On Valentine’s Day, 1929, in Chicago, when tension between organized crime gangs and city police exploded, there was a bloody massacre that is still talked about today. Four years later in June, at Kansas City’s Union Station, another bloodbath occurred when local mobs and what later became the FBI tangled in a similarly notorious shoot-out. […]
The victory parade route in downtown Kansas City is becoming well known, much like the Mardi Gras parade route in New Orleans each year. This week they are on back-to-back days as the Chiefs accomplished the rare feat of winning back-to-back Super bowls. This time, the mobile celebration falls on Valentine’s Day which also happens […]
The origins of Mardi Gras can be traced to Medieval Europe. Our American rituals are rooted mainly with practices dating back to 17th Century France when King Louis XIV commissioned explorers to establish colonies in the New World. French-Canadians, Jean Baptiste Bienville and Pierre d’Iberville, went south around modern-day Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and eastern Texas, […]
A year ago, working with a wonderful team at Rockhurst, we activated a podcast with the same title as my blog: “Upon This Rock.” We began by interviewing Alvin Brooks, for whom the future Alvin Brooks Center for Faith-Justice is named; his life and inspiring words encourage us to lay rock-solid foundations in our society […]
Two thousand and twenty-four has been named a Year of Prayer by the Holy Father. This designation is made in preparation for the Jubilee or Holy Year of 2025. In a sense, this is to be a quiet year amidst the thunder of war, noise of political campaigns, screeching sounds of local and global unrest, […]
Father John Dear recently published his latest book, The Gospel of Peace, in which he offers commentary on Jesus’ mission of nonviolence. In it, he analyzes the words and actions of Jesus from a lens that magnifies Christ’s role and purpose as the Prince of Peace. Father Dear, world-renowned speaker, author, and peace activist from […]
“Magis” is a Latin adverb that roughly translates into English as “greater” or “more” or “higher degree.” It was made popular as a noun (the more) by Jesuits that follow the spiritual path of their founder, Ignatius of Loyola, who challenged them to dive deeper, soar higher, and proceed with more fervor in daily endeavors. […]
The Hallmark Christmas channel has endless stories featuring a girl named Holly or Noel and a boy named Nick or Chris who, after one of them achieves great success in the big city, returns to their hometown of Winterland or Candyville where they get reunited during the holiday season. The reunion usually involves a jolly […]
UPON THIS ROCK 