Dan Masterton

Fire up that crockpot and slow cook your decisions! Gather your board of advisors and solicit feedback! But don’t forget that tasty cuts have an ideal amount of time to sit on a grill— danmasterton.substack.com/p/discern-de...

Not often, if ever, do you see an Archbishop of the Military Services in the US meet with the Pope, then literally right after releasing a major statement obliging Catholics to not participate in a firing squad. These are the unfortunate times we find ourselves in.

I can’t tell you as a dad how much this tweet breaks my heart. I do all the work I do to have the freedom and time that I can read to my kids whenever they want. That’s the far better part of my dad than the work, and—to be clear—I love my work!

As Catholics, our sense of the importance of place can grow from experiences in sacred spaces, from home parishes to special chapels or shrines in our life stories. This special sense can come on the way with us and help us as we savor all kinds of places! danmasterton.substack.com/p/making-sur...

Let’s talk masculinity, toughness, and manhood, and LETS CRY ABOUT IT LIKE MATURE MEN danmasterton.substack.com/p/better-def...

Hey @awfulannouncing.bsky.social am I wasted or is this CF angle waaaaayyyyyy off centered?

If you could only bring one bible passage with you to a deserted island, which would it be? Is there one that seems to have a claim on you or speaks to you with inexhaustible depth? I have mine here: danmasterton.substack.com/p/the-bible-...

I find Garrett to be perhaps the most grounded, intellectually honest, and clear thinker in an era when each day’s chaos is so disorienting. Make crimes criminal again.

Nature is healing.

I wore a Bears jersey to Mass last Sunday. So did many other Chicagoans. I think this is fine and even kind of great. danmasterton.substack.com/p/jersey-doe...

How I’m gonna sleep after watching the Bears score 59 points in a Week 1 win. 😴

Appreciate the folks @uscatholic.bsky.social giving me a chance to apply CST and unpack solidarity + preferential option to consider social issues — think of it less as total endorsements or something, and more like giving people as much (or more) support as you can. uscatholic.org/articles/202...

Fellow millennial parents, Danny Go! has released a new song for the first time since Danny’s son passed. It’s a banger. And I can’t help but feel the grief and joy but a big hearted dude and his friends. youtu.be/ebBH6umnDPE

Have your close friends and loved ones ever seen you live in your element professionally? It’s an oddly deficit in adult life, especially contrasted to childhoods of recitals, games, performances — and reason to share proudly and inquire of others curiously. danmasterton.substack.com/p/do-your-th...

Preach, Susan. Often the easy and convenient thing becomes the enemy of the intriguing and beautiful thing. And our faith and faith communities don’t need this sloppy homogeneity 🫠

Consoled to have taken time to process a long path of vocational discernment in a new and life-giving way. So much grace and good from God here. danmasterton.substack.com/p/the-road-t...

What's it like to gather with the young religious of our worldwide community? Br. Juan David shares a bit on his week with some younger brothers in Burkina Faso. #AdoredAndLovedBeJesus More to come from our Congress of Young Religious – on our website and social media tomorrow.

RIP Dolly 😭

I feel this big time. On summer nights, my brother and I regularly watched the late Baseball Tonight to get the highlights, Touch ‘Em All, and Web Gems, and sometimes would handle insomnia by trying to name all 30 MLB teams by memory, referencing the Tribune sports section as a key when needed.

Come along with me to the iconic spot where I had the greatest vocational clarity of my life so far! A double roundabout may confuse American drivers, but my soul navigated it just fine. danmasterton.substack.com/p/the-road-t...

Br. Tony Davies and Br. Sal Solis have begun their Viatorian novitiates. Please pray for our brothers as they undertake this intensive year of prayer, study, and discernment. #AdoredAndLovedBeJesus https://www.viatorians.com/br-tony-and-br-sal-begin-viatorian-novitiate/p=134109

Some vocation stories are short and sweet, some maybe a bit longer and more complex. A facet of mine is so built so centrally on Ireland and Irishness that I’ve gotta go back decades before a was born. danmasterton.substack.com/p/the-road-t...

open.substack.com/pub/danmaste...

