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	<title>Today&#039;s Catholic News &#187; Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC</title>
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	<itunes:summary>Today&#039;s Catholic is a true Catholic news service dedicated to presenting important news, articles and information to the parishioners of the Fort Wayne / South Bend diocese.</itunes:summary>
	<itunes:author>Today&#039;s Catholic News</itunes:author>
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		<item>
		<title>Where have all the vocations gone?</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2012/01/where-have-all-the-vocations-gone/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2012/01/where-have-all-the-vocations-gone/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:41:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=5981</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The shortage of priests and religious men and women in the Church, particularly in Europe and North America, is common these days. Many international congregations like my own, the Sisters of the Holy Cross, are still getting new members, but in countries other than the United States. Many consider it a crisis.
Too often when we [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>God’s greatest Gift</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2011/12/god%e2%80%99s-greatest-gift/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2011/12/god%e2%80%99s-greatest-gift/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 21 Dec 2011 16:49:58 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=5868</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The present economic crisis can provide us with an opportunity to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas, rather than on the materialistic spirit that often permeates our Western culture. Since so many people are unemployed or under employed and many family incomes are shrinking, a lot people will have to limit the type and [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Living with a grateful heart</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2011/11/living-with-a-grateful-heart/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2011/11/living-with-a-grateful-heart/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 21 Nov 2011 20:19:52 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=5708</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Many years ago a missionary friend of mine told me about a beautiful tradition practiced by the people who live in Uganda, East Africa. From a very young age children are taught to live with grateful hearts. The word they use is “webali,” which is an expression of gratitude for all God’s gifts no matter [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Our many losses</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2011/11/our-many-losses/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2011/11/our-many-losses/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 09 Nov 2011 18:25:49 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=5649</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When asked to reflect on the losses we have experienced, many of us think of the deaths of people we love. It is true that the death of someone close to us is a major loss, but there are other losses we may not even think about that need to be grieved.
This topic of loss [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Redemptive suffering</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2011/03/redemptive-suffering/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2011/03/redemptive-suffering/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 30 Mar 2011 15:49:39 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=4479</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It is not easy to block out the multiple cries of pain and suffering that permeate the world. It is almost deafening. All one has to do is turn on the radio, read the newspaper, watch television or go online. We are bombarded with news of pain and suffering, almost to the saturation point. I [...]]]></description>
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		<title>A sobering thought</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2010/11/a-sobering-thought/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2010/11/a-sobering-thought/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 10 Nov 2010 16:15:15 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=3663</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There was a reflection question in one of my spiritual reading books a few months ago that I have pondered off and on ever since. The author asked, “What would happen to you if God decided to take back all his gifts that you neglected to thank Him for?”
That is a sobering thought! Imagine if [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Say it like you mean it</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2010/10/say-it-like-you-mean-it/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2010/10/say-it-like-you-mean-it/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 13 Oct 2010 14:49:08 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=3484</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Let me tell you about something that continues to concern me, although I don’t lose sleep over it. It is about our often-weak response or failure to respond to the prayers of the Mass. (This concern probably comes from my liturgy coordinator hat.) I often wonder how many Catholics really know the significance of saying [...]]]></description>
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		<item>
		<title>Hello college, goodbye Church? We hope not &#8230;</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2010/08/hello-college-goodbye-church-we-hope-not/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2010/08/hello-college-goodbye-church-we-hope-not/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 24 Aug 2010 17:58:30 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=3247</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[For some students, going away to college is often viewed as a chance to be liberated from their parents and the restrictions of family life. One such parental rule that is exercised in many Catholic homes is the one about Mass attendance. I can still hear my own father and mother saying to us when [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The hungers of life</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2010/05/the-hungers-of-life/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2010/05/the-hungers-of-life/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 18 May 2010 19:08:38 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=2760</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Most of us think of food in connection with the concept of hunger. There are times when our stomachs growl and all we can seem to think about is supper or a trip to the closest McDonald’s or Taco Bell. My friends often joke that they can tell I am hungry when I start reading [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>How are you being called?</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2010/04/how-are-you-being-called/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2010/04/how-are-you-being-called/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 20 Apr 2010 16:50:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=2559</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Many years ago, the Sisters of Mercy used the question “Do you have a call waiting?” as a theme for a marketing campaign to recruit members for their religious congregation. I think it is a good title for this column during January when the Church in the United States celebrates vocation awareness.
