Faith and Culture

In 2003, prolific composer, professor and priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis Father Michael Joncas was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome, a disorder in which the body’s immune system attacks the nervous system. He wrote about the experience in “On Eagle’s Wings: A Journey Through Illness Toward Healing,” released last month by Twenty-Third Publications. The Catholic Spirit interviewed him by email. The responses have been edited for length and clarity.

Tom and Mary Vande Hei have gone out to the backyard of their Chanhassen home a few times in recent weeks to look up at the night sky, but they haven’t been looking for stars, comets or the northern lights.

The medieval Catholic Church created the feast of All Saints on Nov. 1 to honor the blessed people who could not be included in the Church's formal list of saints. In England, the word "hallow" was used to mean the sacred, and thus there the day was All Hallows' Day.

Each day, 11 St. John Vianney College seminarians staying at the Pontifical Irish College in Rome are served a side of potatoes with their Italian pasta as they experience a confluence of cultures through Irish hospitality and other glimpses of the universal Church.

As the seasonal carving of pumpkins gets underway, an Irish folklife expert said there is evidence that the tradition, which is synonymous with Halloween jack-o-lanterns in the United States, actually began in Ireland.

Known for her clear, sweet-sounding voice and prayerful lyrics, Catholic singer Danielle Rose will perform a concert at St. Stephen in Anoka Nov. 4 in support of the Venezuela mission sponsored by the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.

In a bustling Target parking lot in Shakopee, it’s difficult for busy shoppers to miss the large 31-foot RV parked prominently in the back with a sign listing a menu of free services, including pregnancy tests, ultrasounds and other resources. And that’s exactly what Alpha Women’s Center Executive Director Anne Fredrickson hopes.

Hill-Murray School boys soccer Head Coach Jeff Zupfer turned to the big leagues to fill an open assistant coaching spot this year.