Editor’s note: This post was originally published on February 6, 2015. Fr. Bonaventure Chapman was ordained to the priesthood in May 2017 and now serves as the assistant chaplain and adjunct professor of philosophy at Providence College for the Dominican … Continue reading
martyrdom
Desiring Martyrdom
The letters of St. Ignatius were some of the first writings of Church Fathers I ever read. One of my friends bought me a copy of The Apostolic Fathers, and the summer before I entered seminary, I read through them. … Continue reading
Faith Sees the Glory
“Can anything good come from Nazareth?” (Jn 1:46). Such was the initial reaction to Jesus of the man we remember today, the man who, tradition tells us, would eventually surrender his very skin in testimony to Christ. Saint Bartholomew, also … Continue reading
You Don’t Know What You’re Asking
Swish! Swish! Swish! lap the waves. 12:15 AM reads the my watch beneath the silver star light. What am I looking for? What do I want? I think to myself as I knead the sand with my toes. Beep! … Continue reading
Saint Who?
Saint Dogfan. Ours is the kind of Church that can boast of a saint named Dogfan. No boasting really happens, however. Today is St. Dogfan’s feast day, but it’s unlikely that Masses commemorating this fifth-century Welsh martyr will be celebrated … Continue reading
St. Boniface and the Idols of the Day
Chop! Chop! Chop! Wiping away the perspiration rolling down his broad forehead, the burly Englishman heaved his axe and struck again. Chop! Chop! Chop! The bitter cursing that greeted his first swings died down to an uneasy grumble. “How stiff-necked … Continue reading
Hitting the Mark
When I first saw curling I was confused: what are they doing sweeping brooms in front of a giant hockey puck? Why do they start barking out calls as soon as it is released? What are they even trying to … Continue reading
In the Fisherman’s Net
Not ours the wounds, the bloodied flesh, of those fire-tested ancient souls;Theirs the bones for grinding lion’s teeth to gnaw to living breadOr the blood to spell their credo, a sanguine testament witnessed boldlyAs fisherman’s inverted across the sea from … Continue reading
Blood Red Love
The love of St. Valentine goes unrequited on Valentine’s Day. The cities are painted red with roses, lips, young love, and small chalky candies with audacious imperatives: “be true,” “hug me,” “be mine.” Yet, the true red of St. Valentine’s … Continue reading