The Soulful Catholic Blog

It’s been less than two weeks since Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted of the Diocese of Phoenix issued an Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist, but the treasure contained therein is already having an impact.

What we’ve always considered to be true and the actual truth aren’t necessarily the same thing.
That lesson was brought home to me last week when a relative sent me a document detailing the list of passengers from Ireland who set sail for America in April of 1848.

We may have grown up in the scorched desert of Arizona, but our mother made sure we five kids never forgot our Irish heritage. And it wasn’t a matter of simply wearing green on St. Patrick’s Day, either.

Why do we give up stuff for Lent? The answer is more complex than you may have imagined.

It’s Valentine’s Day weekend and at our house that can only mean one thing.

Once the COVID-19 pandemic struck, more and more people began walking the winding cement trail that hugs the network of canals in our part of the desert. Riding bikes, pushing strollers, jogging—entire families, couples, lone walkers listening to podcasts or music—my...

Thousands of people gather in Downtown Phoenix every December (unless there's a wicked pandemic about) to honor Our Lady of Guadalupe. A young woman from the community dresses up as la Guadalupana and stands atop a float in the long parade that snakes through the city...

We stood under a canopy in the parking lot, cameras rolling and clicking, microphones and recorders extended. It seemed like every local news affiliate had sent its crew. And then there was The Soulful Catholic carrying out her day job as a reporter with a local...

As the mother of five grown sons, I’ve learned a lot from being surrounded by masculinity.

For all of us who are passionate about protecting the sanctity of human life, we just had our political backsides whopped.

A 28-year-old woman I once met made a startling admission that has stayed with me ever since.
“How do you have a healthy relationship? I’ve never actually seen one.”

The oldest student in my catechism class raised his hand to object and challenge me as he often did Sunday after Sunday. I couldn’t blame him really.

I was perusing the contents of my holy card drawer recently (if you’re a cradle Catholic, you know exactly what I mean) and came upon a prayer that left my jaw hanging.

The Hagia Sophia, a cathedral built in sixth-century Constantinople, was later turned into a mosque before it became a museum. The Turkish government recently converted it into a Muslim house of worship again. Christians throughout the Middle East continue to suffer...

The election looms and in my mind, I’m back in 1984, the first time I was eligible to cast a vote for the presidency. Ronald Reagan was running for re-election against Walter Mondale. The Gipper had managed one of the most memorable (and laughable) moments in...