The fact of the [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Recognizing Jesus</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2010/03/recognizing-jesus/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2010/03/recognizing-jesus/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Mar 2010 19:41:23 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=2413</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[The story of the disciples on the road to Emmaus that we read during the Easter season is one of my favorites. I often wonder if I would have recognized the Lord walking the path with me. Hopefully I would but, like the disciples, I may have not.
During the Sundays after Easter the Scripture readings [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>What spirit do you project?</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2010/03/what-spirit-do-you-project/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2010/03/what-spirit-do-you-project/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 16 Mar 2010 18:49:17 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=2278</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A hymn we sing at Mass has a refrain that goes something like this, “You are the light of the world. Let your light shine before all, that they may see the good that you do and give glory to God.” It is a good exercise to periodically reflect on if and how our life [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Listen to your distractions</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2010/02/listen-to-your-distractions/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2010/02/listen-to-your-distractions/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 17 Feb 2010 16:20:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=2105</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When I first became a Sister of the Holy Cross it was the practice to meditate for an hour a day. To a 17-year-old extravert this hour seemed like an eternity. I operated under the notion that “good” prayer happened only when you were totally focused on God and God alone. With so much time, [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Touching base with Jesus</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2010/01/touching-base-with-jesus/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2010/01/touching-base-with-jesus/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 12 Jan 2010 19:37:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=1813</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[As I walk around the grounds of Saint Mary’s College it is almost the exception to see a student without a phone on her ear. Often they are touching base with one of their parents or a friend. It seems like everyone these days is just a phone call away. Land-lines are nearly becoming obsolete. [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Happy New Year: Advent</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2009/12/happy-new-year-advent/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2009/12/happy-new-year-advent/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 02 Dec 2009 15:25:10 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=1587</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When you read the title of this column you probably thought I was several weeks ahead of myself or that a little dementia has set in. Well, I know what date it is and I am not losing my mind, yet! The new liturgical year began on Nov. 29 and, just like many people make [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
		</item>
		<item>
		<title>The attitude of gratitude</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2009/11/the-attitude-of-gratitude/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2009/11/the-attitude-of-gratitude/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:24:31 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=1477</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[November always brings several things to mind. It has traditionally been a time when we pray for those who have gone before us and give thanks for the ordinary saints, living and deceased, who have touched our lives. We also celebrate Thanksgiving, which is supposed to be the favorite holiday of most Americans.
Every time I [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>We are ambassadors for Christ</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2009/11/we-are-ambassadors-for-christ/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2009/11/we-are-ambassadors-for-christ/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:45:09 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=1356</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[In St. Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians he tells them that they are ambassadors for Christ. We hear that same statement every Ash Wednesday, and it was one of the readings for daily Mass last summer. Every time I read or hear those words they send chills up my spine. What a huge responsibility [...]]]></description>
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		<slash:comments>0</slash:comments>
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		<item>
		<title>Called to respect all life</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2009/10/called-to-respect-all-life/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2009/10/called-to-respect-all-life/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:13:54 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=1170</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[When most Catholics hear about Respect Life Month or Sunday, they usually think of abortion and the sanctity of a child’s life in its mother’s womb. Our call, however, is to respect all life. Our faith tells us that all human life, from the womb to the tomb, is precious and loved by God. Too [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Cultivating a nonjudgmental heart</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2009/09/cultivating-a-nonjudgmental-heart/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2009/09/cultivating-a-nonjudgmental-heart/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 16 Sep 2009 14:02:55 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Columnists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=989</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Most of us have learned or are learning the skills of critiquing and evaluating. They are useful in many professions and for making good decisions. Unfortunately, all too often we use these same skills to assess other people. What I am trying to say is that, at least for me, it is easy to criticize [...]]]></description>
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		<title>Beatitudes for college students &#8230;</title>
		<link>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2009/08/beatitudes-for-college-students/</link>
		<comments>http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/2009/08/beatitudes-for-college-students/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Wed, 26 Aug 2009 15:19:48 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>fhogan</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.todayscatholicnews.org/?p=833</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[By Sister Margie Lavonis, CSC
Where did the summer go? With colleges and universities beginning to gear up to begin a new academic year, it is time to review some beatitudes for college students: 
Blessed are the students who stay in touch with God during their academic life, they will always have a friend by their [...]]]></description>
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