Parents, a new form of artificial companionship deserves our calm attention. Some services allow users to design an AI “girlfriend” with a chosen appearance and personality, then engage in simulated affection, flirtation, or sexualized conversation and imagery. These systems may feel endlessly available, agreeable, and controllable. That is precisely why they can be so spiritually and emotionally deceptive. A 2026 nationally representative survey of 3,466 U.S. adolescents ages 13 to 17...

Parents may not control what a social platform approves, recommends or removes. But you do control several boundaries around your child’s account, device and daily habits. That matters because automated moderation is not a family safety plan. Platform features vary and change, so review each app and device together with your child. 1. Set daily time limits. Use device and app controls to establish a reasonable daily cap and a stopping time before bed. The purpose is not punishment. It is...

January 2026 Newsletter Some days, gratitude feels natural. Other days, it feels like a word we can’t reach. Anxiety tightens the chest. Discouragement makes prayer feel heavy. Family tension turns ordinary moments into sharp edges. And spiritual dryness can make us wonder if we’re failing, or if God has grown distant. But the Catholic life does not begin with us trying harder. It begins with Jesus drawing near—again and again—often quietly, often patiently. When we place Him at the center,...