Divine Mercy Sunday and Me

Divine Mercy Sunday (which was today) is one of my most anticipated Church feasts. Because of my past history as an alcoholic, this feast day touches me more personally than others typically more favored by “normal people.” 

The part about the feast that “gets me” is referred to in the Diary of St. Faustina, “Divine Mercy in My Soul.” In paragraph 699, Jesus tells her (boldface words are those of Jesus, the italicized boldface is my emphasis:)

“On one occasion, I heard these words: My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy  be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.”

 In paragraph 1109:

I want to grant a complete pardon to the souls that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion on the Feast of My mercy  

In paragraph 300:

Whoever approaches the Fountain of Life on this day will be granted complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. 

You are clean again, all sins including the temporal punishment due for them are wiped away; your soul is in the state it was in just after your Baptism. You are as pure as the driven snow.

Although the Catholic Church attaches a plenary indulgence for those who partake in the Divine Mercy celebrations, the conditions for earning the indulgence (particulary “complete detachment from sin, even the least venial”) make it nearly impossible for anyone to earn it. However, Jesus attaches no burdensome conditions on the reception nof the Sacraments; all He said is that in order for your sins to be entirtely washed away, including any punsishment due them, is to go to Confession and recieve Holy Communion on Divine Mercy Sunday. Not many parishes offer Conferssion on Sunday, but most do on Saturday afternoon, usually just before the Sunday Vigil Mass. This is what I did; I made it to Confession last night and attended the Divine Mercy Vigil. 

I ran across a video on YouTube that explains how Jesus’ promises are even better than the plenary indulgence:

You have tp watch it!

By the way, if you really enjoy the Divine Mercy Devotion, and wish to watch more videos on it as well as great catechetical and devotional programs, the Marians of the Immaculate Conception (the religious order that maintains the Divine Mercy Shrine in Massachusetts,) they have a streaming service full of programs to get you to Heaven! Divine Mercy Plus is a website (link is the 1st 3 words of this sentence) and apps for Apple devices and Android; plus apps for TV streaming devices (such as the Amazon FireStick.) There is also an app for desktop computers!

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Divine Mercy Sunday 2025

(NOTE: This is combined from previous posts on Divine Mercy Sunday)

This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. I do hope that you take advantage of the tremendous source of healing, forgiveness and grace that this day brings. It is a feastday established by Pope St. John Paul II in 2000 when he canonized a Polish nun who had received messages (or “interior locutions”) from Jesus in the 1930’s. (These are an accepted part of Catholicism, although not binding upon the faithful. Apparitions like those at Lourdes and Fatima and messages such as those received by Sr. Faustina (now Saint Faustina) do not add anything new to God’s Revelation to humanity. They are merely signs that the Good Shepherd is doing His work and is reminding us of certain necessary things. Quite often apparitions and locutions occur during critical moments in human history, indicating that the Lord’s “sheep” are going astray and He is coming after them.)

Jesus’ messages to St. Faustina concern God’s immense love for people and His boundless “ocean of Mercy” to which we are all entitled. No matter how dirtied we are by the sins of our past, when we dip into the ocean of Mercy we are scrubbed clean. God’s mercy is available to us for the asking, and is the source of immeasurable graces.

The devotion and practice of Divine Mercy is critical, I think, to anyone in recovery. It fixes our brokenness and mends our wounded souls. It teaches us that God is a loving Father, that Jesus is our brother and the Holy Spirit our infallible guide.

It was important to me, and critical in my recovery and how my Catholic Faith became more important than the Twelve Steps in maintaining my sobriety.

I had drifted away from the Catholic Church in 1987 thinking that religion was just human nonsense designed by the powerful to control people. I never doubted or disbelieved in God’s existence, as I’ve always regarded atheism as a supremely irrational and stupid human notion. I did feel, nevertheless, that religion was pointless. Anyway, to make a long story short, I drank to excess, abused it, and ended up returning to live with my Mom for 10 years. Originally I was to be her caregiver (my alcoholism was manageable), but for a while I was the person being cared for. (See also Drunkalogue.) My Mom watched EWTN a lot. Aside from the Daily Mass, from which I got a daily injection of Truth and sensibility from the sermons, she also watched the “Chaplet of Divine Mercy” each morning. She eventually taught it to me, particularly around Divine Mercy Sunday.