Chicagoans Over 25 Urged To Shelter In Place Until Lollapalooza Over

Reflecting on some negative moments I’ve met cold gatekeepery receptions and thinking about the ways we can do better in Church ministry and outreach. open.substack.com/pub/danmaste...

open.substack.com/pub/danmaste...

Call me Alphonse Paleale

This photo absolutely rules. One kid hitting the Spidey, the other brandishing a weapon that has absolutely gone house on Schwarb's pants, the youngest wearing like full Confirmation Gown-level outfit while the boys are in shorts, and Schwarbs and his wife just loving all of it. Peak parent life.

Rewatching The Sandlot many times with my kids, it holds up so well. Through adult eyes and parent perspective, it’s fun to see how Benny uses the no opt out, practices a little upstanding, and even flexes coaching muscle! Just don’t fake a drowning to kiss a girl. open.substack.com/pub/danmaste...

"The kids gave me this platform. They chose me. How could I not use it to help them?" Last month, I had the privilege of interviewing @msrachelforlittles.bsky.social about her deep, unshakable faith. You can read more from our incredible conversation today in @ncronline.bsky.social.

Watching The Sandlot again with the kids and wondering if @mikelaskey.bsky.social is gradually aging into becoming legendary police chief Squidman Palidorus… 🤔🤓

ChatGPT posters and flyers are polluting real life and driving me insane. Please respond to this with the worst ones you've seen irl. I'll post some in the thread www.404media.co/we-are-livin...

I think I just barely resisted turning my love of Swedish breakfast food into a pedagogy of family faith formation. open.substack.com/pub/danmaste...

My friends. Yes.

I couldn’t shake discomforting pre-Vatican II-ness of a recent Mass where it felt as if the congregation was superfluous to the liturgy — felt like it wouldn’t have been different if the pews were empty. I’m here for full, active, conscious participation. #Catholic open.substack.com/pub/danmaste...

Some thoughts on the blessing of hybrid work and how I try to guard against its downsides to take care of myself and keep my work strong. open.substack.com/pub/danmaste...

‪“A law does not attain its true greatness merely by having been formally enacted; it attains it when, in addition to being valid in form, it can stand before the dignity of the person and pass that test without shame.” - Pope Leo

My brain blended these two posts together, and, honestly, not wrong.

In 16+ years blogging & 37+ years of life, I've gravitated to the power of BOTH-AND, especially vs. false dilemmas & polarization. I write because I love to share & find resonance w/others. It'd mean a lot to me if you read & subscribe. #Catholic #Christian danmasterton.substack.com/p/let-me-be-...

I don’t need all my shows and movies to be religious, but boy do I get lathered up when I find some good religious themes and explorations in a good show. I have spoken. open.substack.com/pub/danmaste...

Ok @grammargirl.bsky.social, is “officially” the new “literally” in that it will lose its actual meaning? Election days are brutal as candidates are “officially accepting” nominations even though vote totals aren’t certified, party meetings are yet to come, etc. Often an issue in sports news too 🫠

AI can tell you how a word is spelled. But the work these kids do to solve those words—developing study tactics, identifying linguistic patterns, honing their ability to perform under pressure—is something a computer can’t do for you. The Bee is a reminder of what the human brain is capable of.

I get Catholic guilt about buying name brand over private label at the grocery store

Catholic News can get rough— esp closures and abuse settlements. Yet, there’s new church construction, OCIA young adults, and @viatorianusa.bsky.social, surging vocations. It renews and strengthens my Christian hope. #AdoredAndLovedBeJesus #Catholic substack.com/@danmasterto...

30 years ago today, Bart Simpson got the “dud” while playing a game of Mystery Date with Milhouse and his parents. #TheSimpsons episode “Summer of 4 Ft. 2” first aired May 19, 1996.

To Catholic/Protestant posters, I heard Br. Alois of Taizé speak at a Catholic gathering in 2012. He reflected on baptismal call & suggested when we introduce ourselves/our faith, we should first simply say, “I’m a baptized Christian,” and proceed from there. That’s always stuck with me. #Catholic