Catholic Faith

An 880 Word Interview with a Maronite Catholic and His Roman Catholic Wife

/ chicoinematt

Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Amanda and Anthony Sloan via phone call on March 31st, 2025. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any integrity of the answers given.

Tell your faith journey as a married couple. 

Amanda: On my first date, I learned that Anthony was Maronite Rite. He invited me to this liturgy. We opted to go to a Roman Rite for our marriage. We wanted to get married in a Maronite church but the priest was out of town the weekend we were going to get married. 

Anthony: Baptism is a separate Sacrament from Chrismation. Most kids receive both Sacraments from a young age. I am learning more and more about the Maronite Rite as an adult. For me, growing up my father was Roman Catholic and my mother was Maronite. Once I went to college and left the state, I went to a Roman Catholic liturgy due to there not being a close Maronite parish. About ten years ago I started receiving more access to the Maronite liturgy. And around four years later when we moved to South Carolina there was a Maronite church close by and my faith became alive in a way that was incredible.

Growing up my family would do a mix of the two liturgical calendars. So for when I got reacquainted with the Maronite Rite in the weeks leading up to Christmas we don’t have Advent. It’s the Season of Announcement.

Amanda: It’s six weeks long and the color is blue. Blue is related to Mary and you are traveling with her this season. 

Anthony: It’s like a journey with Mary. So many of the Maronite hymns and songs are connected to Mary. In these ancient hymns we hear her voice and see things through her eyes. 

Image from Wikipedia Commons.

Who are your favorite feast days and sacred art?

Anthony: Saint Charbel (Maronite). My favorite sacred art piece is “Saint Charbel” by Heart of IVSUS.


Amanda: Our Lady of Guadalupe (Roman), Commemoration of the Righteous and the Just (Maronite – its basically the equivalent of All Saints Day, but there is more emphasis on souls that haven’t necessarily been canonized yet). And my favorite sacred art is “Pentecost” by Jean Restout the Younger.

What’s another major difference between Roman and Maronite?

Amanda: Maronites have more Holy Days of Obligation. All of Holy Week is its own season. There’s more different liturgies during Holy Week, there’s a burial of Christ liturgy. 

Anthony: There’s a coffin that the congregation brings to the parish and roses are put into the coffin. If there’s a corpus to come off the crucifix or a crucifix is placed in the coffin. Usually four strong men from the parish carry the coffin around the church. There’s these songs of mourning. More of the hymns are in Arabic. In my opinion, one of the most powerful days is Good Friday.

And the “Holy Saturday” which in the Maronite tradition is referred to as the “Saturday of Light” there’s a ceremony that’s called the prayer of forgiveness and it celebrates the forgiveness won by the death of Jesus Christ. Parishioners are encouraged to go to confession ahead of time.

Wednesday of Job is the Wednesday of Holy Week. Since Job is a prefigurement of Christ, this day is a reminder that Christ willingly sacrificed himself for us like Job willingly suffered in the Old Testament.

What’s another difference between the two Rites in terms of structure?

Amanda: There are two eparchies in the United States. And these are like the equivalent of the diocese in the Roman Rite.


Are there particular feast days or celebrations that hold special significance in the Maronite?

Amanda: In terms of feasts, Saint Maron is a major feast on March 9. 

Anthony: Probably the Season of the Glorious Birth of Our Lord.”

Amanda: Maronites are passionate about the names of their seasons There’s no Ordinary Time. And even with Lent it is called “Great Lent”. 

Anthony: Which is interesting because in the Latin Rite, Ordinary Time is such a long period of time.

What challenges have you encountered as an inter-ritual family?

Amanda: I think when we moved here the transition to the Maronite liturgy was tougher because it was a bit longer than the Roman Rite. And the order of the liturgy is different.

Anthony: And on the flip, there’s a lot more music to the (Maronite) liturgy. There’s not a lot of variance with the patterns, but it has a depth. Even our two-year old was able to pick up on the hymns and sing at home. Our bishop mentioned in a homily that much of the Maronite hymns were written for a farming community. They were designed to be prayed/sung during the movement of the day and your work. 

