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March 2019

March 02, 2019

The Space Between Miracles

It has been yet another hell of a week. The rolling panic started on Saturday...

January 2019

January 29, 2019

An Emergency Polar Vortex Request from the Friendship Room

In case you haven't noticed, Steubenville is being lambasted by a polar vortex. It...

January 01, 2019

Where He May be Found

I met a man named Buster, who looked like Jesus. No, I actually did....

December 2018

December 30, 2018

How the Shutdown Could Hurt the Hungry– and How You Can Help

A friend just posted the following on facebook: “So, WIC funding is down to...

November 2018

November 18, 2018

The Rust Belt Redemption

I had expected snow. It was supposed to snow all night and cover the...

November 09, 2018

The Friendship Room Needs Help!

I am about to leave for Pittsburgh for the Convivium Gathering, which promises to...

June 2018

June 18, 2018

A Summer Work of Mercy for the Friendship Room

I need help from all of my generous friends on this one. As most...

May 2018

May 21, 2018

To Share is Human, to Share is Divine

The other day, a wonderful reader left me a tip in the blog's tip jar,...

May 16, 2018

An Urgent Work of Mercy For Everyone

People are always asking me questions. I do my best to answer. For the past...

March 2018

March 08, 2018

A Mid-Lent Whiteout

It has been a bad Lent, so far. I resolved to abstain on the proper...

February 2018

February 11, 2018

Here Comes Lent 2018

My favorite time of year is almost here. Yes, I'm that weirdo who actually...

January 2018

January 12, 2018

Can’t Afford No Golden Eggs

There is no water in downtown Steubenville, and there's an ice storm rolling in. This...

December 2017

December 06, 2017

The Places You Meet Jesus

Rosie and I went to the Friendship Room with our widow's mite. There had been...

December 02, 2017

Welcome to Advent!

Hello, Latin Catholics! Come on in, pull up a chair, help yourself to something...

November 2017

November 14, 2017

Advent is Approaching

As I write this, we are six hours away from the start of Philip's Fast...

October 2017

October 05, 2017

A Thank-You From the Friendship Room

We did it! We made a library! Molly wrote to me today with this photo...

September 2017

September 12, 2017

A Library for the Friendship Room

I went down to The Friendship Room with Rose, to drop off our widow's...

August 2017

August 04, 2017

Rhapsody

One of Molly's guests down at The Friendship Room somehow made it into a rehab and...

June 2017

June 30, 2017

Some Say Peter

There are saints who seem like strangers to me, and Peter and Paul go into...

June 16, 2017

It Started With The London Fire

It started with the London fire. Images of it were all over the internet, as...

March 2017

March 28, 2017

Heroin, Bananas and the Cry of the Poor

Someone gave me an extra big tip on the blog tip jar, a few weeks...

February 2017

February 01, 2017

A Trip Downtown With The Bodiless Powers

I woke to the beating of rain on the window-- a dark, sloppy Ohio Valley Tuesday in...

December 2016

December 09, 2016

All Who Love Nicholas the Saintly

I asked Saint Nicholas to be my father. It wasn't really necessary. All saints are...

November 2016

November 15, 2016

Cry of the Captives

Yesterday I went down to the Friendship Room to visit with Molly. I brought my...

October 2016

October 29, 2016

Charity Is Our Only Hope

(image via Pixabay) Here's another update from our friends at The Friendship Room: "the rich...

October 19, 2016

A Triumph and a Requiem

(image via Pixabay) I'd finally kept my promise to my daughter. We were going to...

October 06, 2016

The Cry of the Poor

(image via Pixabay) Here's another status posted by my friends at The Friendship Room. This...