Posted by Carol Johnson on 10/23/23
Father Jose Vicente became my home parish pastor when I was in my High School junior year. He helped me discern the call to be a priest. I recalled some of my conversations with him this week as I reflected on today’s gospel reading. Father Jose Vicente would occasionally ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 10/16/23
In her late twenties, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton went through extremely difficult times. Several relatives, including her father, died from disease. Her husband William’s business was ruined and he himself became sick. Hoping for a recovery in both William’s health and finances, the couple adventurously left the United States ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 10/09/23
Raising my younger brother Napoleon was challenging for my father. Napoleon is two years younger than me. He is a very bright person, who is now a civil engineer. He was a rebellious child. In High School, Napoleon was often being called to the principal’s office. My father got ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 10/01/23
My sister Rosita’s University classmates used to call her “the lady of sorrows” because she would often have body aches. About fifteen years ago, on one of my visits to her in Savannah, my older nephew Andrew was six years old. When I arrived, she started to feel sick. ... Read More »
Posted by Carol Johnson on 9/27/23
Fr. Arturo did not preach this weekend-Deacon Steve was the homilist.
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 »