Amanda: And the tune is the same each week although the words of the hymns change each week.

How has being inter-rite enhanced your understanding of the universal Church?

Anthony: I love that our Church is so diverse. There’s so much beauty that while there’s different liturgies that we all adhere to the same core truths. 

You experience that the same words/language Christ used at the Last Supper is the same in both rites. There’s so much depth to our Catholic Church and our faith! 

Amanda: I would say that a broadening of understanding of liturgy occurred. Being able to experience the other lung of the Church as Pope Benedict XVI referred to it was so beautiful. There’s so many beautiful expressions of our faith we miss if we only see things one way. There’s a richness to our Catholic faith. 

About Amanda and Anthony:

Amanda is a wife and mother to four daughters, and two more souls in Heaven. Channeling her years in parish ministry as well as her background in theology, Amanda is the Owner and Creative Director of Worthy of Agape, a Catholic business that aims to encourage families to become Saints together! 

Anthony is a Maronite Catholic as well as a FOCUS Missionary. After moving to various campuses around the country, Anthony and his family now call South Carolina home, where they’ve been able to dive deeper into their Maronite roots. Anthony enjoys tending to their family chickens as well as spending time exploring with his wife and daughters.

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The Power of the Eucharist: Together and in Silence

/ chicoinematt

Processing with the Lord

The sun beat down on the street. I walked alongside hundreds of others, following the golden monstrance that caught the light in brilliant flashes. A canopy of white silk moved ahead of us, sheltering the Blessed Sacrament.

Incense rose in visible waves, mingling with the summer air. The priest’s vestments gleamed white and gold. Children scattered flower petals on the pavement. An elderly man beside me sang the Pange Lingua with a voice that trembled but did not waver.

The procession stretched for blocks. People watched from windows and sidewalks. Some knelt as we passed. Others stared, confused. A few snapped photos with their phones.

“What’s happening?” a woman asked her companion.

“Some kind of Catholic thing,” he replied, watching us wind through the streets.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. My knees ached from the concrete.

“The Eucharist is not merely symbolic, but a profound reality where we encounter Jesus Himself,” the priest had said before we began. “Today, we process with Him through our streets as a public testimony of our faith.”

The bells rang out, marking our progress through the neighborhood. Someone handed me a Holy card. The procession paused at a makeshift altar on the Church steps. People knelt on the hard pavement.

A Public Witness

I closed my eyes in the bright sunlight.

“We aren’t just walking,” a young mother had told her confused child. “We’re following Jesus.”

The child had nodded solemnly, clutching a small paper banner.

Three days later, I sat alone in the parish adoration chapel. The same monstrance stood on the altar, but without the canopy, without the crowd.

The wooden kneeler creaked under my weight. My breath sounded loud in the silence. A clock ticked somewhere behind me. The single candle flame didn’t waver.

An air conditioner hummed briefly, then quieted. For twenty minutes, nothing moved except the slight rise and fall of my chest.

I checked my watch.

St. Mother Teresa once said, “When you look at the crucifix, you understand how much Jesus loved you then. When you look at the Sacred Host, you understand how much Jesus loves you now.”

Now. Present tense.

My mind wandered to Sunday’s grocery list. I pulled it back.

The silence grew heavier. More substantial. The golden rays of the monstrance caught the light once, then didn’t again. My knees hurt in a different way than they had during the procession.

The Chapel’s Stillness

Photo courtesy of Damian Chlanda. See more of his photography at coffeewithdamian.com

I shifted on the kneeler.

During Sunday’s procession, the priest had proclaimed, “Christ goes out to meet His people!” His voice had carried over the crowd, amplified by speakers. Here, in the chapel, no voice spoke. The same Christ waited, but in silence.

Saint Alphonsus Liguori wrote, “Of all devotions, that of adoring Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the greatest after the sacraments, the one dearest to God and the one most helpful to us.”

My breathing slowed.

During the procession, we had moved through space, covering blocks of the city. Here, in adoration, I moved through something else. Not faster or slower—different.

The digital clock on the wall blinked silently: 3:47 PM.

