Dear Friend, every August, I go to stay with a dear friend whom I have known for more than forty-five years for my two-week vacation. There is always a small room waiting for me in his home. Simple, quiet, familiar… but filled with the warmth of a friendship that has endured through the years...
June 26 2026
Mario Conte, OFM Conv.
Finding What Matters
Dear friend, two or three times a year, I have the grace of traveling around the world carrying the relics of Saint Anthony, so that those who are devoted to his intercession might encounter him more closely. Wherever I go, I meet people whose faith is sincere and deeply touching, often expressed in simple yet meaningful ways...
May 29 2026
Mario Conte, OFM Conv.
Holding the Rosary
Dear friend, as May begins, I cannot help but think of what happened just over a hundred years ago in Fatima. I am sure you know the story, yet allow me to recall it with you...
April 29 2026
Mario Conte, OFM Conv.
Light After Darkness
Dear Friend, this April issue reaches you as Easter draws near. The feast of feasts – the Resurrection of Christ – reminds us that life is stronger than death, and that hope can return even when everything seems lost...
March 31 2026
Mario Conte, OFM Conv.
A Gift Called Time
DEAR Friend, as March arrives, bringing with it longer days and a gentler light, I find myself pausing for a moment. There is something about this time of year that invites reflection. Nature slowly awakens, and almost without noticing it, we too are encouraged to look again at our own lives with fresh eyes...
Dear Friend, a few days ago, I went to visit a good friend of mine. Tony and I first met many years ago, when we worked together at a bank. Being seventeen years my senior, he naturally became something of a fatherly figure to me...
