Volunteering to teach confirmation classes at my mid-town Los Angeles parish is challenging work. Let's face it, most teens sign up for the two year, twice-a-month program, because it's SUPER important to their parents, while ...

"What we do in life, echoes in eternity." A line by Russell Crowe's Maximus before going into battle in Gladiator By now you have surely heard of The Osbournes, MTV's new show all about the life of ...

Mike and Marion Perracchio pronounced their wedding vows at 11 a.m. on Saturday morning, April 20th, in New York City. Their column will be returning soon, but here are ...

April 20th–Our big day. All the preparation was done and our day had finally arrived. Marion had a whole morning of preparation with her bridal party. "We all gathered in my sister Vera's room, at the ...

On one level "Y Tu Mama Tambien" (IFC Films) as directed by Alfonso Cuaron is funny, racy, and sexy with scenes shot on some of Mexico's most beautiful beaches. The movie is a fantasy tale about ...

Ever since growing up in Frazee, Minnesota, a small town with a population of 1,700 people, and living next to two Lao families, I had a dream of going to the Thailand/Laos. (Similarly, both ...

It was until my freshman year in college that I read the book "Farewell to Manzanar" - the true account of a Japanese-American family's struggle as prisoners in a U.S. internment camp during WW II. ...

He walked into the diner with his blue windbreaker and disheveled gray hair. His clothes were rumpled and his glasses were slightly askew. In short, he was a mess. He sat in the ...

We are all one cancer cell, car accident, or breath away from our own mortality. Many of us are one pay check, lay off, or serious illness away from bankruptcy, food stamps, even homelessness. Anything ...

Believe it or not, the other day a few friends and I fanned out in pairs around a tourist spot in Santa Monica, California, and asked people for their opinions on what needed to happen ...

 I knew a local cartoonist out in California named Paige Andersen, who one year near Election Day rendered drawings of improbable right-wing and left-wing extremists. I don't remember the details. The right-winger was probably armed ...

The edgiest character on TV these days is a sponge. He's SpongeBob Squarepants and if you've never seen or heard of him, I strongly recommend you check out this creative, cutting-edge cartoon on the ...

Bookworm friends said they couldn't put it down. More traditional Catholics excoriated it, calling it anti-Catholic. And good New York conspiracy nuts were declaring in the diner where I eat on ...

It was an early April morning when I awoke to the news that an American pilot had bombed a Canadian training exercise in Afghanistan and killed four Canadian soldiers. I sighed and prepared for the ...

One of my favorite buttons, which I attached to my backpack during my freshman year in college, was one that sported a photo of Frank Sinatra and read, "It's Frank's world; we just live in ...

What does a sport of rich owners and multi-million dollar players teach us about forgiveness, that concept so near and dear to all Christians? With baseball - plenty. The three R's And the answer to why is as ...

Virtual AmericaConstruct your own "virtual neighborhood" where hundreds of clones of Sam Walton, Michael Eisner, and Rupert Murdoch compete inside a gated community. Play as one of the three ...

As images of war fill a greater share of the nation's TV news, many Catholics are tuning in to organizations like Pax Christi USA to uphold the doctrine of nonviolence. A peace movement ...

It's widely recognized that children who grow up in the midst of criticism tend to criticize others. Children raised with violence are at risk for perpetuating violence as adults. And children who grow up with ...

St. Patrick's Day is not just a day to celebrate Irish heritage. As a bagpiper, St. Patrick's Day explodes into an entire month of joining together with other pipers, playing parades and parties, and being ...