Author Archives: Miller

Listening from Within

Recently, I spent a wonderful four-day weekend on Lake Ariel in upstate Pennsylvania with my sister, brother-in-law and 8-year-old nephew.

My nephew, Johnnie, was born in eastern Long Island in wonderful suburbia and is somewhat of a daredevil. However, the outdoor experience and rural living is a bit alien to him. I totally enjoyed showing him tiny things of nature. For instance, I picked up a daddy long-legger and held it in midair. In response, he jumped away from me, quivering. “Aunt Sister, please put it down!” I giggled quietly, gently put the creature gently on the ground and assisted Johnnie in studying how it moved. I told him about the differences between spiders and daddy long-leggers. I found myself going with him to look for cob webs in order to identify daddy long-leggers and their particular webs. By talking about the webs and the spiders, he became less afraid. I was amazed that he listened not just with his mind, but also with his heart.

Trinity Tops Delone for First District Volleyball Championship

You can set your clock the first weekend of November to the fact that Delone Catholic will be playing for a District 3 Class 2A volleyball championship, and will be the favorite. In fact, the Squirettes had won the last three in a row and have gone deep into the state playoffs the past few years, so in this year’s final against the Trinity Shamrocks at Dallastown High School on Nov. 2, nobody would call you crazy if you thought Delone was the poised to capture another crown. Back on Oct. 7, the Squirettes had beaten Trinity for the Rocks’ lone loss this season and enough to make Trinity worry a bit.

Super Fast Finish not Enough for York Catholic in District Soccer Final

Eight minutes into the Class 1A District 3 Soccer final between the Fighting Irish of York Catholic and the Halifax Wildcats at Hersheypark Stadium on Oct. 30, the sluggish Fighting Irish found themselves in a two-goal deficit, seemingly buried for good. But over the next 70 minutes, York Catholic carried the play and dominated the Wildcats in every facet of the game – time of possession, scoring chances and offensive zone time. So relentless was the pressure, it was no surprise when the Fighting Irish scored in the 49th minute to cut the lead in half.

Foundation Gives to Catholic Education

Families whose children attend Resurrection Catholic School in Lancaster call it a “blessing,” and they have “three generations of people who came before” who handed down the possibility to them.

“We don’t ever feel different here,” Kassandra Settle told Gerald Ganse, president of the Catholic Education Foundation, which provides tuition assistance. “For my girls to come here is beyond a blessing.”

Carlisle Native becomes Novice with Trappistines

On Aug. 15, 2019, the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Lily Key, originally of St. Patrick Parish in Carlisle, became Sister Lily Marie, a novice in the Order of the Cistercians of the Strict Observance.

She had spent one year as a Postulant at Mount Saint Mary’s Abbey in Wrentham, Mass. At the end of a two-year novitiate period, she may make her first Vows of Stability, Conversion of Life and Obedience.

St. Pius Parish Participates in National Rosary Rally

Fifty members of St. Pius X Parish in Selinsgrove took part in a Rosary Rally on Oct. 12 as part of a national event where more than 20,000 rallies took place across the United States with the goal of spreading the word of Our Lady of Fatima.

Our Lady of Fatima is the name given to the apparition of the Virgin Mary that appeared to three children in Portugal in 1917.

During the 30-minute gathering, parishioners sang, worshiped, prayed the Rosary and prayed for America under a pavilion at Charles Attig Park in Shamokin Dam.

White Mass Recognizes Health Care Workers

The Diocese’s annual White Mass drew Catholic physicians, health care workers, dentists and medical students to St. Patrick Cathedral in Harrisburg on Oct. 20 to recognize their vocation and pray for God’s blessings upon their work.

Bishop Ronald Gainer was the principal celebrant and homilist for the Mass.

Silence within Listening

As a child, I was thrilled to wait for the school bus in the morning. It meant I could “play” with other students from my school and interact with those who were both younger and older than I. Looking back, I can now understand that the simple act of waiting for the school bus broadened my personal understanding of what community is all about, because I welcomed everyone into my field of perception.

Recently, as I drove to work during the first week of school, I was saddened to see this scene:  Very close to the Diocesan Center, a group of students wait for their buses. At this stop, there are high school, middle school and elementary students. As I drove past them, I noticed that every one of them had ear buds in their ears and they were all paying attention to their phones, either standing or sitting at the curb in complete silence. They were completely engrossed inwardly to noise coming from their ear buds.

Healing within Marriage from an Abortion

When Susan’s* husband, Juan, told her about the abortion he was involved in when he was in college, she finally understood why he was so depressed and had trouble bonding with their children. However, she wanted him to just get over it, without seeking help from a post-abortion healing ministry. It bothered her to think of him dealing with this in relation to another woman and child.

During Steve’s premarital preparation with his (now) wife, the topic of her past abortion never arose. Now married and participating in a post-abortion healing ministry, Steve notes, “It is one of the questions you never think to ask during premarital preparation.”

Lancaster Catholic Goes Three Love to Win at District 3 Girls’ Tennis

For the first time in the school’s illustrious sports history, the Crusaders of Lancaster Catholic girls’ tennis team swept all three competitions at the District 3 championships.

Success in Class 2A girls’ tennis usually means beating the Spartans of Wyomissing, who have won 15 of the last 21 District 3 team titles. So when the Spartans were upset by Hamburg in the semifinals at Hershey Racquet Club on Oct. 17, the Crusaders seized the day by easily dispatching Kennard–Dale in their semifinal and then denied Hamburg any chance at two stunning upsets. Lancaster Catholic soundly beat the Hawks, 3-0, behind the play of their number one singles’ player, Riley Smith, and number two, Anna Millen, who both lost only two games in their matches against Hamburg. The Crusaders move on to the PIAA state team tournament with a record of 16-2.