Two ‘prodigal Catholics’ share story of their journey

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Lisa and Tom Ponchak share their faith journey in a recent presentation at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Carmel. (Photo by Brigid Curtis Ayer)

By Brigid Curtis Ayer

Prodigal Catholics leave and return renewed

CARMEL, IN — Do you know a “prodigal Catholic”?

Tom and Lisa Ponchak know first-hand the well-worn path of “prodigal Catholics” because they travelled it together.

More than 100 parishioners of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish gathered recently to hear the Ponchaks’ story of how they walked out the doors of the Catholic Church. Yet unlike some others, the Ponchaks’ story has this happy ending: They returned to the Church with great peace, joy and fervor. Tom Ponchak now serves as director of adult faith formation for the Carmel parish.

The couple, who are parents of six children, said they both grew up Catholic.

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Cross on Christmas Tree in Knightstown Stays Put For Now

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(Photos provided by Mike Fender)

All About The Grace Editor

Christmas spirit is in the air! Members of the Knightstown town council decided to reverse their decision to remove a cross from atop their Christmas tree.

The situation originated when a local man felt the cross placed on top of the town’s Christmas tree on public property violated the U. S. Constitution’s Establishment Clause. CLICK HERE for more details on the challenge.

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Finding Joy during the Advent Season and Beyond

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During Lent, I light my Advent candles and enjoy some quiet time with the Lord. Over the years, my bookshelf of spiritual reading grows. One selection which I enjoy very much and only use during the Advent Season is a book called simply “Little Blue Book.”  I have the paper version book, but it’s also available online. CLICK HERE. Today’s reflection struck a chord. I share with you an excerpt.

“Let us keep that joy of loving Jesus in our hearts, and share that joy with all we come in touch with. That radiating joy is real, for we have no reason not to be happy because we have Christ with us. Christ in our hearts, Christ in the poor we meet, Christ in the smile we give and the smile we receive.”

—–Mother Teresa’s remarks when she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize Dec. 10, 1970.

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Immaculate Conception Explained

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immaculation-conception

Father Mike Schmitz of Ascension Presents offers an explanation on the often misunderstood celebration of “The Immaculate Conception”. Many mistakenly confuse this annual celebration on Dec. 8 with Mary conceiving Jesus, but rather is about Mary’s conception in her mother St. Anne’s womb. Mary, full of grace, conceived without original sin. With God nothing is impossible. Take a moment to have this theological reality clarified in a hip and holy way. CLICK HERE for the video explanation.

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Religious Liberty in jeopardy with further attacks

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Attacks on individuals, and Christian organizations continue to call into questions religious liberty in the United States. A controller of a company issues an investigation on prominent Christian group.

To read about the most recent attack on a Christian organization CLICK HERE . It seems those who demand tolerance, want it only on their terms. This is not tolerance, freedom of religion or free speech, but rather an attempt to censor and silence any opposition to a particular ideology.

What do you think about this?

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Stewardship

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Stewardship–A Story about a King and Three Servants.
The king gave three servants a talent. The first servant earned 10x what the king had given him. The second steward had earned 5x what the king had given him. And the third servant, buried the talent and gave the one talent back to the king. The king got very mad at the third steward and told him what little had been given to him would be taken away. What in the world? What does all this mean for us?

What’s a good steward?
The message God wants us to take away from this parable is to be a good steward. What does that mean? We are to be good managers with what God have given us. Our resources are not only monetary, but our time, abilities and everything. If we have a car that seats 5 people, we had better be filling up those seats. If you have a house for 10 people, you should have 10 people in there. Got a big yard? You had better be using that yard a lot. That seems kind of strict. Doesn’t it? You can see that God is very strict with this.

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Criminal charges filed against priest praying outside an abortion center

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Praying Priest Jailed
An Anglican priest jailed last month occurred because he was praying outside an abortion center in California.

Pro-life Ministry
Legalized abortion creates an opportunity for those in the pro life ministry to pray or minister to those hurt by abortion.  Some members of various prolife ministries engage in sidewalk counseling or simply praying outside abortion centers. Over time, those who serve in the front lines of these ministries have seen efforts to chip away at religious freedom. While the constitution protects a woman’s right to abort her child, the constitution also provides rights to peaceably assemble and pray in public.

Lifenews.com
Lifenews.com recently reported on an incidence involving the arrest, jailing, and fining of an Anglican Priest in California for praying outside an abortion center and talking to those entering the center.

CLICK HERE for the full story.

 

 

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