Browsing Reflections from Fr. Jasper
Proms and Prophet-makers …
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
I recently had the privilege of baptizing the adopted daughter of my 1990’s Junior Prom date. Standing by the font in the parish church where Marybeth and her husband were now raising their own family, she and I shared a grace-filled moment that Sunday afternoon in which we ... Read More »
Deep Roots...
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
This coming Thursday, July 11th marks the 116th anniversary of the death of Wilmington’s second bishop, Alfred Allen Curtis. Although he has not been officially canonized a saint, there is no doubt that this spiritual leader of early Catholic Delmarva had a lasting impact on our diocese, including ... Read More »
O Say Can You See …
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
June 30, 2024
The British Broadcasting Company, believe it or not, published a recent story extolling the virtues of the United States. Yes, our nation is still uniquely special, they declared, despite the political and cultural rhetoric that seems to divide us as of late. What makes the ... Read More »
God Only Knows What I‛d Be without You
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
June 16, 2024
One of the things my father has given me is a love for early rock ‘n’ roll music, the songs he himself listened to growing up in the late 1950s and early ‘60s. From DooWop to Motown, the Beach Boys to the British Invasion, my ... Read More »
Home is Where the Heart Is
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
June 9, 2023
At my former parish assignment in Wilmington, there stood a majestic stone statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus right outside my office window. With arms outstretched, this image of Christ appears to be blessing the world, and from time to time I would catch ... Read More »
Much More Than a City in Texas
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
June 2, 2024
Much More Than a City in Texas
A friend of mine just posted to Facebook a photo taken of our second grade class a few weeks after having received our First Holy Communion. There we were in all our innocence: lots of itchy uniform plaid, crooked ... Read More »
What Is Love? …
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
May 26, 20024
There is a beautiful and ancient Jewish tale that says that when we are conceived in the wombs of our mothers, God spends the next nine months whispering to us all the secrets of the universe. He uses the time to tell us why snowflakes ... Read More »
That‛s A Lot of Candles …
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
May 19, 2024
I learned nearly everything about what it means to be ateacher from Sister Irene Loretta, the principal whoguided me as I stepped into the middle school classroomfor the first time in my early 20s. Watching her teachchildren was mesmerizing: she was an actress, a masterstoryteller, ... Read More »
I‛ll Always Love My Momma …
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
May 12, 2024
Lilacs always remind me of Mary.
Back in my Catholic grammar schools’ days, many of our teachers would use the month of May to set-up a corner of the classroom with a small shrine dedicated to Our Lady, complete with a statue, a Bible, a ... Read More »
Love in Aisle Four …
Posted by Peg O'Donnell
5/5/2024
The noise of crashing glass was deafening. From seven aisles away, I could hear a sob and people running. By the time I reached the scene of the accident, I found a woman in her late eighties on the floor surrounded by a shelf of drinking glasses ... Read More »