Marriage

It should come as no surprise that the story of how the Domino's Pizza founder met his wife involves pizza. But indulge me in the details.

It was a Monday night in early February 1962, and the phones weren't ringing at Tom Monaghan's pizza store in Mount Pleasant, Mich., so the restless 24-year-old decided to change things up by taking a delivery himself, leaving a trainee to manage the store. The order had come from Sweeney Hall, an all-girls dorm at nearby Central Michigan University where men weren't allowed, so Tom stopped at the switchboard operator.

A presentation on "The Definition of Marriage -- According to God" will be given at locations throughout the archdiocese in June.

Ed Hogan, director of the Paul VI Institute and associate professor of systematic theology at Kenrick-Glennon Seminary in Shrewsbury, will be the speaker, and a question-and-answer session will follow.

When Tony and June Lepski opened their home to two foster children, they never would have imagined the gift they received in return.

The Lepskis, members of St. Cletus Parish in St. Charles, have a story unlike many others. After his birth in 1940, Tony Lepski was placed with an adoptive family. But it wasn't until many years later that he discovered his biological mother, living in a small town in southwest Missouri, was believed to have been raped at the age of 15. Tony Lepski was conceived in that rape.

Last fall, Theresa Hannegan received a letter from her insurance company, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, telling her that her health insurance plan would start covering contraceptives.

The part-time employee at Our Lady's Inn, who had opted to purchase an individual health insurance plan on her own, was dismayed to receive the news. So she cancelled her insurance.

You are being called to prayer.

Yes, you.

The U.S. bishops recently have debuted a special Call to Prayer -- a simple movement to pray, make penance and give sacrifice for the sake of renewing a culture that is favorable to life and marriage and for the protection of religious liberty in the United States.

Spiritual stamina. Spiritual warfare. These words are being conjured up during this watershed moment in American history. Consider what we're facing right now: the 40th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court consideration of same-sex marriage and the federal government's mandate to cover contraceptives, sterilizations and abortion-inducing drugs in virtually all health care plans.

It's frustrating, it's confusing, and for people of faith, these decisions are heart-wrenching.

So our bishops have asked us to keep it simple.