I am so thankful that the Catholic Bishops voted overwhelmingly to approve drafting a paper for consideration at their November 2021, in person, United States Catholic Conference of Bishops (USCCB) meeting. The damage to the Catholic Church laity caused by a small number of outspoken Cardinals and Bishops who publicly oppose Christ’s teachings is significant.…
I am like so many lay Catholics, regular parishioners in pews and parishes throughout the United States, who respectfully yearn to hear the voice of our bishops amid today’s various shades of increasing social upheaval and confusion—a voice anchored profoundly in the truths of Christ, His Teachings, and His Church that has safeguarded those teachings…
If someone were to tell you there is a new religion sweeping across America and the west, would you be surprised? What if that person could show you this has been in discussion since the early 20th century, would that make you start to listen? What’s Happening Has Been Planned for More than a Century…
Being in the second tier of qualification (over age 60) to get the Covid vaccine, Pat and I got our second Moderna shot just a few days before the snowstorm hit Texas. As with many others, we both had a substantial negative reaction to the second shot, but fortunately that only lasted for 24 hours.…
I have not written my monthly Catholic Business Journal article since December 2020. It has taken some time for me to understand my difficulty to complete this article. For me, it was not because of Covid-19, which has had a paralyzing effect on many. In my case, I was anticipating the outcome of the Presidential…
It is the time of Advent and the Gospel of Mark tells us to “Be watchful! Be alert!” This is an admonition of HOPE. Hope is defined in Wikipedia as an optimistic state of mind that is based on an expectation of positive outcomes with respect to events and circumstances in one’s life or the…
QUESTIONS THAT NEED ANSWERS With the rioting and destruction of buildings, businesses, homes, and efforts to eliminate the police, does your family and you have the necessary safety you deserve? Is allegiance to our country and our flag respected today? Does the liberal left concern itself with protecting an individual’s freedom of conscience and religion?…
Pat and I have recently returned from a trip to Big Sky, Montana, Yellowstone, and Grand Teton National Parks where we took our two recent high school graduate grandchildren – Logan Elisabeth Denmon and Wilson Luke Von Dohlen. This is a tradition for us as each of our 16 grandchildren accomplish graduation from high school.…
There’s nothing like sitting outside on the 4th of July, the birthday of the United States, listening to great patriotic music and hearing a new Lee Greenwood song. Yes, I missed watching the traditional parade due to Covid-19 concerns, but I find myself thinking of all the blessings that my family and I enjoy; things…
This is the fourth month of our lives being impacted by the Coronavirus pandemic. We have gone from total uncertainty of the length and strength of the virus, to having some knowledge without definite assurance of the accuracy of the information. We hunkered down and did our best to find ways to usefully apply ourselves,…
Even though I am following those tips I had for you last month about vision and wisely using our time during our shelter in place situation, I still sought inspiration to get me started for this month’s article. I never have been in a situation before where I had to ask my wife, Pat, to…
I could never have fathomed all the things that have happened in our country during March 2020. I must admit that particularly over the last two weeks, I have been in somewhat of a “funk” because of the Coronavirus pandemic and all the uncertainty surrounding it. The news cycles on TV have been bad for…
I still believe in New Year’s Resolutions. There are those who say don’t worry about New Year’s Resolutions because you don’t keep them anyway. My view is (1) even if you do not keep them they have caused you to think about where you need improvement in your life, and (2) whatever positive outcome occurs…
Christmas is my favorite holiday and season of the year. Music adds so much to the magic of Christmas. We know that the first Christmas was the miracle of Christ’s birth to the Virgin Mary for the salvation of souls – God’s gift to the whole world of His only son Jesus Christ. Music lifts…
Texas native Tim VonDohlen, a long-time Catholic Business Journal columnist, is known as much for his business savvy and significant success as for his profound Catholic faith. That said, life has not always been smooth-sailing for Tim, nor for his wife, even though to meet either of them you would never know. Pat Von Dohlen…
In my last article we looked at forming and accomplishing your vision, more on that later, and not worrying about being a people-pleaser. This month we look at someone whose actions demonstrate she cares more about the truth and doing what is right rather than worrying about what someone will think or say about her…
It is time for us to look at some of the things influencing good, God-fearing people in the United States and to identify what is holding them back from taking action to accomplish an objective or preventing them from being people who don’t just know their faith but live their faith outwardly. Two of these…
Have you ever been to a country that was under control of the Nazis and then Communism? Do you know what those people experienced and how they did not have any of the basic freedoms that Americans take for granted? My wife, Pat, and I had that experience this summer. We started in Poland, the…
It has been a wonderful Easter season. In the process of reading the Bible and attending Holy Week and Easter services I also learned in reading from Bob Gass and the Word For Today about noticing that the “cross” has two posts: vertical and horizontal. The vertical represents your relationship with God, what He wants…
Going through Lent, we have been reading 40 Days, 40 Ways A New Look at Lent by Marcellino D’Ambrosio (Dr. Italy). A paragraph in Day 20 particularly caught my attention: “Modern media invades every nook and cranny of our lives. In various schools and seminars around the world, future advertising execs, graphic artists, and filmmakers…
