With Father’s Day approaching, we are busy with plans to properly celebrate the important men in our lives: the men who raised us, who supported us, who took care of our bumps and our bruises. We celebrate all fathers on this special day: biological, adopted, step, foster, and even those who answered the call to become priests.

There I was, a U.S. lay missionary traveling in an SUV full of African nuns on our way home from a long, hot day of mission work in the slums. Suddenly, we came across an armed robber. Might I just add that I have never driven in reverse so fast in all of my life! Even though I was raised in the country of Pennsylvania, where we participated in all sorts of somewhat reckless behaviors with our vehicles, this by far was beyond my wild childhood memories. At this particular moment in time, I was a 40-some year-old woman, finding myself grasping hands with religious Sisters, as the vehicle was suddenly shifted into reverse.

Easter is almost here. What does that mean for you? Christian tradition celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus and marks the end of Lent, which is a period of fasting or giving up certain treats. During the Easter Season, families have many celebratory traditions, such as egg hunts, Easter parades, and festive family dinners. And there is the matter of Easter candy...

In the past few weeks, I have received numerous phone calls from a priest friend in Philadelphia, Monsignor Vincent Walsh, who has been very supportive of the work I have done in Africa throughout the years. His spiritual support remains a big part of my life. During our recent phone calls, he’s asked me many questions about my conversion and my calling to missionary work. His current goal is to publish a book about my mission adventures. As I was sharing with him, one particular story came to my mind. It was a time that I felt like I was personally witnessing the “poor widow’s mite” (Mark 12:41-44) from the Gospel.