“Know that I am with you always, until the end of the age,” Christ had promised. In the procession, we had demonstrated this truth publicly. Here, in this empty chapel, I experienced it privately.

I closed my eyes, then opened them.

The Host remained unchanged, white against gold. Minutes stretched. A car passed outside, then nothing.

Pope Benedict XVI once emphasized, “In the Eucharist, Christ is always coming to meet us.” During Sunday’s procession, we had walked with Him through the streets. Here, in adoration, He walked through the landscape of my thoughts.

Two Encounters, One Presence

Photo courtesy of Damian Chlanda.

The chair beneath me felt hard after forty minutes.

In the procession, we had been many voices, many steps, moving as one body. Here, I was one voice, silent. One body, still.

I bowed my head.

The same Christ was present in both spaces—under the silken canopy surrounded by hundreds, and here, in an empty chapel on a Wednesday afternoon. The miracle didn’t change. Only the context.

I looked up at the monstrance.

“It is you who have come to me,” a line from St. Elizabeth of the Trinity surfaced in my memory. “I didn’t go looking for you.”

The chapel door opened. A woman entered quietly, genuflected, and took a seat in the back row.

During the procession, our public witness had been powerful—Catholics united, moving through the secular world with our Eucharistic Lord. Here, two strangers sat in silence, united by the same Presence.

I stood to leave.

The mystery remained intact. The same God who had processed through streets now waited in stillness. The same Jesus who had drawn crowds now drew individual hearts, one by one.

I genuflected before the monstrance.

In the procession, we had shown the world our Faith. In Adoration, our Faith showed us the world as it truly was—a place where God waits, where time changes, where silence speaks.

I opened the chapel door.

The woman remained kneeling, her head bowed. The candle flame flickered once, then steadied.

I stepped outside. The chapel door closed behind me with a soft click.

Additional Writings about Eucharistic Adoration

Eucharistic Adoration: He Waits for You in the Silence

7 Reasons You Should Go to Eucharistic Adoration

Reflections on the National Eucharistic Congress: Faith, Healing, and Revival

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Why Being Funny Helps You Seriously Practice the Catholic Faith

/ chicoinematt

Editor’s Note: Post originally published on July 9, 2019.

By: Theresa Zoe Williams

“He who dwells in Heaven is laughing at their threats; the Lord makes light of them.” (Ps. 2:4)

Don't Call Me Shirley The Office Meme

We laugh because we have the hope of the Lord. Laughter is an integral part of a healthy spiritual life for just this reason. We have been delivered, so while salvation and our souls are very serious matters, we need not worry. Worry can lead to all sorts of vices like scrupulosity and even anger. But we were not delivered from death just so that we could worry ourselves out of friendship with God. He is a loving and merciful God! As such, the more we laugh, in good cheer and faith, the closer we can come to Him.

G.K. Chesterton on Humor

G.K. Chesterton once wrote in Orthodoxy that “Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.” What he meant by that was that angels are so secure in the love and friendship of God that they are burdened by nothing. And what happens when you are unburdened? You can fly! “Cast all your worries upon him because he cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Chesterton elaborated on his above statement very thoroughly. He said,

“The tattered cloak of the beggar will bear him up like the rayed plumes of the angels. But the kings in their heavy gold and the proud in their robes of purple will all of their nature sink downwards, for pride cannot rise to levity or levitation. Pride is the downward drag of all things into an easy solemnity. One ‘settles down’ into a sort of selfish seriousness; but one has to rise to a gay self-forgetfulness. A man ‘falls’ into a brown study; he reaches up at a blue sky.

Seriousness is not a virtue. It would be a heresy, but a much more sensible heresy, to say that seriousness is a vice. It is really a natural trend or lapse into taking one’s self gravely, because it is the easiest thing to do. It is much easier to write a good Times leading article than a good joke in Punch. For solemnity flows out of men naturally; but laughter is a leap. It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light. Satan fell by the force of gravity.”

Faith and Fun

Philip Neri

Don’t let this serious picture of Saint Philip Neri fool you. He loved playing practical jokes. He once shaved half his beard to be funny!

