Bri CampbellLast Updated: February 17th, 2023Camino de Santiago, Pilgrims' Stories
The longest journey of my life was about to begin, and I felt unworthy. Preparing to walk the Way of St. James should have filled me with excitement, but all I felt was doubt. Who was I to think I could do this? Who was I to seek the Lord, His love, and His will? … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: September 15th, 2020Saints
Throughout my life, I have been told that reading the stories of the saints is one of the surest paths to sainthood. It makes sense…analyzing their lives causes us to examine our own. To this end, we owe a great debt of gratitude to St. Vincent of Saragossa. Vincent was a third century hagiographer who … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: July 10th, 2020Uncategorized
As a young child, I loved to play in forts. My mom would often come home and find all of her cushions pulled off the couch and in some sort of configuration that my younger brother and I had found satisfactory (and architecturally stable). Blankets would drape from our cushion roof to the tall barstools … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: June 4th, 2020Saints
As a high school senior, I was required to read The Canterbury Tales. I didn’t want to. I didn’t enjoy it then. And it wasn’t until my own son read it in high school that I understood much of its humor and lessons. If you’ve never read the book, or if it’s been a while … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: December 31st, 2019Pilgrims' Stories, Spiritual Reflections
Pilgrimage brings faith, hope, and joy into our lives. Whether you’re planning a pilgrimage yourself or want to read about the experience of others on their sacred journeys, here are some great books that our staff recommends.1. Hiking the Camino—500 miles with Jesus by Father Dave Pivonka. You can hike the Camino through France and … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: December 19th, 2019Holy Land, Marian Shrines of Europe, Medjugorje, Saints
In the St. Wenceslas tale that is told around this time of year, we see a king’s mercy and compassion. Good King Wenceslas, who has had songs and story books made of his life, set out one winter’s night with his squire to take food and firewood to his poor subjects. The snow was deep, … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: December 11th, 2019Priests, Saints, Spiritual Reflections, Upcoming Pilgrimages
The story of Our Lady of Guadalupe is a story about conversion. Our Lady wants nothing more than to bring souls to Jesus and therefore to His Body the Catholic Church. Our Lady appeared in 1531 to a humble Juan Diego. Remember, around that same time, many things were happening in the history of the … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: November 20th, 2019Saints
The Virgin Mary has been honored with many titles by the Church over the centuries. One of my favorites is Our Lady of Hope. This title reminds me of her Presentation in the Temple that we celebrate on Nov. 21. From the beginning of her life, Our Lady was a vivid representation of hope. Tradition … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: November 12th, 2019Saints
If there is one saint that has captured the Catholic imagination, it is St. Martin of Tours. He is celebrated in so many various countries in the greatest variety of ways that it is hard not to get excited about this saint! His feast is even given a special name: Martinmas. In Europe, people eat … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: November 7th, 2019Italy
Entering St John Lateran in Rome is a homecoming for Catholics. It’s also a witness to the seeds of faith planted by the blood of martyrs. Standing atop the monumental church are statues of the apostles holding the instruments used in their martyrdom. They seem more like pillars holding up the Church, showing us the … Read More
Life is interesting. Mine has been blessed with opportunity, something I sometimes take for granted and even neglect at times. As a cradle Catholic, I have been blessed with a strong network of family and friends who share my faith and have helped to nurture it. My mom is a cradle Catholic. My dad is … Read More
St. Luke is a man after my own heart. He had the privilege of interviewing the Virgin Mary and thoughtfully recounting what she told him about her life with Jesus. As a journalist, this makes my heart want to sing. Any interview would pale in comparison to interviewing the Queen of Heaven. And that’s what … Read More
August 14 marks the feast of a saint whose lifetime is not far removed from our own. Born in 1894, small Rajmund would soon grow up to be St. Maximilian Kolbe – Franciscan, radio host, monastery founder, newspaper publisher, and most famously, victim of the Auschwitz death camp. As a young man, St. Maximilian Kolbe … Read More
Bri CampbellLast Updated: August 6th, 2019Holy Land
I’ve often heard, “We are all called to be holy.” But until lately, I saw holiness as a synonym for moral goodness. I recently learned, though, that the Hebrew translation means to be “set apart” from the world for God’s purpose. Peter, John, and James were certainly “set apart” when they accompanied Jesus to the … Read More
It’s fitting that the Church of St. Alphonsus Liguori in Rome holds the sacred icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Help. St. Alphonsus wrote The Glories of Mary, one of the most used books of devotion to the Virgin Mary. In Rome, the church that houses his tomb, is a beautiful chapel that holds the … Read More
