St. Francis’ Hilltop Home-Away-From-Home

St. Francis, after whom our new pope is named, is most often associated with the...

February 2013

February 28, 2013

Pope Benedict’s New Digs

By now you’ve probably seen this picture: It’s the Mater Ecclesiae—the former convent inside the...

January 2013

January 28, 2013

Orvieto and the Feast of Corpus Christi

The town of Orvieto is an Etruscan city located in the scenic region of Umbria,...

November 2012

November 10, 2012

WHERE THE LOVE OF GOD GOES: The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Does anyone know where the love of God goes When the waves turn the minutes...

October 2012

October 22, 2012

On the Feast of Blessed John Paul II: A Photo Montage from his Beatification

That was the week that was. Five days of inspiring encounters, amazing introductions, challenging conversations....

September 2012

September 21, 2012

RIDING THE RAILS: What I Learned Aboard Amtrak Wolverine #351

Good morning, America, how are you? Don’t you know me—I’m your native son…. --train lyrics by...

July 2012

July 14, 2012

LIKING BIKERS: Catholic Cross-Bearers Take the Gospel to the Streets

June 9-17 was Bike Week in Laconia, New Hampshire. Thousands of motorcycle enthusiasts from around...

July 07, 2012

To Rise From Ashes: The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls

One hundred eighty-nine years ago next week—on July 15, 1832—a careless workman started a fire...

May 2012

May 15, 2012

When St. Francis Needed to Get Away…

Pope Benedict was scheduled to make a pastoral visit to La Verna on May 13. ...

May 03, 2012

In New Hampshire, God Hung Out a Sign….

On May 3, 2003, sometime between midnight and 2:00 a.m., the Old Man of the...

April 2012

April 02, 2012

Seven Years Ago, Pope John Paul II Went Home to the Father

Pope John Paul II said so much, wrote so much, taught so much that was...

March 2012

March 21, 2012

Michelangelo’s David – and the World’s Worst Toilet

Some days one idea catapults into another, with the result that the sublime slams headlong...

September 2011

September 24, 2011

Freiburg, the Pope, and Me

Today, September 24, Pope Benedict XVI rode through the streets of Freiburg in the popemobile...

September 14, 2011

Michelangelo’s David—and the World’s Worst Toilet

Some days one idea catapults into another, with the result that the sublime slams headlong...

August 2011

August 13, 2011

Secret Spaces: A Peek Into the Apostolic Palace

I have Rome Fever. It usually takes a bit longer to set in—I was,...

May 2011

May 24, 2011

WAIT, I WASN’T DONE! Orvieto Sights and Shops

Yesterday, I told you a little about Orvieto, the quaint Umbrian city that overlooks the...

May 06, 2011

PILGRIMS DESCEND ON ROME FOR JPII BEATIFICATION: A Photo Montage

That was the week that was. Five days of inspiring encounters, amazing introductions, challenging conversations....

April 2011

April 20, 2011

LIFE AND DEATH… AND A LOVING GOD

“That’s life.” “What’s life?” “Life’s a magazine.” “How much does it cost?” “$1.95” “But, I...

April 19, 2011

BECAUSE YOU ASKED: The List of Catholic Bloggers Invited to Rome

A couple of friends have asked me who is invited to the Vatican to attend...

March 2011

March 13, 2011

“Spiritual Mediocrity, Doctrinal Confusion, Uncertain Commitments, and a Negotiated Truce With Sin: The Bitter Fruits of False catholicisms”

It was more than ten years ago that I fell in love with Greenville, South...

February 2011

February 18, 2011

CORN COBS AND WATER TOWERS: A Cornucopia of Heartland Values

Over the past few years, it has been my privilege to travel frequently to Rochester,...

January 2011

January 08, 2011

SECRET SPACES: A Stroll in the Vatican Gardens

The night is cold, snow blankets the earth, and I am indulging my memories—allowing them...

December 2010

December 11, 2010

GILDING THE LILY: Milan's Duomo Has New Lights!

What a wonder it is! So grand, so solemn, so vast! And yet so delicate,...