Better than a bucket list—a guide to growing your faith!
The demands of modern society often create distance between Catholics and their cultural heritage. Earl J. Higgins, a New Orleans native and lifelong Catholic, offers ways to embrace Catholic influences in everyday life. Suggestions range from such simple activities as putting a “Keep Christ in Christmas” bumper sticker on your car to more devout practices, including lighting an Advent wreath or making the Sign of the Cross in times of trial and joy. In addition, Higgins provides historical backgrounds on Catholic holidays such as Mardi Gras. Feeling like you’re drifting from your faith? From the St. Joseph’s Day Altars to Midnight Mass, let these 100 tips reconnect you!
Much like royalty ascending a throne, Earl J. Higgins had the markings of a Y'at Catholic from the beginning. He began his physical and spiritual life in bastions of New Orleans' Catholic culture, having been born October 1941 in Hotel Dieu Hospital and christened in St. Stephen's Catholic Church. Graduating from Jesuit High School cinched the deal. He is an authentic Y'at, an affectionate term for a local New Orleanian. Armed with a B.A. in English and a juris doctorate from Tulane University, Higgins compiled an impressive resume of government service. He retired from the United States Navy in 1989 with the rank of commander, U.S. Naval Reserve, and from the United States Court of Appeals, Fifth Circuit, in 2002 as the assistant director of staff attorneys. He is a ranger at the Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve, and he writes a column for the Delta Sierran, a publication of the Sierra Club.