I think it was her daily praying of the Chaplet that brought me back into the Church. It also was, and continues through this day, to be a source of healing and mercy.

This is important to us Catholic alcoholics and addicts. We are so broken and wounded from our past. For many the past is just too much and they never fully escape from its haunting.

The all-encompassing nature of Divine Mercy heals our souls and enables us to draw upon the endless reservoir of God’s Mercy. It is a tremendous aid in our spiritual growth and progress. It led me back into the Catholic Church, with Her fullness of the Gospel Truth and the sacramental life and graces. It helps you to achieve a more fuller life.

To whet your appetite, the following are two important excerpts on Divine Mercy Sunday from St. Faustina’s Diary, “Divine Mercy in My Soul,” where she wrote down her spiritual experiences during the 1930s when Jesus was communicating with her by interior locutions (the numbers refer to the paragraphs in the Diary where they can be found.)

300 ... on this day, tell the whole world of My great mercy; that whoever approaches the Fount of Life on this day will be granted complete remission of sins and punishment. Mankind will not have peace until it turns with trust to My mercy. Oh, how much I am hurt by a soul’s distrust! Such a soul professes that I am Holy and Just, but does not believe that I am Mercy and does not trust in My Goodness. Even the devils glorify My Justice but do not believe in My Goodness. My Heart rejoices in this title of Mercy. 699 … My daughter, tell the whole world about My inconceivable mercy. I desire that the Feast of Mercy be a refuge and shelter for all souls, and especially for poor sinners. On that day the very depths of My tender mercy are open. I pour out a whole ocean of graces upon those souls who approach the fount of My mercy. The soul that will go to Confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day all the divine floodgates through which grace flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though its sins be as scarlet. My mercy is so great that no mind, be it of man or of angel, will be able to fathom it throughout all eternity. Everything that exists has come forth from the very depths of My most tender mercy. Every soul in its relation to Me will contemplate My love and mercy throughout eternity. The Feast of Mercy emerged from My very depths of tenderness. It is My desire that it be solemnly celebrated on the first Sunday after Easter. Mankind will not have peace until it turns to the Fount of My Mercy.

Much of this you can obtain at other times of the year; you can receive a plenary indulgence by going to Confession just before Mass, as well as on other designated days (Holy Days of Obligation.) A plenary indulgence is, according to the website of the Catholic Bishop’s of the United States:

“Furthermore, for reception of a plenary indulgence, which grants the remission of all temporal punishment due to sin, in addition to this good work or act of devotion, the Church specifies four conditions: (1) sacramental confession, (2) reception of Holy Communion, (3) prayer for the intentions of the Holy Father, and (4) complete detachment from all sin, even venial sin. It must not be thought, however, that such acts of ours are somehow of themselves sufficient to earn the remission of the temporal punishment for sins. Our efforts, themselves the work of God’s grace, express our openness to receive God’s mercy. In the work of our salvation, it is always God’s grace that is primary, with a power that far exceeds all our efforts.”

Courtesy: USCCB

The key elements of the Divine Mercy Devotion are:

Please click on each of those links to learn more! You can also click on this: Divine Mercy to explore anything else I wrote on it.

The Divine Mercy Devotion, and Divine Mercy Sunday, are perfect for those of us broken, bruised, and wounded by life, our sins, and our addictions. Throw yourself into the arms of God’s Merciful Love. 

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

St. Gemma Galgani, Feast day April 11

St. Gemma Galgani is one of my favorite saints. To my shock, I discovered that I’ve never blogged about her. 

St. Paul the Apostle writes in Hebrews 12:1 about a ‘great cloud of witnesses.’ These are the saints in Heaven who are a part of the Mystical Body of Christ. They interact with us when we pray through them; we discover them in various ways, such as through our own exploration of the Catholic faith – perhaps the Holy Spirit ‘suggests’ someone. Sometimes they even pick us to become a devotee of theirs. If we were fortunate enough to be named after a saint or we took a saint’s name for Confirmation we might endeavor to learn more about them. Through them we become aware of other saints. This latter way is how I learned about St. Gemma Galgani, whose feast day is April 11.

