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The Irish Sorcery of Malachy McCourt

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By Michael Patrick O’Brien– Angela’s Ashes—Frank McCourt’s 1996 haunting memoir about growing up in Irish poverty, alcoholism, and dysfunction—appalled and enthralled me. The story is poignant and gut-wrenching, but the…

The Tallest Gravestone Irish Whiskey Can Buy

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By Michael Patrick O’Brien If it’s true, as some say, that God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world, then the Good Lord must have carved out…

The White Dove in the Desert

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By Michael Patrick O’Brien– The Sonoran Desert—the hottest in North America—is home to sky islands, to thriving agave, palm, and cacti plants, and to the only jaguar population living in…

A Profound and Profane Day

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By Michael Patrick O’Brien During a recent 24-hour period, I prayed at a peaceful monastery, visited a raucous brewery honoring a brothel, and paid money to watch cowboys shoot at…

St. Valentine’s Day…it’s complicated!

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By Michael Patrick O’Brien– A rather simple word—love—is at the heart of St. Valentine’s Day. Yet, what’s most clear about the popular February holiday is that it’s complicated, both historically…

Monastic Winter Memories

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By Michael Patrick O-Brien– For winter, here is a cold weather excerpt from Monastery Mornings, my 2021 memoir about growing up at the now-closed Trappist monastery—Abbey of the Holy Trinity—in…

How to Increase Your Charitable Giving – Painlessly

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By Jathan Janove (Guest Contributor)– As I reflected on what my 2024 New Year’s resolutions should be, it struck me that I could be donating more money to nonprofits and…

A whole day in heaven with an old friend

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By Michael Patrick O’Brien– Some fifty years ago I was an altar boy serving Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Ogden. I was a reliable assistant, but prone to…

A Journey to Santa Rita Abbey

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By Michael Patrick O’Brien– No one reaches the lovely Santa Rita Abbey—the only Trappist monastery in the American Southwest—without taking some kind of a journey. Mine started at another monastery,…