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Mary Beth Bonacci
Nov 12, 20245 min read
You Matter: Draw near to the Father in prayer, in love
just finished a truly amazing, year-long class on prayer. In the last session, we took the Myers-Briggs personality test to help us...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Sep 30, 20244 min read
Catholic friendships matter: Community based in the Good is a gift from God
Recently, I gave a talk on “Catholic Friendship” at Our Lady of Victory High School here in Denver—a fabulous school, by the way. It was...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Aug 18, 20244 min read
The real Catholic motherhood
I’m at 35,000 feet where, thanks to the miracle of modern satellite technology, I can do something I rarely do: watch daytime TV –...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Apr 18, 20245 min read
Heaven Opened: The Holy Mass as a Gift of Grace
A few years ago, I brought a friend to Mass with me. She grew up with no religious faith, but had fond childhood memories of attending...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Mar 11, 20245 min read
Lent: A time of weeding, a time for love
I’m seeing a meme on social media which quotes Pope Francis as discouraging fasting, recommending people to “eat whatever you want” and...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Feb 17, 20245 min read
True covenant, true happiness
“It is Jesus that you seek when you dream of happiness; He is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; He is the beauty...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Jan 17, 20245 min read
Doing the transformative work of forgiveness
Well, it’s January. January is the month, a few years back, when something happened to my family and me (a story for another time) that...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Dec 21, 20234 min read
When difficult Christmases lead us into the beautiful
Photo by Erica Marsland Huynh on Unsplash You know how they say the first Christmas after the death of a loved one is the hardest? Well,...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Nov 17, 20234 min read
Humility, happiness and St. Teresa of Avila
Photo by Nheyob via Wikicommons CC BY-SA 4.0 In 2014, I traveled with a group to Rome for the Canonization of St. John Paul II. One day...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Oct 16, 20234 min read
Why you shouldn’t major in the occult
Photo by Josh Olalde on Unsplash I just read that Exeter University has launched a new master’s degree program — in the occult. That’s...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Sep 14, 20234 min read
Why you should pray for Jimmy Buffett
The late Jimmy Buffett. Public domain photo. I loved Jimmy Buffett. Loved his music, loved the easy-going island life he sang about. And...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Aug 18, 20235 min read
Denver’s revolution of holiness
File Photo by James Baca/Denver Catholic Register Thirty (thirty!) years ago, I experienced probably one of the greatest privileges of my...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Jul 21, 20234 min read
AI Marriage: Better than the real thing?
(Photo: Adobe Stock) I’ve been listening to a lot of podcasts lately. Specifically, healing podcasts. Because everybody needs healing....
Mary Beth Bonacci
Jun 14, 20235 min read
The great ‘love, love, love’ of the Father
Photo by Jochen van Wylick via Unsplash Happy Father’s Day! You also may want to send some congratulations my way. For what may be the...
Mary Beth Bonacci
May 17, 20235 min read
Motherhood: A spiritual gift
Photo by Bethany Beck via Unsplash Like every other Catholic on the planet, I have been listening to Father Mike Schmitz’s amazing...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Apr 18, 20235 min read
Gratitude for suffering
I’ve been going through my Dad’s stuff. He lived with me for the past two years of his life, so his presence still lingers in literally...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Mar 16, 20234 min read
Co-suffering with those who suffer
Photo by Amor Santo via Cathopic Have you ever known someone who was facing a truly huge loss, and struggled with what to say to them? It...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Feb 10, 20235 min read
Remembering my cheerful, loving, holy dad
Leo G. Bonacci passed away on January 21, 2023. He was two months shy of his 100th birthday. There is so much I could say about my...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Dec 14, 20224 min read
Lessons from The Day of the Dress
Several weeks ago, I was invited on short notice to help “fill a table” at a benefit dinner. The theme of the evening was the Roaring...
Mary Beth Bonacci
Nov 10, 20224 min read
It’s OK to celebrate the dead, but it’s better to pray for them
(Photo: Jill Dimond / Unsplash) Well, I still haven’t mastered the art of writing columns AHEAD of major Catholic feasts and observances....
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