By Michael Patrick O’Brien– I’ve lived for 65 years and have two college degrees, but sometimes I feel ignorant. Walt Whitman triggered my most recent brooding about this nettlesome blemish.…
By Michael Patrick O’Brien– (Editor’s note: this is an abridged excerpt from an unpublished manuscript titled In the Valley of Monks and Saints. The book features stories about the Trappist…
By Michael Patrick O’Brien– There are few better examples of living water than the Red Sea. In the Book of Exodus, God delivers the people of Israel through those very…
By Michael Patrick O’Brien– I’m working on my plan to stroll through the restored Salt Lake Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when it opens for…
By Michael Patrick O’Brien– On the occasion of your landmark 65th birthday it’s a little hard to fathom that you may not be the most interesting person who bears your…
By Michael Patrick O’Brien– Nelle Harper Lee—the author of my favorite book—was born one hundred years ago this April. It’s been quite a century! Born in Monroeville, Alabama on April…
By Michael Patrick O’Brien– One of the best parts of Catholic life is the opportunity to connect with the saints. The enduring Catholic tradition of honoring and retelling stories about…
By Michael Patrick O’Brien– Using online old newspaper archives, I’ve been traveling through a time machine anticipating my landmark 65th birthday. At one stop, I discovered that Don O’Brien—the grandfather…
By Michael Patrick O’Brien– My Easter news basket this year included stories about a different kind of resurrection—an apparent American Catholic religious revival putting more young people in the pews…
By Michael Patrick O’Brien– I’ve seen death but not resurrection. The Easter notion of life beyond death mystifies me. Church art helps my simple mind grasp this ethereal concept. And…