Posted by Carol Johnson on 8/07/24
Monsignor Ismael Baracaldo was a retired priest who lived in the seminary in Colombia. He celebrated Sunday Mass in two hotels in a nearby tourist city. For a couple of years, I accompanied him to these Masses and helped him with the music and logistics of the Mass. For ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 7/29/24
Finding authentic relics of Saints available as a personal possession is very rare. However, Deacon Steve Canali was gifted with a relic of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton on his ordination day. Deacon Steve has treasured this precious gift for four years, but he knew from the very moment he ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 7/15/24
Bishop Joseph Gossman, who served the diocese of Raleigh for 31 years until 2006, used to say that he ordained priests to make them pastors, not just priests who help pastors. You may think that all priests are pastors, but they are not. There are many other opportunities within ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 7/07/24
My two nephews from Savannah, Andrew 22 and Nico 19, remarkably, had not being in my sisters’ native country of Colombia until two weeks ago. The reason for this is that they have strong food allergies, and my sister did not want them to have a bad reaction away ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 6/10/24
After walking a mile in the procession with the Blessed Sacrament through the streets of Emmitsburg, I was given the amazing privilege of carrying the Lord in the monstrance for the last leg of the procession. I took the monstrance back into the National Shrine of Saint Elizabeth Ann ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 6/04/24
When I was a child in Colombia, there were no bakeries in my hometown. Bread sold in stores came from the neighboring town. I remember the aroma of the freshly baked bread when it was delivered to my parents’ store. I once shared with you that my grandmother made ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 5/26/24
After High School, my older brother Antonio went into mandatory military service. After those twelve months, he decided not to attend college. Instead, he became an entrepreneur. For over 35 years he operated different types of businesses in our town, such as a small cinema, a pool hall, and ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 5/18/24
Fr. Arturo did not preach this weekend-Deacon Steve was the homilist.
Posted by Carol Johnson on 5/18/24
My nephew Cesar and niece Paula, who I went to visit in January in Germany, are the two younger children of my oldest sister Cecilia. The oldest sibling is my niece, Julie. When Julie was about to leave town for college, Cesar, who is the middle child, saw an ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 5/08/24
I was solving a crossword puzzle. The clue for a five-letter answer was, “what the waiter says when delivering the food at the table”. I was hoping someone here today would help me with the answer, preferably one of the children making their first communion.
I am talking about ... Read More »