I am a devotee of St. Maximilliam Kolbe. In my reading of his writings I discovered that he had a devotion to St. Gemma Galgani. While he was living in Nagasaki, he had written to his friary in Poland for a biography of her. He apparently had read this biogrpahy numerous times (I think 5? 6?)  (You can obtain it through Tan Books, its publisher. It’s also available from EWTN.)

Once I learned that St. Maximilian had a devotion to St. Gemma, to the point of having read her biography numerous times, I naturally became attracted to her and looked up things; I learned a lot from this site, and became hooked.

St Gemma Galgani.

She was a mystic and was very dedicated to the Passion of Christ. She bore the stigmata (although not permanently; they appeared on Thursday evening and lasted until Friday afternoon or Saturday morning.) Satan had attacked her and tried to burn her autobiography. 

She is the patron saint against temptations, against the death of parents, against tuberculosis, of students and of pharmacists. For these reasons I believe that sober Catholics should cultivate a relationship with her. She can help you with your temptations (of the drink, of impure acts, other things.) Many people who have sobered up return to school; she can watch over you in your studies. Since she was so dedicated to the Passion of Christ, perhaps she can even help you understand it better and apply it to your life. It is said that every saint meditated on the Passion. If you want to increase your chances of going to Heaven someday, St. Gemma can help you!

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Welcome to all listeners and viewers of the The Bear Woznick Adventure Radio Show & Podcast!

Welcome to all listeners and viewers of the The Bear Woznick Adventure Radio Show & Podcast and Bear Woznick Spirit of Adventure YouTube subscribers! I hope you enjoyed the January 18th episode and Bear’s interview with me, which can be watched right here:

If you aren’t already a reader of this blog, please let me introduce myself. My name is Paul Sofranko, aka “Paulcoholic” and I’ve been doing this blog for 18 years. I found nothing much like it and so I launched it in early January 2007. You can read more about its story on this page. You can read some more about me on this page, I tell my drunkalogue right here; and here’s my reversion story and here’s a post about my miraculous Militia of the Immaculata hat.

Before I go any further, you may be interested in a Miraculous 54 Day Rosary Novena for Alcoholism and Addiction Recovery

There are 54 days beginning with Ash Wednesday and ending on Divine Mercy Sunday. The very Sunday when the floodgates of God’s unfathomable ocean of Mercy open up and spill out over every sinner who in humility begs for forgiveness is very day the completion of a Miraculous 54 day Rosary Novena ends! 

Think about that. Are you still trapped in the miseries of alcoholism and drug addiction? Or, do you know someone who is? This may be the perfect time for deliverance from that slavery. And it may not even be for alcoholics and drug addicts. Sex and porn addicts, take comfort! Your deliverance may be at hand! You will be beseeching the Blessed Virgin Mary, the very Mother of Purity, for her intercession to liberate you from lust! How can she not help you? Visit this post for more info, including hown to pray the novena: Announcing a Miraculous 54 Day Rosary Novena for Alcoholism and Addiction Recovery (and other sins!)

Now, on to what brought you here!

Bear made me mention my book, “The Sober Catholic Way’s” title about 700 times on the show 😉

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 “The Sober Catholic Way” is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. This book does not guarantee anything, but doing these  things have helped me stay since May 22, 2002. Will I ever drink again? Quite unlikely, but the tools to help recover from a relapse are in every chapter! The love and mercy of God is everlasting and endless!

 Discover the importance of the Real Presence, the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, St. Joseph, St. Therese (the “Little Flower”) and Matt Talbot. You’ll get ideas on how to apply the Beatitudes, the Divine Mercy Message, as well as learning about the Apparitions of Our Lady at Guadalupe, Lourdes and Fatima and how they can guide one’s life.

 The idea for the book germinated one day after I was reviewing Sober Catholic’s posts. I realized that I hadn’t thought or done much about many of the things I had written about. This culminated in the realization that I have not always practiced what I’ve been “preaching” and therefore thought it might do me some good to organize much of the material into a coherent form that would help me reduce my hypocrisy. Seconds later I decided it might make for a nice book to publish and take its place next to my earlier Catholic recovery devotionals, “The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts” and “The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics.”

