A retired Opera Singer (worldwide), a MA in Gerontology, currently adjunct professor, a Knight of Malta, and wrote 3 books in 2022.
Ben Bongers wonders why we love to be bad. Why we refuse to listen to anyone. Why the more someone points out how bad we’ve been, the more we “double down” and become even worse! Why do we constantly make the choice to do the wrong thing?
A little story I ran the summer youth program at the YMCA and had two particular students, Jimmy and Larry. Jimmy was a good kid with a single mother and little sister. He could be a real pill at times, but he always meant well. Some of the other teachers couldn’t stand having Jimmy in […]
The “Call”: We All Receive Them, But When Will You Answer? Nine years ago, I got a text from a friend I hadn’t seen in a few years: “I don’t know where to turn or what to do. I’m sick and getting evicted from my apartment as of the 31st. Help me!”. I was happily […]
Mom Hated to Clean! My mom was a typical mom in all but one thing. She hated to clean! Mom was a good Catholic girl who went to work in a restaurant at 16 and didn’t finish high school until she got her GED at the age of 32, followed by a college degree in […]
My Dad Was Always Prepared Mom would give Dad a clean crisp package of handkerchiefs for every Thanksgiving and Christmas. He would take a close look at them, smile, and thank her—then, *shoop* into Dad’s pants pocket, one of the handkerchiefs would go. I will never forget my dad’s pants. More specifically, his pockets. It […]
Will You Pray for Me? To be one of the best at what you do is very good. No . . . check that . . . it is GREAT! And it can be devastating when that’s taken from you. Once, there was a performer who worked on the world stage. He sang and acted […]
To Sin, or NOT to Sin. That Is the Question. The philosophy Jesus gives us in Matthew 18 is, “Three strikes—you’re out!” (That is until you’re ready to reconcile.) If someone sins against you, you should 1) speak with them alone, 2) then with another from the church (community), and finally 3) with the whole […]
Fall into Pieces or Peace in a Storm? When you face the storms of life, which do you cling to—pieces or peace? We’re all going to face adversity—life’s storms and earthquakes: illness, being “the other,” not fitting in… But how are you going to react? Fall to pieces? Or slide into peace? Two stories come […]
As the Church prepares to celebrate the Solemnity of Corpus Christi, Ben Bongers explains how the Eucharist strengthens us to act as the Body of Christ.
When we speak or act, we confirm to others what we truly believe and who we truly are. So when our children look at us, what do they see?
Members and supporters can get the latest on CWG news and events by signing up for our newsletter.
Catholic Writers Guild
P.O. Box 77
Eaton, IN 47338
