Deacon Michael Halbrook

Deacon Michael Halbrook

Faith, family, work, and life - all intertwined.

Permanent deacon of the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois. Husband, father of four sons, builder of Catholic technology, and writer of essays, fiction, and homilies.

Stubborn on Purpose
& Altar ↗ Daily Reflections

Stubborn on Purpose

Jesus tells a story about a woman nobody would listen to. Then he asks what it would look like if we prayed like her.

The Mother House in Chicago
Two Lamps ↗

The Mother House in Chicago

Two Lamps, Issue 28: Saints Frances Xavier Cabrini & Rose Philippine Duchesne, the mother house of the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart in Chicago, an autumn evening in 1913

November Lessons
Faith & Life

November Lessons

On falling leaves, the four last things, and what I learned at a bedside.

Six Months In
Ad Alta ↗ Reflections

Six Months In

What leaving Adobe to do mission-based work for the Church has actually looked like, so far.

The Letter from Rome, 2023
The Lost Crown ↗

The Letter from Rome, 2023

What follows is a recovered email correspondence between Teodor Maren and Dr. Mara Leclerc of the Vatican Apostolic Archive, conducted between February and August of 2023.

Prague, 1942
The Lost Crown ↗

Prague, 1942

What follows is drawn from a set of handwritten notes found inside a chalice case in the possession of Teodor Maren at his death, and from a partial journal kept by Father Josef Novák between 1938 and 1942.

The Dissolution, 1540
The Lost Crown ↗

The Dissolution, 1540

What follows is reconstructed from three sources: a letter from Prior Edmund Holt of Rievaulx to an unknown recipient, dated October 1539; a probate inventory from the estate of Richard Askham, wool merchant of York, dated 1571; and a brief entry in the household accounts of the Askham family covering the years 1540 to 1544.