When St. James was brought before King Herod Agrippa, his fearless confession of Jesus crucified so moved the public prosecutor that he declared himself a Christian on the spot. Accused and accuser were hurried off together to execution, and on the road the latter begged pardon of the Saint. The apostle had long since forgiven him, but hesitated for a moment whether publicly to accept as a brother one still unbaptized. God quickly recalled to him the Church’s faith, that the blood of martyrdom supplies for every sacrament, and, falling on his companion’s neck, he embraced him, with the words, “Peace be with thee!” Together then they knelt for the sword, and together received the crown.  ~ Butler’s Lives of the Saints

Chloe Wilhelms, age 12, started investigating the Catholic faith early this year, attending Sunday Mass at our chapel.  Then, she had the marvelous opportunity to spend Holy Week and Easter with the Congregation Mater Dei sisters in Persia, Iowa, which she did.  This experience cemented her desire to attend girls’ camp, as the activities sounded like a lot of fun.  This time there was a difficulty in getting her to the convent, but Sr. Johanna approved a plan to let Chloe come a week early and help the sisters prepare for the camp.  Needless to say Chloe had some eye-opening experiences with her insider view of what it takes to host 100 active girls for five days.  We will be featuring a report from Chloe soon.  Stay tuned! Read more