Laughter is a leap of faith. It takes faith and hope to know that you are good and truly saved. Laughter says, I do not fear death or destruction. I laugh because God has saved me. Life is not meant to be all seriousness. Life is meant to be full of joy and what is a better sign of joy than laughter!

Saint Philip Neri is called the patron saint of humor because he often told jokes and played practical jokes. He would walk into meetings with half of his beard shaved off and other such shenanigans. Once, a follower asked Neri if he could wear a hairshirt as penance and Neri replied, “Only inside out and over your cassock.” Faith can be taken seriously while laughing.

Laughter reminds us of all that is good in the world. St. Neri said, “A joyful heart is more easily made perfect than a downcast one,” and “Cheerfulness strengthens the heart and makes us persevere in a good life; wherefore the servant of God ought always to be in good spirits.” We have been given so much and we should be happy for it! A joyful heart can be made more perfect because it knows the goodness of God and that there is so much more to explore and learn. Even some self-deprecating humor, like St. Neri showed, can lead us to holiness! It is certainly one way to ground ourselves in humility, recognizing that we are not everything but that we are good, all the same.

Fulton Sheen on Humor and Faith

Fulton Sheen humor quote

Venerable Fulton Sheen has even weighed in on the topic, saying, “A divine sense of humor belongs to poets and saints because they have been richly endowed with a sense of the invisible, and can look out upon the same phenomena that other mortals take seriously and see in them something of the divine.”

This is something that I, personally, try to live in every moment of my life. It’s not about where to look but how to look. It is easy to see God everywhere and in everything, if you know how to look. The goodness of God is as in the delicate flower as it is in thick eyebrows and we should rejoice in both the same. You merely have to look around to see the goodness of God everywhere, even when people fail.

Comedy is Good

Kramer Laughing

So it is good to laugh! It is good to be entertained by the world around us and by comedians and poets and the class clown. It is good to laugh at yourself when you trip or make a silly mistake. It is good for comedians to tell jokes and for writers to write bits that will make an audience laugh. This is the work of God just as much as teaching the Faith or working directly for the Church are. Sometimes that’s hard to remember.

It is easy to think humor is a lesser good, not as important, and to belittle the efforts of those who are called to this because joy is hard to accept. But we must remember what Chesterton said, “It is easy to be heavy: hard to be light.” Don’t choose the easy path! Be light! Be so light that your soul simply floats up to the highest heavens to be with God. “God save us from gloomy saints!” St. Teresa of Avila said and isn’t it true.

Find Laughter Opportunities in Your Life

Laughter is best medicine

Mother Angelica, who had a quick wit, too, once said, “I try to laugh a lot, because life is funny, and everybody today is too serious. The only tragedy in the world, my friend, is sin.” The only tragedy in life is sin. Look around a little bit and see what is there to rejoice in and laugh at. I promise you, there’s so much. Laugh at the butterfly in flight or the bunny hopping to its burrow. Laugh at the baby delighting in a spoon for the first time or dancing to music. Laugh at yourself when you look in the mirror, knowing that you are so good and made in so much love and dignity. Shave half of your head! Whatever it is, laugh and laugh a lot.

About Our Guest Blogger:

Theresa is an author and entertainer who has contributed to two books, hosts a comedy podcast Up Too Late, and is working on two books of her own. You can find her on Twitter @TheresaZoe.

Theresa Zoe Williams

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From Barabbas to Seamless Garments: Explaining Palm Sunday to Children

/ chicoinematt

Palm Sunday Liturgy was long but fruitful (and funny due to my kids’ antics) Mass.

I have had to learn how to boil down the truths of our faith in simple and digestible ways for my kids to understand.

They help me grow as a teacher of our Catholic faith (it helps that I have a Master’s Degree in Theology 🙂).

Here’s a glimpse into the theology and (face)palming I experienced today as detailed via a Tweet-thread. Enjoy!

The context for this bit-o-shenanigans: last year my youngest daughter screamed NOOOO at the exact moment the narrator mentioned Malchus’ ear getting chopped off.
Honestly, an excellent question from my daughter. Showed she was paying attention. 🙏🙂
A logical question for Palm Sunday. 🌴
Good question but a face-palm on the timing. 🤦
Another 🤦. But after further reflection it is good she wanted to display reverence. 🙂🙏

Share your Palm Sunday experience with me in the comments section.