 You can get it here (links to the Rosary and Stations book follow): 

It is currently available through Amazon on Amazon Kindle, as well as a paperback: click here to buy as a paperback.

It is also available as a paperback through Barnes and Noble: Order The Sober Catholic Way as a B&N paperback! as well as an ebook for your Nook!

It is also now available at numerous other ebook retailers like Apple Books and Smashwords.

It’s also available as an ebook through: Kobo, Everand,  Fable, Palace Marketplace. Aussie’s can go here: Angus & Robertson.

You might try this Universal link: here and click on the logo of your fave online bookshop.  (Some of the logos have trackers in them and these may be blocked by browser extensions. That’s why I listed them individually right above this.)

I have two other books that might interest you!

Do you like saying the Rosary? Well, have I got a devotional for you!

00 RosaryNEW.

“The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts”  helps people to reflect on their recovery and relationships with others, and ultimately with Jesus Himself. Whether people are still struggling with their addictions, or have been clean and sober for a few weeks, months, or years, the reflections will lead them to meditate on the spiritual growth they have achieved so far. The book takes a time-honored prayer and brings it into a useful format for people to pause and reflect on their recovery, their relationships with others, and ultimately with Jesus Himself. Whether people are still struggling with their addictions, or have been clean and sober for a few weeks or months, or many years, the reflections for each Mystery of the Rosary will help them meditate on the spiritual growth they have achieved so far. Over the years, their thoughts on each meditation may change, depending on “where they’re at” in their recovery journey. It’s also available through Amazon and B&N and other retailers; vist the link in this paragraph’s first sentence.

And that’s not all! 

Lent is coming up, and if you need some assistence with the Stations of the Cross, then The “Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics is a book that is rooted in an ancient Catholic devotion. It is intended to assist Catholics and other Christians find deeper meaning in their struggles with alcoholism, by connecting the oftentimes hard road of sobriety with Jesus’ suffering road to His Crucifixion. The reader sees that their old alcoholic ‘self’ is being led to the Cross and the joy of eventual resurrection of a new sober self can follow. Whether they are still drinking and struggling, or have been sober for many years and still have difficulties coping with sobriety, this book should help readers maintain that sobriety.

00 StationsNEW.

Wait! There’s more! 

It is still in its nascent stages but I’m beginning to sell online products related to Sober Catholic at my Shop Sober Catholic store on Pixels———> ARTWORK BY SOBERCATHOLIC

Here are some of the goodies you can buy! 

Sober catholic logo sobercatholic transparent.png.

 First up is the official Sober Catholic Coffee Mug!

 Imagine drinking your hot, deelish coffee (or tea or hot chocolate!) in a mug with the logo of your favorite Catholic sobriety and    spirituality blog!!! Just click on the words or the image below! You can even customze the color! Blue, brown, yellow, green, whatever you prefer! It also comes in two sizes: “Small” is 11 oz, while “Large” is 15oz! (You can click on the images to buy…)

 

 The first Scripture verse I memorized was Romans 12:2.

“And do not choose to be conformed to this age, but instead choose to be reformed in the newness of your mind, so that you may demonstrate what is the will of God: what is good, and what is well-pleasing, and what is perfect.”

 

 

 

I thought it perfect for a mug as it recalls the essence of the Sober Catholic message. In our Catholic sobriety, we do not conform to the World, but in our newly sober life, we follow the will of God and do what is good and pleasing to Him.

You can find the Sober Catholic Romans 12:2 Coffee Mug on Pixels.  

There are other products, such as a throw pillow: Sober Catholic Throw Pillow and a weekender tote bag: Sober Catholic Tote Bag, for example, as well as the official Sober Catholic Rosary Case! At 6”x4” this is perfect to keep your Rosary and even Divine Mercy Chaplet handy! And like everything else, you can customize the color! 

It also comes in a larger size, which should be big enough to store your copies of  “The Sober Catholic Way,” as well as my Rosary and Stations books, or, if you prefer, a good Catholic Bible. 🙂 

All are customizable.

