February 2, 2020

Posted by Jo Ann Bednar

Someone once said, “Statistics are wonderful and beneficial, but the truth is in the interpretation: it is possible that two individuals can use the same statistics and attempt to prove two very different proposals.” And in our day and age, when “fake news” can be found everywhere, this statement ... Read More »

January 26, 2020

Posted by Jo Ann Bednar

On September 30, 2019, Pope Francis issued an Apostolic Letter entitled “Aperuit Illis” Instituting the Sunday of the Word of God. He chose this date to commemorate the 1,600th anniversary of the death of St. Jerome, one of the early scholars who translated the Scriptures into several languages and ... Read More »

January 19, 2020

Posted by Jo Ann Bednar

On a number of occasions during the past six plus years, Pope Francis has called his listeners to live out the Gospel with parrhesia. Parrhesia is not a word you hear every day, so why is Pope Francis using it, and what is he trying to communicate when he does?

... Read More »

January 12, 2020

Posted by Jo Ann Bednar

Trust is a simple word. While a basic concept, trust is a necessary component of all human interactions. By definition, trust is the firm belief in the integrity, ability or character of a person or thing. When we say that we trust someone, we mean that we feel comfortable ... Read More »

January 5, 2020

Posted by Jo Ann Bednar

Arriving at this first weekend of the new year, we often are encouraged to make at least one or two resolutions to begin this new calendar, to take advantage that life is really a series of new beginnings. In our past we think of the first time we started ... Read More »

December 29, 2019

Posted by Jo Ann Bednar

First of all, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! Now that Christmas has come and gone, we begin to think of what lies ahead. We are filled with all kinds of hopes and dreams, of possibilities as well as realities that will come our way in ... Read More »

December 22, 2019

Posted by Jo Ann Bednar

A Very Merry Christmas to everyone who visits St. Peter’s over this Christmas Season and also to everyone who regularly attends St. Peter’s but who are away visiting family and friends for the holidays. These days in the Windy City are some of the most beautiful, although the cold ... Read More »

December 8, 2019

Posted by Jo Ann Bednar

If you feel like Advent is running on overdrive, you are not alone. With only a little more than three weeks this year to try to absorb the spirit and the meaning of Advent—and trying to do it while everywhere we hear Christmas carols and advertisements that constantly want ... Read More »

December 1, 2019

Posted by Jo Ann Bednar

Advent is that special time of year when we realize there is so much to do, yet so little time to get it done. We race in Advent toward that which we already possess. As the Collect on the Second Sunday of Advent notes, “in haste” we go to ... Read More »

November 24, 2019

Posted by Jo Ann Bednar

“God wants to be in relationship with us,” Trappist Father Paul says to Anne, a central figure in The Abbey, Jesuit Father James Martin’s recently published first novel. A conviction that God cares about Anne or might in some way speak to her has not, however, characterized her life. ... Read More »