April 18, 2019
by Paul Joseph Prezzia
Old Mother Goose, When she used to wander, Would ride through the air On a very fine gander. This poem, along with all the other “Mother Goose” poems, was extremely important to John Senior, the Catholic educator who inspired the creation of The Civilized Reader column you are reading now. He was especially enamored with [...]
December 20, 2016
by Paul Joseph Prezzia
Christmas has been the backdrop to many beautiful stories from the Second Shepherds Play to O. Henry's “Gift of the Magi.” Given the charm and beauty of Christmas, this is no surprise. Many of “Christmas” stories, if we pay careful enough attention, are valuable meditations on the love and self-forgetfulness taught best by God himself. [...]
August 12, 2022