Donations to support my work are appreciated!

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

I will be on the “The Bear Woznick Adventure” this Saturday Jan 18!

This upcoming Saturday, January 18th,

I will be on the “The Bear Woznick Adventure!

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This is Bear

Click on the image above to learn all about him!A7c5b60 e8c 43 4db2 85cb76231a_Spirit_of_Adventure Dark_Blue.

Click on the image (or go here) to learn about his apostolate!

Bear  interviewed me back in November. The interview was regarding my new book, “The Sober Catholic Way.” I thoroughly enjoyed the experience; it was like sitting across the table from him, just another dude at a tiki bar somewhere downing fruit juice drinks, enjoying the tropic breezes and watching the Pacific swells roll in, all the while yakking it up ‘bout stuff. Here’s what the program description on iCatholicRadio (where you can listen every 6PM ET Saturdays) says about it:

Bear’s rare adventures uniquely qualify him to be the adventure guide on this show that challenges men to deeper conversion and to servant leadership. Bear’s engaging interview style opens his guests to go deep and share their adventures, misadventures, conversion to the Lord and their walk with God.

That last line I emboldened is so true. Generated Image.

I told him stuff.

You should listen in. 

“The Bear Woznick Adventure” airs on EWTN Radio on Saturday evenings 6PM ET/5PM CT (please refer to your local listings for any changes). It should be on your local EWTN radio affiliate, but if they do not carry it, please email them requesting that they do so for the future. But until then, you can tune in to EWTN Radio on the web, or use their app for Apple devices or their Android app, You can also download the iCatholicRadio app for Apple or Android.

You can also find Bear on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Podchaser, ListenNotes, Podcast Addict, as well as the aforementioned iCatholicRadio.

His show also appears on YouTube: Bear Woznick Spirit of Adventure. Please take a look at it, it’s a good source of Catholic spirituality and his show is particularly good for men (and the women who love them.)

00000 TSCWBookCover.jpg.   “The Sober Catholic Way” helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety. Drawn from nearly two decades of blogging at SoberCatholic.com, “The Sober Catholic Way” shows the importance of the sacraments, the Bible, the Catechism and other books. It continues on with the various ways one can “live” out Catholicism by nurturing devotions to the Sacred Heart, Blessed Virgin Mary, and other saints. All of these contribute to sobriety as well as one’s spiritual progression!

  “The Sober Catholic Way” is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. This book does not guarantee anything, but doing these things has helped keep my sobriety intact since May 22, 2002. 

  It is currently available through Amazon on Amazon Kindle, as well as a paperback: click here to buy as a paperback.

  It is also available as a paperback through Barnes and Noble: Order The Sober Catholic Way as a B&N paperback! as well as an ebook for your Nook!

 It is also now available at numerous other ebook retailers like Apple Books and Smashwords.

 It’s also available as an ebook through:Kobo, Everand, Fable, and Palace Marketplace. Aussie’s can go here: Angus & Robertson

…and you might try this Universal link: here and click on the logo of your fave online bookshop.  Some of the logos have trackers in them and these may be blocked by browser extensions. That’s why I listed them individually right above this.

Donations to support my work are appreciated!

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

St. Odilia, patroness of the blind and those with eye problems

Not too long ago I chanced upon a prayer card for St. Odilia, and this card indicated that she is a patron saint for those with eye problems and diseases. Since I had cataract surgery two years ago and am still troubled by floaters, flashes and require the need for frequent periodic visits to my retina specialist (who’s worried about me,) I added the prayer on this card to my daily routine.

Odilia Aquisition.

This is it:

Prayer to Saint Odilia 

O God, Who in Your Kindness

Did give us St. Odilia

Virgin and Martyr, as the

Protectress of the Order

Of the Holy Cross and

The Patroness of the eyes

And afflicted, grant us

We humbly beseech You

To be protected, through her

Intercession, from the darkness

Of ignorance and sin and to

Be cured from the blindness

of the eyes and other bodily

Infirmities.

Through Him,

Who is the Light and Life

Of the World, Jesus Christ,

Your Son, Our Lord

Amen.

