Max answers a question about living your faith in public, and how to not be overly aggressive in pushing your faith onto your coworkers

It’s Elizabeth again, back to discuss a talk I recently heard about abuse within relationships and the best ways to intervene as a bystander.  On February 10, I attended a talk sponsored by the Domestic Violence Ministry and Stepping Stones Ministry of Our Lady of the Wayside and St. James.  Grant Stenzel, a former pastor and mental health professional, presented on healthy relationships and engaged bystanders while Mr. Stenzel geared his talk towards teens; really, though, I think his focus on an individual’s dignity and healthy relationships applies to all ages.

Elizabeth talks to us today about how she prays using the Angelus.

Dear Max, For Lent this year, I am giving up dessert. This includes cake, pie, candy, brownies, ice cream, and anything else I enjoy that's sweet. It's tough because I live for dessert, but I know I have the willpower to make it through. All this being said, my sister's birthday is right in the middle of Lent. Should I eat birthday cake (thus breaking my sacrifice) or refuse (and skip out on the celebration)? I feel bad because this happens every year on her birthday. Please help! Regards, Sweet-toothed Sandra

Hello Friends; it's Elizabeth. Today, I'm sharing a reflection I wrote about Lent and a familiar song that I heard in a new way.

Hi All. It's Bryan, your friendly neighborhood YAM-NW Co-Chair. Welcome to the first (hopefully of many) Catechist Corner! Before I begin, just to note: Catechist Corner isn't just a place where I (and possibly others) will be teaching different aspects of catechism - at least not solely. The purpose of Catechist Corner is to spotlight different aspects of the Catechist experience and give a glimpse into why I (and others) are called to and truly enjoy this ministry. 

What the YAM-Northwest Bloggers are doing for Lent this year

Hello all! It's Bryan, your friendly neighborhood YAM-NW Co-Chair, here to talk to y'all a little bit about Lent. Shocker, it starts today. Don't worry, though, if the start of Lent has taken you by surprise - it happens to everyone. Here's some things to remember and think about when Lent.

(Dear Max) || I am dealing with a negative boss at work, and I was wondering what to do about it? This person is quick to criticize, and they seem to always blame their problems on someone else. To make matters worse, they like to spread their bad days to everyone else. What can I do about it?

It’s Elizabeth here to recap the last of our Winter Wine talks.  This week, Ray Urban joined us and discussed the role of the Bible in his life and evangelization.  Mr. Urban grew up Catholic but did not have a close relationship with Jesus until his health suffered.  After this, his wife invited him to her bible study.  Next thing he knew, he graduated from the Chicago Catholic Scripture School, run by the archdiocese, covering 95% of the bible.  Since his graduation, he actively participates in evangelization at his parish of St. Francis and within the archdiocese.  In fact, he facilitated one of the small groups at last year’s archdiocesan young adult study.

Hey y'all. It's Bryan, your friendly neighborhood YAM-NW Co-Chair. I have the honor today of writing about Venerable Pierre Toussaint. Born on June 27, 1766 in modern-day Haiti, Venerable Pierre Toussaint was brought to New York City as a slave. However, when he died on June 30, 1853, he was a free man, a renowned hairdresser, and one of New York City's most well-known Catholics. Without further ado, please allow me to introduce to you Venerable Pierre Toussaint, his story, and why he is a Saint-spiration.

Hello, it’s Elizabeth with a reaction to this week’s Winter Wine talk. This week, Dr. Lynne Boughton from the Liturgical Institute spoke to us about the historic Jewish origins of the Eucharist. While many Catholic authors and scholars focus on the analogies between the Eucharist and the Passover Seder, Dr. Boughton focused on the analogies between the Eucharist and the sacrificial rites described in Exodus. Dr. Boughton’s talk was packed full of information, so bear with me as I attempt to describe all of the incredible insights.

Hello dear readers! It’s Mike, back to talk to you about one of my favorite Saints: Saint Lawrence. Saint Lawrence was born in 225 AD and served in the early church as a deacon of Rome. He was friends with the man who would become Pope Sixtus II, and it was Pope Sixtus II himself who gave him his assignment. This vocation included the responsibilities of managing the material goods of the church as well as distributing alms to the poor.

Hey guys! It’s Mike again, back to talk to you about our second week of the Winter Wine series. On Wednesday, our own Bryan Fong shared his talk, “The Young Adult Field Medic,” about our role in the church as evangelists, and how to approach the sharing of our faith with those who have never experienced it, or those who have fallen away. In multiple addresses to the Catholic people—as well as the world—Pope Francis has likened the Catholic Church to a field hospital. A normal hospital is a large building where the sick and wounded are brought to receive care. Aside from the ambulances that roam the streets, normal hospitals don’t come find you: you have to actively seek out the care yourself. A field hospital, on the other hand, goes to the front line in order to care for those in the most desperate of situations. A guy who lost an arm in battle needs immediate help, and this is where the field hospital comes in. Sure, they might patch him up and send him off for more specialized care later. However, the field hospital is the first line of care.

Hello. It’s Elizabeth again, and this is the first in our Saint-spiration series--where we highlight the lives of Saints and how they resonate in our modern lives. Since this is our first post and it is Black History Month, we are talking today about Augustus Tolton: Servant of God and the first African-American priest. Fr. Tolton was born a slave and--even after his escape to freedom and fighting in the Civil War--encountered racism in his schooling, his quest to enter seminary and fulfill his vocation, and his life as a priest. So affected his life so greatly that he was forced to move to another diocese just to be able to act as a pastor. His story is one of perseverance in acts of service and the pursuit of holiness.

Happy Feast of our Lady of Lourdes! My name is Daisy. I live in Lake County, work in Northwest Cook County, and am consecrated to the Blessed Mother. That's how I'm living the lay life in Vicariate 1. Today is one of my favorite Marian feast days. I wanted to share a reflection on how the events at Lourdes reminds young adults to stay focused on Christ.

Hello YAM Northwest. It’s me, Mike, and I wanted to share my thoughts about our first Winter Wine speaker: Samantha Povlock. Samantha is the creator of FemCatholic and she joined us at St. Mary’s in Buffalo Grove to present her talk “Three Reasons for Catholics to be Feminists.” As a guy, I was curious to see what a Catholic feminist speaker would say, and I definitely had a stereotype envisioned in my head of what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised, then, to find Samantha’s talk informative, rather than preaching. After all, how often do the Facebook political monologues convert anyone from their preconceived notions?

Welcome!  I’m Elizabeth, another YAM-NW board member and cradle Catholic.  Beyond YAM you can find me serving as a lector at my parish and digging holes as an archaeologist. This week, I was assigned the 2nd reading this past Sunday (1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13).  We all know part of this reading from weddings – “Love is patient, love is kind…” but I have always preferred the verses further down:

Hey y'all - it's your friendly neighborhood YAM-NW Co-Chair, Bryan, again. Last week, on January 27th, a Cathedral was bombed in Jolo, Philippines as people were going to Sunday Mass. This breaks my heart for many reasons, not least of which is that the Philippines is my family's homeland. However, this terrible occurrence got me reflecting on just how blessed we are to be able to practice our Catholic faith freely and safely in the USA, and how we often do not recognize that.

Hey guys, it's Mike. This week, I wanted to share a story I heard a long time ago that's always stuck with me. I don't remember where I first heard it, and I would gladly give full credit to whoever came up with it if I did know. Since I don't, I will do my best to tell my own version of the tale, highlighting what I loved about it. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this story as much as I do.