By Michael Patrick O’Brien– March 1986—four decades ago—was one of the most pivotal months of my life. I was about to graduate from law school, I had an offer for…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– Some of my favorite childhood recollections involve monks and Mark Twain. That’s an odd juxtaposition, but likely due to the Tom-Sawyer-like boyhood adventures I enjoyed a…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– As another Presidents’ Day holiday arrived, I was wondering how many leaders of the United States visited my home state of Utah. It’s not the first…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– For some perspective on just how long folks have enjoyed Mark Twain’s writing, consider that he published his classic novel The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 150…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– I have only watched half of the films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar in 2026. From what I have seen and read so far, however,…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– The Adventures of Tom Sawyer is about boyhood mischief, not church. Yet, some of its most memorable boyhood mischief happens at church. I can relate. Mark…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– Although they rage on unabated elsewhere, on television recently I noticed a brief and pleasant January thaw in the American Culture Cold Wars. The unlikely source?…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– Brigham Young’s only Catholic daughter lived a colorful and conflicted life. Eudora Lovina “Dora” Young Hagan was born in Salt Lake City in May 1852. Her…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– It’s sad but seems true—Trappist monasteries don’t last longer than 70 years in the Rocky Mountains. To be fair, there have been only two—Holy Trinity Abbey…

By Michael Patrick O’Brien– I often check for news about one of the most wonderful of the American Trappist monasteries I have visited—New Melleray Abbey near Dubuque, Iowa. In late…