Author Archives: Joan

We had a pumpkin for Halloween, and when the season was over, we cooked, mashed and froze the pumpkin for future desserts.  As I was cooking pumpkin custard this morning, I thought about our global community and how we support one … Continue reading →

Dear Friends, Yesterday as I sat at our dining room table gazing across the pond, I had an experience very similar to something our daughter wrote in her e-mail to us today:   This morning I had to get up early … Continue reading →

This Lent, O God,enlighten my mind so as to know your Word,let me see and appreciate beauty, mystery and diversity that is around me,let me hear the voice of the poor,fill my heart with compassion,let me wrap my arms around … Continue reading →

Allen and Sue is a novel-length story written in collaboration with my husband, John, as an extension of our ministry. It is our hope that this story will be of interest to those who have experienced PTSD, suffered domestic violence, struggled … Continue reading →

These weeks, days and hours have been filled with xenophobia, hatred and violence. Christ have mercy on us. To God’s People at Tree of Life Synagogue, and to the people of Pittsburgh, Shalom. We are with you in your pain. … Continue reading →

May you be spiritually blessed during the Triduum: Holy Thursday Eucharist, a day of remembrance, a meal of thanksgiving, and washing of the feet as symbol of service. Good Friday, a day of sacrifice, of making holy; a cross, symbol … Continue reading →

May God shower many blessings upon you in the New Year 2018!

Come, Holy Spirit, breathe down upon our troubled world. Shake the tired foundations of our crumbling institutions. Break the rules that keep you out of all our sacred spaces, and from the dust and rubble, gather up the seedlings of … Continue reading →

It can create magic. It empowers people. It lightens spirits, calms the soul and generates love. It is there when you need it. It is selfless and it is joyful. It knows no bounds and reaches to the edge of existence and … Continue reading →

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.