And then, not too long after that, I chanced upon a novena booklet to her. The novena is said twice monthly on the 5th and 17th, with the national annual one on July 10th, ending the feast day of July 18 (see note at the end of this post). You can find it online here: Novena to St. Odilia

About St. Odilia :

Patron saint of the blind, Saint Odilia of Alsace was born blind at Oberheim in the Vosges Mountains around the year 660 to a noble family. She was given to a peasant family to raise due to her disability. She regained sight when touched by St. Erhard of Regensburg during her baptism at age 12. Note by Paulcoholic: St. Erhard’s Feast day is today, January 8.)

Her brother wanted her back to place in a strategic marriage. Angered by this, her father killed the brother who was miraculously brought back to life by Odilia. Her father pursued her, but abandoned his quest when she disappeared in a cave that opened suddenly in the mountains.

Odilia founded Hohenburg Abbey. She died of natural causes on Dec. 13, 720 at Niedermunster, Mount Sainte Odile and was buried near the Odilienberg convent church chapel. She often is depicted as an abbess praying at an alter or as a woman with two books for eyes.

The article on her on Wikipedia mentioned:

As the patroness of ocular afflictions and ear diseases, St. Odile is often depicted with a pair of eyes on a book…

I had originally read that as saying she “is ofen depicted with a pair of books on her eyes,” which made her cooler beyond belief for me! 

NOTE ON HER FEAST DAY: I found that she has two feasts, one on December 13th, which is usually celebrated as the feast of St. Lucy, the saint primarily regarded as being the patron saint of those with eye problems; and the other, noted above, on July 18. I asked the AI search thingy on my browser “Why is that?” and it replied:

St. Odilia is traditionally celebrated on December 13th because this is the date of her death, but some regions or liturgical calendars may also commemorate her on July 18th, which is often linked to the transfer of her relics or a local tradition of celebrating her feast day on that date; essentially, the discrepancy arises from different historical events associated with her veneration. 

Key points about St. Odilia’s feast days:

December 13th:

This is the most widely recognized feast day for St. Odilia as it marks the anniversary of her death. 

July 18th:

Some regions, particularly in areas where her relics are venerated, may celebrate her feast day on this date due to the transfer of her relics or local tradition. 

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Welcoming 2025

2025 nears.

This will be an important year for a number of reasons. 

First, it’s the Jubilee Year, commemorating the 2,025th annivrsary of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. I think the theme Pope Francis selected is ‘Hope.’

It’s also the 1,700th anniversary of the Council of Nicea (from which we received the Nicene Creed.)

It’s the centennial anniversary of the canonization of St. Therese of Lisieux (The “Little Flower.”)

It’s the centennial anniversary of the beatification of St. Bernadette Soubirous (the seer of Lourdes.)

On that latter point, it’s also the year that is crucial to the survival of my local parish, St. Bernadette’s of Orchard Park, NY as to whether it will remain a separate parish or will be forced to merge into another (despite being a large and vibrant parish that is growing and is financially solvent.) 

I hope your 2025 is a good one. 

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

I will be on EWTN Radio in January!

A few weeks ago, I was interviewed by Bear Woznick, of “Bear’s School of Manliness,” at Spirit of Adventure Ministries. His show, “The Bear Woznick Adventure,” airs on EWTN Radio on Saturday evenings (please refer to your local listings for any changes). I received an email from him today confirming that EWTN approved the interview for their network, and so I will be appearing on EWTN Radio sometime in January! The exact date has not yet been finalized. I will keep you updated with further details as they become available. 

His show also appears on YouTube: Bear Woznick Spirit of Adventure.  Please take a look at it, it’s a good source of Catholic spirituality and his show is particularly good for men 9and the women who love them.)

The interview was regarding my new book, “The Sober Catholic Way.”

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“The Sober Catholic Way” helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety. Drawn from nearly two decades of blogging at SoberCatholic.com, “The Sober Catholic Way” shows the importance of the sacraments, the Bible, the Catechism and other books. It continues on with the various ways one can “live” out Catholicism by nurturing devotions to the Sacred Heart, Blessed Virgin Mary, and other saints. All of these contribute to sobriety as well as one’s spiritual progression!

