Shepherd of the Valley Catholic Church

Why we will no longer be a welcoming church

We’ve decided to quit being a welcoming church. No kidding. We’re giving it up. Like so many congregations, we’ve sunk an amazing amount of time and energy into becoming a welcoming church. We changed worship styles, trained greeters and ushers, wore name tags, brewed coffee, went to workshops on hospitality and put our friendliest people …

Why Homosexuality Is Not Like Other Sins

Homosexuality is not the only sin prohibited in the Bible, but it is different from all the rest, at least right now. And we have really good news for homosexuals.

Seven Reasons Why We Should Not Accept Millions of Years

There is an intensifying controversy in the church all over the world regarding the age of the earth.

Why Are So Many Single Women are Leaving the Church?

A few years ago, I attended the Women of the World festival in London. Arriving late, I hurried up to a panel called ‘Faith and Feminism,” which featured a panel…

10 Ways to Teach Kids to Sit in Church

Want to take your kids to church with you? Find out how to learn to go to "big church." Worship, learn, and serve together. Kids can love going to church.

85-Year-Old Woman Refuses To Remove Painting Of Virgin Mary From Home

“You’re not going to tell this old lady what to do. This is America. As long as I have two arms and two legs, I’m going to do it.”

Is your parish creating new Catholics?

How parishes can better welcome the littlest Catholics

Parishes sometimes struggle at welcoming small children and their parents.

Why do Catholics venerate the Sacred Heart of Jesus?

Across time and cultures the heart has symbolized a variety of traits: love, awareness, the will, along with numerous other prime movers of humanity. From

Should your parish have a mission statement?

Can a mission statement make a difference for your parish? Take our survey.

Opinion: Is there room for the Virgin Mary in a 21st century Christmas?

There’s something very troubling about a culture that affirms, celebrates and perpetuates the idea that virginity is a girl’s most valuable attribute and a measure of her moral character

Can We Argue that the Virgin Mary Never Died?

Don't they celebrate the Dormition instead of the Assumption in the East? And doesn't

Catholics, must we be so obsessed with Jesus’ death and suffering this Lent?

4 Women in Tolkien's Middle-Earth who reflect the beauty of the Virgin Mary

“I think I know exactly what you mean by the order of Grace; and of course by your references to Our …

‘Once a Catholic, Always a Catholic’?

Can you quit the Catholic Church? Can you be kicked out of the Church? Or is the old saying

When “Catholic guilt” gets in the way of Catholic faith

Taken to the extreme, ‘Catholic guilt’ can become an obsessive-compulsive disorder, also known as scrupulosity.

A Complete Guide To The Catholic Rules For Lent

A complete and easy guide to learning and following the fasting and dietary rules and more for Lent

Why Choose Catholic kindergarten?

See all of the wonderful things that happen at our Catholic kindergartens.

What Is Purgatory?

Popular images of purgatory are probably inspired by Dante and expanded upon by imaginative artists, often with an aim to thrill or horrify their audience. As a result, Catholics lose sight of what ought to