“Lord, teach us to pray…” -John 11:1 Since I don’t remember going through it myself, it has been a fascinating exercise observing my children as they learn how to speak. Each of them begins with no clue whatsoever where to start – so they do the only thing they know how to do: they cry. Eventually […]
The Greatest Rescue Mission of All Time
When Frozen came out last winter, I was a little late to get to see it (I didn’t actually watch the movie all the way through until about 6 months after it’s release. For a father of two little girls, this may be a serious sin!) I was duly impressed, and I can understand why so […]
C4 (Growing in Prayer)
As long as I can remember, I’ve struggled with prayer. Not because I find any particular method difficult -I’ve loved doing various forms of prayer: praise and worship, lectio divina, the rosary, adoration, the liturgy of the hours – but because I struggle to make time to pray on a regular basis. I’m inconsistently faithful […]
When Words Run Out (Starting the Conversation)
How do I Pray when the Words Run Out? (A reflection by Deacon Pat Hessel) We are told that it is good to pray each day for at least five minutes in the morning and at least five minutes at night. We need to pray every day because our relationship with God is a “work […]
We Pray
I recently spent an extended weekend in Kananaskis Country, surrounded by the beauty of the Rocky Mountains – while being challenged by a Cajun “Faith horticulturist” (that’s honestly what he calls himself) named Mike Patin. While I’ve heard him before, I was a rookie attendee at an event called SPICE (Sharing Purpose in Catholic Education) – a […]
Resources for Priests
On August 6-10, 2018, I had the wonderful privilege of presenting at a seminar for young priests. If you’ve arrived here and aren’t one of them, please say a prayer for them and their ministry across western Canada. If you are one of them, read on for links and downloads relating to the presentations from […]