“The Sober Catholic Way” is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life. This book does not guarantee anything, but doing these things have helped keep my sobriety intact since May 22, 2002. 

It is currently available through Amazon on Amazon Kindle, as well as a paperback: click here to buy as a paperback.

It is also available as a paperback through Barnes and Noble: Order The Sober Catholic Way as a B&N paperback! as well as an ebook for your Nook!

It is also now available at numerous other ebook retailers like Apple Books and Smashwords.

It’s also available as an ebook through:

Kobo

Everand

Fable

Palace Marketplace

Aussie’s can go here: Angus & Robertson

…and you might try this Universal link: here and click on the logo of your fave online bookshop.  Some of the logos have trackers in them and these may be blocked by browser extensions. That’s why I listed them individually right above this.

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

Misfit

Today I have been sober for 22 1/2 years. 

#sobrietyhumoralert But some time ago the thought occurred to me that as a writer, (I am one as I do write stuff) I may be at odds with the stereotype of writers being drunken sots. Writing is a lonely profession; being solitary, one is apt to become depressed or otherwise feel a need to offset the lack of professional companionship. Thus writers develop a drinking habit to compensate for all that isolation. Despite the existence of social networks and thus connecting with others, it is still an isolated endeavor. Social networks can also distract you.

Or you drink to get inspiration. I think Hemingway said “Write drunk, edit sober.”

Nevertheless, I defy the stereotype. When I was attempting to become a writer #backintheday pre-Internet and computer, I didn’t drink. When I began drinking, I gave up the idea of writing. When I sobered up, I revisited the whole writing thing.

I can’t even do the “writer as a drunken sot” thing correctly. Just as well. I am a misfit.

On the subject of “misfits,” I did join AA but I never quite fit in there, either. You can read about my AA adventures in some links on this page. A supposed “Fellowship” of like-minded people who are all united in keeping each other sober, I never quite got the hang of it. I attended zillions of meetings, adopted the language and worked the 12 Steps, did service work (make coffee, set up/clean up), participated in the “meeting before the meetings” and hung out afterwards. Never developed that wonderful “Fellowship” that is discussed so glowingly in the pages of AA literature. I tried, not being overbearing, of course (not my style), but still never saw people away from meetings, never got involved in their lives, nor they in mine. It was as if we didn’t exist outside of the rooms.

Oh, well. Leave it to me to be a misfit in a society of misfits.

NOTE: This is a ‘retropost,’ I am in the process of moving posts from Paul Sofranko Space (in order to make that a static site promoting my books) to here, as well as my Catholic365 column

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)

“The Sober Catholic Way” is available!

I have a new book out: The Sober Catholic Way is a basic handbook on how anyone can live a sober life and helps Catholics by describing the many ways in which their faith can assist in maintaining sobriety. Drawn from nearly two decades of blogging at SoberCatholic, “The Sober Catholic Way” shows the importance of the sacraments, the Bible, the Catechism and other books. It continues on with the various ways one can “live” out Catholicism by nurturing devotions to the Sacred Heart, Blessed Virgin Mary, and other saints. All of these contribute to sobriety as well as one’s spiritual progression! 

Discover the importance of the Real Presence, the Rosary, the Stations of the Cross, St. Joseph, St. Therese (the “Little Flower”) and Matt Talbot. You’ll get ideas on how to apply the Beatitudes, the Divine Mercy Message, as well as learning about the Apparitions of Our Lady at Guadalupe, Lourdes and Fatima and how they can guide one’s life.00000 TSCWBookCover.jpg.It is currently available through Amazon on Amazon Kindle, as well as a paperback: click here to buy as a paperback. It is also available as a paperback through Barnes and Noble: Order The Sober Catholic Way as a B&N paperback! as well as an ebook for your Nook! It is also now available at numerous other ebook retailers like Apple Books and Smashwords.

 

I have a new book! "The Sober Catholic Way" is a handbook on how anyone can live a sober life, drawn from over 17 years of SoberCatholic posts! It's out now on "Amazon," "Apple Books," "B&N" and and others!"!

My two other books are still available! "The Stations of the Cross for Alcoholics" and "The Recovery Rosary: Reflections for Alcoholics and Addicts" (Thank you!!)