by Claire Dwyer | Jun 20, 2019 | Catholic Church, spirituality
“Mommy, why are two churches burning?” His little face looked up at mine, hair tousled, eyes troubled. He was thinking of the photos he had seen of the burning of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He was thinking also of our neighborhood church of St. Joseph, which had...
by Claire Dwyer | Mar 1, 2019 | Catholic Church, Eucharist
The last note of the organ lingered like the cloud incense in the air. I knelt for a quick thanksgiving as parishioners gathered their things and began to leave the pews at the end of the Sunday Mass. Then there was a gentle tap on my shoulder. “Excuse me,” the...
by Claire Dwyer | Sep 12, 2018 | Catholic Church
The stories in the Catholic world these days, stories of abuse, cover-ups, and promotion of predators have me profoundly sad. The word “silence” has me angry. I want to tell a story, which is still a mystery to me, but one which I find I cannot stop thinking...
by Claire Dwyer | Aug 13, 2018 | Catholic Church, parenthood, The Sacred Everyday
We pulled up to my childhood home in the middle of the night, the Wisconsin green shrouded in darkness. I immediately sensed all the summers of my childhood in the dim stillness as the screen door squeaked shut behind us. Whispering, I led five of my...
by Claire Dwyer | Oct 11, 2015 | Catholic Church, parenthood, The Sacred Everyday
When we welcomed Pope Francis into our country, I’m sure many of you moms, like me, dreamt of traveling to be with the crowds who were there to celebrate, listen, and pray with the pontiff. Of course, for most of us, it never got further than a fleeting,...
by Claire Dwyer | Aug 16, 2015 | Books, Catholic Church
Last fall I picked up a book in our parish bookstore – and couldn’t put it down. Alice von Hildebrand’s Memoirs of a Happy Failure captured me with it’s title. You see, it promised a glimpse into the life of a woman I had admired since...
