Women of all faiths and denominations will have a chance to deepen their faith at “Arise: Life in the Holy Spirit,” hosted by the Women’s Discipleship Team, a branch of the Catholic Diocese of Victoria’s Office of Family Evangelization.

My favorite books about relationships are the Bible, Connie Podesta’s “Life Would be Easy if it Weren’t for OTHER People” and philosopher Aaron James’ “Assholes” (sorry, but that’s the title). These resources and our own experiences, make it clear — it is challenging for people to deal with …

As human beings, we are a small part of a much bigger ecosystem and universe. We are citizens of the cosmic community as well as the human community. Faith informs us that God is the web, the energy, the space, the light revealed in this vast net of relationships. Everything visible, without…

This last Sunday, April 4, most people here in the United States celebrated the holiday known as Easter. In China, however, they don’t celebrate Easter. In fact, on April 4, they celebrate a markedly different national holiday. It’s called the Festival of Qingming, also known as “Tomb-Sweepi…

I remember being home for Christmas with my family just before my 25th birthday. I had graduated from the university I attended and spent the following two years on the mission field.

When I fly out of Houston Intercontinental airport, I always check my Waze app, especially when I get near the south end of the city. The app is helpful because it lets you know about any traffic jams, construction or car accidents up ahead of you.

Even though we entered the year 2021 with challenges that 2020 left behind, many new sets of problems have arisen. True on the national scene, and I know it is true for many of us in our personal lives. Regardless of how much we attempt to seek God’s guidance in our faithfulness and obedienc…

Human nature loves to find scapegoats — somebody or something we can blame for our problems or to whom we can direct our anger when we don’t know who else to blame. We blame the government, the president, liberals, conservatives, the media, guns, illegal immigrants, our mothers-in-law and th…

"And now abideth faith, hope and love, these three; but the greatest of these is love" (1 Corinthians 13:13).

First United Methodist Church’s Rev. Wade Powell had planned a Palm Sunday service in Ethel Lee Tracy Park, where parishioners could spread out on the grass and participate in the Sunday service in the open air.

I played the game Red Rover often as a child and always seemed to win. The reason — my big brother was on our team. And he was a beast.

On June 27, 1869, Palestine Missionary Baptist Church was organized by 21 men and women of color who were former slaves. They met under a tree on the block where the current church stands. The Rev. Mitchell Harrison was the first pastor of what is now one of Victoria’s oldest churches.

I love Holy Week. It is my favorite time of year.

We were directly behind the Phillies dugout with press passes, and when Richie Allen stepped out in the first inning, the Astro fans started booing him. Twelve-year-old David said, “That’s the best player here.”

I was fishing a little spot on the beachfront that I had fished so many times, I knew each part by heart. The lower tide was in, and the morning sun was relentlessly blaring into my eyes until I felt as if it was actually shining through my head and out of the back of it. For just one second…

In 1917, a convention was called in Petrograd, Russia. That city today is Saint Petersburg. It’s the second-largest city in Russia. This convention was for the gathering of orthodox priests from all over Russia.

In the 2007 Disney Movie “Meet the Robinsons,” a Tyrannosaurus Rex which had been brought from the past by the evil villain, Bowler Hat Guy, angrily chased the young, aspiring inventor Wilbur Robinson. It trapped the boy in a corner, but no matter what it tried, it could not grab him.

"Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee" (Psalms 55:22).

Do you ever read something in the Bible that you can 100% relate to? For me, one of those passages is Romans 7:21-25. In this passage we see Paul struggling with sin. While I don’t know the details of what Paul was fighting against, I can relate to the battle. You probably can, too.

“To dwell above with saints we love, that will be our glory. To live below with the saints we know, now that’s a different story.”

Since the deep freeze we experienced about a month ago, I’ve been saddened to see dead plant life all around me. As Texans who rarely experience severe winters, we are not accustomed to seeing all the brown colors signaling death; this sight is jarring to us. I am not a gardener personally, …

Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott lifted the mask mandate for Texas. Many Texans let out a sigh of relief. Many others are now holding their collective breath.

While faith and reason are challenging us to be good stewards of God’s beautiful creation locally, viewing the documentary, “The Human Element,” by James Balog, regarding national and world climate, I am concerned about the health of all people, especially the poor.

My biggest fear during this pandemic is not that I might get sick; it’s not that I or someone I know could die. It’s definitely not the effects of the pandemic on the economy and American politics.

Linda Ellington-Palmer was reared as a Lutheran and married a Presbyterian minister. She is currently a member of the First Evangelical Covenant Church but is exploring becoming a Catholic.

As the year began, I sensed God wanted to do more through an organization we have called the Significant Church Network. This network is dedicated to nurturing thriving churches in parts of the world where the church is nonexistent or stagnant.

Let’s remember a few things about Jesus. We remember that King Herod tried to kill him, Peter denied him, Judas betrayed him, soldiers nailed him to a rugged cross, and in the end — all forsook him. Each in turn had to come to grips with him. Each in turn had to decide what he would do with …

"Create in me a clean heart, oh God" (Psalm 51:10).

I’ve never had an issue with focus. When my mind is fixed on something, I’m totally engaged. The ability to focus serves me well but there’s also a downside to it. And one of my kids likes to laugh about it from time to time. They enjoy telling stories of how Dad was so focused that he forgo…

For the Rev. Patrick Knippenberg, associate pastor at Holy Family Catholic Church, the Serra Club of Victoria was a God-send during the years he spent at St. Mary’s Seminary in Houston. He now serves as chaplain for the local club, which is one of the largest in Texas with more than 90 members.

My hands are just now beginning to thaw. I still shiver when I think about it. For those of you who lost power or water (or both), last week’s weather was definitely a struggle. Few of us will ever forget Wintermageddon 2021.

“Wisdom cries aloud in the street, in the market she raises her voice; at the head of the noisy streets she cries out; at the entrance of the city gates she speaks: How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple?” Proverbs 1:20-22.

Note: This column was written during Lent to help us put God first and fishing second.

“….we had much work to come by a boat" (Acts 27:16).

One of the fun things about Facebook is it allows you to connect with people you haven’t seen in an exceedingly long time. For example, a couple of years ago, I became friends on Facebook with my kindergarten teacher who I last saw in person in 1982. It’s been fun catching up with her and he…

A fellow graduate of the university I attended was the son of a man who built the largest remanufacturing company in the U.S.