Hope you have a blessed Holy Week! 🙏

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A 526 Word Interview with Father Richard Libby

/ chicoinematt

Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed Father Richard Libby via phone call on May 31st, 2023. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any  integrity of the answers given.

How would you describe your personal journey of faith and what led you to become a Catholic priest?

My journey of faith started when I was born. I was born into a devout Catholic family. They raised us in the Church. My parents made the sacrifices needs to send all six of us to Catholic school from K-12.

I graduated from a Catholic campus. When I was college, I took a theology course and it really started to get me interested in theology. It started me on a journey of getting closer to Church. It started to become a vocation (who I’m meant to be).

God is persistent. He kept after me. It reached a point I knew I had to join the seminary.
I wasn’t certain about my calling to the priesthood. However, at that point, I was certain about joining the seminary.I applied and was accepted in six months. Overall, my journey through the seminary went relatively smooth.I attended Holy Trinity Seminary in Dallas for philosophy, and St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Philadelphia for theology. I was ordained on June 5th, 1999.

As a priest, what challenges have you encountered in the modern world within the Catholic Church? How do you propose addressing these challenges?

The biggest challenge we have is people having an incorrect, understanding of God and His Church.

Some people believe God will forgive them no matter what and there’s no need for religion. On the other extreme is why would God allow pain and suffering.

The concept of evangelization is central to the Catholic faith. How do you think the Church can effectively spread the Gospel and engage with people today?

One thing that the Church does well is doing the corporal works of mercy so we can believe in the spiritual works of mercy. A powerful way to evangelize. The Church being there with people in their time of need.

We need to look for people in need. Pope Francis focuses on this and that’s why people talk about him a lot. Priests who have the smell of sheep. (quote) The church was there when my father died or when I was hungry.

One of the things that caught my attention is how you embrace the Catholic faith. You didn’t qualify it with an adjective. You were simply Catholic…and bonus you were a curmudgeon about the faith.

(Laughs) Yes, I’m not a curmudgeon. We can find joy in this life.

Describe the place of humor in evangelization.

C.S. Lewis, “Joy is a serious business of Heaven.” People want to be around people who are joyful. We long for Heaven but in the meantime we can laugh. My own bishop tells stories at his own expense and makes us laugh. We as Catholics are joyful. Laughter is an expression of happiness but why can’t it also be an expression of joy.

God does have a sense of humor; he made the duck-billed platypus.🦆🦫 Humor can also lead someone who is grieving through laughter. It helps in the healing process.

Thank you for your time, Father Richard! It was great chatting with you. Let’s do this again!

Absolutely! That’s chat soon.

About Father Richard Libby:

Father Richard Libby is a priest of the Diocese of Corpus Christi, where he serves as pastor of St. Helena Parish and as the chancellor of the diocese.  In his free time, he enjoys reading, writing poems and short stories, and birdwatching.

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The Origin Story of The Simple Catholic

/ chicoinematt
This is the real life origin story of how The Simple Catholic began:
My name is Matthew and I have run The Simple Catholic blog since 2015. It was a fruit born out the suffering from losing my unborn son Jeremiah (miscarriage). Writing was a healing balm for my heart, mind, and soul.
I earned my Master’s degree in theology from Franciscan University of Steubenville and had teaching experiences. Personal and family circumstances caused me to leave teaching but the desire to help others learn about Jesus and His Church remained. The blog blossomed into a mission: to inform others about the Catholic faith and show how joy can be found in daily life (even in the suffering).

Finding Strength in My Differences

I was diagnosed with ADHD as a kid and it is one of my “super-powers” as it allows me to make connections between seemingly unconnected things.
I have had to learn over the years my neurodivergent mind wasn’t a weakness but it can be a strength. Through the help of my wife (a special education teachers) and my four kids along with the Holy Spirit I have been able to learn how to harness my differences and quirkiness with my passion for Catholicism.

