By Michael Patrick O’Brien– As I was helping find new homes for the last few items from the former Trappist monastery library in Huntsville, Utah, the strangest thing occurred. About…
Posts published in “Uncategorized”
By Gary Topping– By now summer is fully upon us, and most of us, following a snowy winter and a long, drizzly spring, are breaking out our camping gear and…
By Michael Patrick O’Brien Despite the rather obvious origins of my name, I often dreaded answering the question, “Are you Irish?” Growing up Catholic in Ogden, far from extended family,…
By Gary Topping– Many years ago, a friend of mine spent several months in Mexico City while his wife, a university undergraduate, was on a study abroad program immersing herself…
By Michael Patrick O’Brien– Science says the moon causes only the tides, but legend and lore blame it for werewolf howling, vampire activity, and various other forms of earthly madness.…
By Michael Patrick O’Brien– The Trappist monks from Utah’s Our Lady of the Holy Trinity Abbey had a remarkable ability to find common ground with others. They did with their…
By Michael Patrick O’Brien– “I drink beer whenever I can lay my hands on any. I love beer, and, by that very fact, the world.” (Thomas Merton, “Is The World…
By Gary Topping– Sometimes I think I’ve learned almost as much about the historian’s craft from simply imitating historians I admire as from formal academic coursework. This “monkey see, monkey…
By Michael Patrick O’Brien– I am learning, somewhat reluctantly, that there is tremendous value in the next best thing, especially if it helps me live in the now moment. As…
By Michael Patrick O’Brien– The most wonderful thing happens about once a month during Mass at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Cottonwood Heights, Utah. A medium-sized black dog stands…