Posted by Carol Johnson on 9/18/23
When I was in Seminary in Colombia as part of our liturgy class, my small group was responsible to hold a simulated funeral. Different roles were assigned among my small group. Someone had the brilliant idea of having a casket, which we borrowed from a funeral home. Having a ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 9/11/23
The first time I brought my mother from Colombia for an extended visit was during my second year as a priest, 24 years ago. She came to visit for four months while I was serving in Wendell, NC. My younger sister, Rosita, took a leave of absence from her ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 9/04/23
The most common form of fireworks in my native Colombia is small amounts of gunpowder folded in paper that are placed in a small drum with a fuse. This small drum is attached to the end of a five-foot-long lightweight cane. Holding the cane vertically, a lit match is ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 8/27/23
My uncle Desiderio was my mother’s closest sibling. There were nine children in her family. Desiderio was two years younger than my mother. He was a professor of Math at Cauca State University in Colombia. Desiderio died four years ago.
He told a story about going to a pub ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 8/20/23
I left for Savannah, Georgia, a month ago on a Monday. At the same time my 21-year-old nephew, Andrew, was at the doctor’s office in Savannah receiving the results from his second round of chemotherapy and radiation treatment for his lymphoma. On the way down there, I was informed ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 8/17/23
The town of Guacheta is located about an hour-and-a-half away from my hometown in Colombia. Today this town holds festivities in honor of our Lady of the Transit. The Transit of the Blessed Virgin Mary refers to her glorious Assumption. My uncle Vitaliano, who is the youngest of all ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 8/14/23
Fr. Arturo did not preach this weekend-Deacon Steve was the homilist.
Posted by Carol Johnson on 8/07/23
The thing that I remember the most from Sunday Mass in my hometown church when I was a child is the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament that would often take place at the end of Mass. The monstrance containing the Blessed Sacrament would go in procession through the main ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 7/31/23
The most famous example of King Solomon’s wisdom is the solution he gave to the case of the two women who claimed to be the mother of the same baby. To know the two women heart’s intentions, he ordered the baby cut in half with each woman to get ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 7/24/23
The first weeks in Middle School were crucial in my life. In those days, I started to hang around with a boy who was repeating the sixth grade. I guess he thought I could help him since I was a good student. He was far ahead for his age ... Read More »