Paper Football

In this picture, I celebrated my paper football victory over my oldest son: 60-24. 😀😂

The Healing Power of Humor

Humor is a big part of my life. It acts as a stabilizing force during the times my depression and anxiety flare up.
My favorite show is The Office (a great way to get me attention in the sea of emails I receive is to make a reference to this show). Threat Level Midnight or A.A.R.M are my favorite episodes.
I also enjoy reading (no less than 8 books simultaneously). I’m a literary omnivore but I do tend to enjoy theology, sci-fi, and comic books more than others.
I am also an avid football fan and love tossing the frisbee around.
Because of my ADHD I tend to enjoy lots of other things too:
  • Platypuses
  • Cheetahs
  • Watching bees carry pollen
  • Writing
  • Looking at the moon
  • Drinking Dr. Pepper, Coffee, and Bai Teas (not together)
  • Listening to Bon Jovi
  • Reading anything Marvel
  • Playing board games
  • Reading about board games
  • Watching video about board games
  • Talking about board games
  • Making Seinfeld and The Office references on an almost daily basis
Share a bit about yourself in the comments below.

 

Related Links

Finding Joy–My Accidental Discovery of St. Philip Neri

How God Continues to Bring Joy (Out of a Sorrowful Miscarriage) on All Souls Day

How Playing Paper Football Led to Prayer

Bonding over Backgammon

P.S. If you’re a small Catholic business owner who enjoys the content I create and share and need help generating content for your website please email me at: chicoine.matt@live.com. I also offer marketing services. For more information please visit Writing and Marketing Service Rates.
Even if you don’t own a Catholic business but love my content drop a comment below!
Thanks for your support!!! 😊
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Building Up the Faith: An Interview with John Kraemer on the Lego Church Project

/ chicoinematt / 1 Comment

 

Editor’s Note: Matthew Chicoine interviewed John Kraemer via phone call on December 3, 2020. Some of the questions have been rearranged and edited to provide the best reader experience without losing any of the integrity of the answers given.

John Kramer Lego Church Project

How the Lego Project got started?

My first project begin in 2003  and featured at Christ the Good Shepherd Church. It wasn’t until I started displaying my churches during the Christmas season (in year 4) that the Project took off.-

How do you pick the specific Catholic Church to build each year?

It has been a church of my own design. I wanted to combine the elements of modern church while keeping to tradition. I try to show the happy medium between the modern and traditional.

I try to keep things as accurate as I can. I will blend some real world elements. For examples, I have included items from Rugged Rosary (Crucifixes and Statue of Mary).

What is your favorite Lego display?

The Christmas display is one of my favorite and most important displays.

I build the displays in mid-February. It takes around a couple months for about 2-5 hours a day. I usually take a break after Easter. I usually tear down the Church at the end of the year. I sometimes save the tabernacle and ambo for later use.

Lego Church Project

How do you find inspiration with creating the Lego Churches?

Until I sit down with the bricks, I’m not quite sure where the story takes me.

I’m always looking, studying, getting ideas for what’s around me. How are things set up? Placement is everything for me.  I review my previous projects all the time.

Did you play with Legos a lot as a kid?

Yes,  while my friends were building spaceships I found myself constructing buildings. Eventually it developed into me making churches.

How does your work inspire others?

One priest was building a Vatican City and he was looking at my work to get an idea.

The Project is a prayer because it is also a reflection of where we’ve been and where we should be. My thoughts for this Christmas is an end to the pandemic.

Tell me a bit about your devotion to Blessed Solanus Casey.

The qualities that attracted him to me was his learning difficulties. His faithfulness and obedience. I learned about him as he was from Detroit and my parents grew up in Detroit. Grandma grew up across the street from the monastery. One of her wishes before he died was to see Blessed Solanus canonized.

Why is the Mass is important to you?

When we participate in the Mass we are part of something else. No matter what storms or challenges we face when we make the Mass our priority he say Jesus is our savior.

John Kraemer is a Catholic out of Saginaw, Michigan and has been building his annual “Lego Church Project” for over twenty years. With a focus on disability awareness.

It was a joy interviewing John and his work about the Lego Church Project. To learn more about his ministry follow his Facebook page at The Lego Church Project

 

 

 

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