Feb 20, 2025 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia “The seaweed is always greener in somebody else’s lake.” Thanks to the Disney franchise’s uncanny ability to generate memorable movie tunes and some time spent recently with a young “Little Mermaid” fan, this line keeps running through my...
Feb 6, 2025 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia Anyone who reads the daily newspaper finds within its pages a glimpse into the sorrow and despair that is — and always has been — a part of human life. It can be easy to grow a bit numb and detached when reading about large-scale violence,...
Jan 23, 2025 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia In these past few weeks, I — like so many others — saw the winter’s first snowfalls. Since weather is a perennially popular topic for small talk, it did not take long to see that snowfall receives very different receptions from all those on whom...
Jan 9, 2025 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia As I turned the calendar from December to January, I had a familiar, sinking feeling. Compared to December, January looks bleak. It seems like a long time until festivities once again fill our days. At times, I am tempted to muster greater...
Dec 23, 2024 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia It happens every year. I am an overly avid collector of Christmas tree ornaments. All year, they stay stashed away on shelves in the closet, crammed in storage boxes in the garage, and tucked away in places I sometimes forget until I rediscover...
Dec 12, 2024 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia It happens all year — the requests for donations for all manner of charitable causes. Pleas come in the mail from children’s hospitals, medical researchers, religious communities and educational institutions seeking funds to further their...
Nov 27, 2024 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia Several years ago, I was standing in a checkout line behind two women deep in conversation. I couldn’t help overhearing that one was recently widowed and struggling to adjust to this new season of her life. Most of their conversation, however,...
Nov 14, 2024 | Local, Lucia A. Silecchia
Racing Through Ordinary Time By Lucia A. Silecchia I spent last Sunday on the sidelines of a marathon cheering for thousands who accomplished something I respect – but may never fully understand! The weather was stunning, the crowd was enthusiastic, and it is always...
Nov 14, 2024 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia I spent last Sunday on the sidelines of a marathon cheering for thousands who accomplished something I respect – but may never fully understand! The weather was stunning, the crowd was enthusiastic, and it is always exciting to root for a loved...
Oct 31, 2024 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia My team did not make it to the World Series. They got close — very close. Alas, the playoffs did not end well for them. I am not the most devoted fan since I usually do not follow the team’s progress until the excitement of the later part of...
Oct 17, 2024 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia For better or worse, my childhood days were lived before the age of the digital camera. So, I have shelves full of photo albums that tell the stories of my life. As is likely the case for many, Halloween photographs are plentiful. While...
Oct 3, 2024 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia Recently, I enjoyed one of my favorite rites of autumn – the search for perfect pumpkins for home, office and anywhere else that might be brightened with glorious gourds. In a long drive through quaint corners of the countryside, I relished the...
Sep 19, 2024 | Local, Lucia A. Silecchia
By Lucia A. Silecchia “Raising children is sacred work.” We may expect to hear this in a homily, read it in an encyclical or learn it from our own parents. Instead, this declaration can be found in the opening pages of a frightening, newly released U.S. Surgeon...
Sep 5, 2024 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia Last weekend, the morning glories took me by surprise — as they always do. During the all-too-brief months of this past spring and summer, I bought some plants and tried my best to give them the attention they needed so that they would grow into...
Aug 22, 2024 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia Anyone who has spent time with a toddler likely knows one great mystery of young minds: fierce opposition to naps. This is a mystery to me because, as an adult in a busy world, I often find myself wishing that mandatory naps were a part of my...
Aug 15, 2024 | Local, Lucia A. Silecchia
By Lucia A. Silecchia Editor’s note: This week, we are sharing with you the following column, which is regularly featured in our Digital Update. The Digital Update is free and emailed during the weeks when the Sun publication is not distributed. To subscribe, complete...
Aug 8, 2024 | Digital Update stories, Lucia A. Silecchia
By Lucia A. Silecchia In recent days, the eyes of sports lovers have been turned toward Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games. I have to admit that the Olympics excited me much more when I was younger. When they used to be scheduled every four years, the games...
Jul 25, 2024 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia Martha, Martha, Martha. I have always had a fondness in my heart for St. Martha. Alas, because she made one complaint recorded in scripture she has been forever remembered as a whiny sister. Yet, I admire her enthusiasm for all the details of...
Jul 11, 2024 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia Independence is on my mind. I celebrate our nation’s birthday as “Independence Day,” recalling that time 248 years ago when our founders deemed it “necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another.”...
Jun 27, 2024 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia Recently, I spent a couple days on an annual getaway to a popular family theme park. Yes, there were long lines, hot weather, overpriced snacks and crowded hotels. Yet, in the happy exhausting chaos, I caught a glimpse of the love of God. The...
Jun 13, 2024 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia I miss landlines. Certainly, I like the convenience of being able to reach friends and family quickly and appreciate being able to receive phone calls away from home or office. Truly, I am grateful for the connectedness easily taken for granted...
May 30, 2024 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia On Memorial Day last year, an acquaintance of mine visited a parish not my own and brought home a church bulletin. I glanced through it and saw, prominently displayed, a colorful graphic wishing everyone a “Happy Memorial Day.” I...
May 16, 2024 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia “If you become a teacher, by your pupils you’ll be taught.” So goes a line from the prelude to “Getting to Know You,” one of the songs that punctuates the classic musical The King and I. After many years as a teacher, I can vouch for the truth...
Apr 18, 2024 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia By now, the eclipse glasses have been put away. The photos of the April 8 nature show have all been posted to Facebook and Instagram to prove that it really happened. The stories from the day have, likewise, also been told – ranging from the...
Apr 4, 2024 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia In the candle-lit glory of the Easter Vigil Mass, I watched with joy as new sisters and brothers were welcomed to the Church through the waters of Baptism. There just may have been water of a different kind that welled up in my eyes as I watched...
Mar 21, 2024 | Local, Lucia A. Silecchia
By Lucia A. Silecchia Recently, I was in the happy company of a seven-year-old. She asked me the delightfully shocking, and shockingly delightful question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” The question was shocking to me because it has been decades since...
Mar 8, 2024 | Lucia A. Silecchia, Uncategorized
By Lucia A. Silecchia This past weekend, side by side in the grocery store, lay both bags of salt to pour on icy sidewalks for winter’s last hurrahs and bags of topsoil to spread in flower beds to welcome spring’s first blooms. This juxtaposition perfectly represents...
Feb 22, 2024 | Digital Update stories, Lucia A. Silecchia
By Lucia A. Silecchia “Will this be on the exam?” Anyone who is a teacher will recognize this question as one that erupts like clockwork when midterm or final exam season rolls around. Intellectually, I know that students are likely to ask this question out of fear....
Feb 8, 2024 | Latest news, Lucia A. Silecchia, US & World
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is our first publication of a bi-weekly column from Lucia A. Silecchia; a brief bio appears at the end of the column. We hope you enjoy her commentary — drop us a note at [email protected]. (Column 112: February 5, 2024) By Lucia...
