As the holidays approach, there are steps we can take to shop in ways that protect our planet. Buy only what you or the recipient actually need; ask yourself if these purchases contribute to satisfaction of a need or to the person’s well-being. Consider ...

Steve Krieger brings us the third in our series of Advent reflections on Pope Francis’s September 5, 2021 Angelus address. You can read the whole article from Pope Francis at https://marymother.org/contemplative-prayer: In light of the Gospel for that day...

The Education for Justice newsletter, published by the Ignatian Solidarity Network, cites data from the United Nations estimating that by the close of 2022, over 670 million people (just under 10% of global population) remained in extreme poverty, defined as ...

This week, Carolyn Hebenstreit looks to the upcoming Advent Season with the first in a series of reflections by the MMOC Contemplative Core Team on Pope Francis’s September 5 2021 Angelus address. A link to the full address can be found on our webpage at https://marymother.org/contemplative-prayer: Listening for the Hope of Advent During the Angelus in September of...

Prayer After the Elections As the U.S. elections come to a close, Help us to reflect not just on the elections’ outcomes But also, on their significance for charting The path to a just future for all....

Thanks to assistance from our community members, all are invited to join us in the practice of Centering Prayer! Third Tuesday of the month beginning November 19 / 10:30 to 11:30am / Classrooms 1 & 2 at MMOC Margaret Poirrier will facilitate these sessions. If you’re interested in participating, please sign up using SignupGenius...

The National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus of the United States voted to designate November as Black Catholic History Month in 1990. November marks a time when the Church prays for all saints and...

Recycle Dental Hygiene Items Mary Mother of the Church will join with St. Francis Xavier College Church to recycle used dental hygiene items through...

We offer you this poem from St. John of the Cross for your prayer practice:...

True contemplation is a gift from God – prayer in which God is the giver and we are the receiver. Trying to define contemplation beyond these statements is difficult, and trying to explain the experience of contemplation is even more difficult, at times impossible. Those new to the world of contemplation will oftentimes experience frustration over a description or explanation that seems “vague” or “confusing.” We must recognize...

The Association of the Miraculous Medal has offered this “Prayer for an Election”: Lord God, as the election approaches, we seek to better understand the issues and concerns that confront our city/state/country, and how the Gospel compels us to ...

Last Saturday, October 19, the Peace and Justice ministry at MMOC presented the second session of The Cost of Violence: Stories Seldom Heard. We received a grant from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development (CCHD) to defray the costs of...

In honor of All Saints Day, we offer a selection of quotes from the Saints on contemplation: Contemplation of God is the chief good, and is simple and one. – St. John Cassian Prayer ought to be short and pure, unless it be..

Father Dan Riley presents a Franciscan way of practicing Lectio Divina: The “school” I come from—the Franciscan way—found most of its classrooms and books in marketplaces and in the faces of the poor; on the hillsides in mountain seclusion and in the eyes of lepers… Whether it was ...

Contemplative practice is not meant to replace other prayer practices, but rather to be part of a wholistic prayer life in which various prayer forms enrich and enhance each other. Nowhere is this truer than in the relationship between ...

The call to contemplation is a continuous theme throughout the Christian Scriptures. Nevertheless, the idea can seem “new” or “hidden” to many, not because the theme of contemplation is not present, but because we live in an age where..

The Season of Creation observance has drawn to a close. Let’s pray the following prayer to remember our sacred obligation to care for all of God’s creation. Come Holy Spirit, illumine us with the light of hope and give us...

n article from KFF News, an independent, non-profit source of in-depth reporting on complex health issues and their impact on people’s lives, reveals that every year more than 10,000 taxpayer-supported public housing units are lost to disrepair. Around $115 billion is needed to keep them in ...

Today we share an excerpt from an adaptation from the Offertory of Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s “Mass on the World” (The Heart of Matter, p. 119-121), placed into a liturgical framework by ...

In conjunction with Labor Day, the US Bishops authored a letter (August 28, 2024) advocating better treatment of workers, stating that in today’s economy, too many people and families are living in poverty due to jobs with ,,,