Tom O'Toole column
Thomas Augustine O'Toole was born in Chicago and grew up in a devout Catholic family with five brothers and two sisters. He was the sports editor of Notre Dame's Scholastic magazine, where his story "Reflections on the Game" won the award for Best Sports Feature for the Indiana Collegiate Press Association.
Besides his work as a columnist for several suburban newspapers, Tom O'Toole is also a popular freelance writer for many Catholic magazines, including Columbia, The Catholic Faith, Queen of All Hearts, and Culture Wars.
His innovative writings on the connection between faith and sports ("Cathletics") has been praised by the Papal Nuncio, and his groundbreaking book Champions of Faith: Catholic Sports Heroes Tell Their Stories is one of the original volumes to be placed on the Vatican shelves where the Pontifical Council of Church and Sport meet. In 2006, Tom published a number of articles on the prestigious Catholic Exchange website, and started his blog Fighting Irish Thomas, which has been praised for its Catholic candor and humor.
Tom O'Toole lives in Elmhurst, Illinois, with his wife Jeanette. They have four children. He can be reached at tacotoole@comcast.net
Besides his work as a columnist for several suburban newspapers, Tom O'Toole is also a popular freelance writer for many Catholic magazines, including Columbia, The Catholic Faith, Queen of All Hearts, and Culture Wars.
His innovative writings on the connection between faith and sports ("Cathletics") has been praised by the Papal Nuncio, and his groundbreaking book Champions of Faith: Catholic Sports Heroes Tell Their Stories is one of the original volumes to be placed on the Vatican shelves where the Pontifical Council of Church and Sport meet. In 2006, Tom published a number of articles on the prestigious Catholic Exchange website, and started his blog Fighting Irish Thomas, which has been praised for its Catholic candor and humor.
Tom O'Toole lives in Elmhurst, Illinois, with his wife Jeanette. They have four children. He can be reached at tacotoole@comcast.net
Subscribe to Tom's columnTom O'Toole
March 7, 2010
Pro-life leader, Randall Terry, in conjunction with the group Vanguard of St. Catherine of Sienna, is heading to Rome, March 10, for a week of meetings with a . . .
Tom O'Toole
March 1, 2010
Although I suppose I've come to expect a certain backlash whenever I write about the very visible (as opposed to "virtual") prolific antics of pro-life . . .
Tom O'Toole
February 18, 2010
"I don't love her, I don't hate her — for her, I don't feel very much at all
But blood that we both shared and spilled
Keeps turning up like writing on the . . .
Tom O'Toole
February 2, 2010
Joseph: [desperately] Look at all those woman entering the abortion clinic!
Mary: [pleadingly, as she fingers her rosary] Oh Joseph! Who will save them?
. . .
Tom O'Toole
December 22, 2009
"I feel cheated!" my wife Jeanette lamented (no pun intended) as the Tiger Woods saga snowballed from a minor traffic accident into a major infidelity scandal. . . .
Tom O'Toole
June 1, 2009
It was wrong — ironic and wrong on so many levels. Dr. George Tiller, the hardcore abortion doctor who killed so many babies (and a few women) worshiping in a . . .
Tom O'Toole
May 25, 2009
In my last of a series of reflections on Barack Obama's Notre Dame appearance, I will focus on the speech itself and Fr. Jenkins' words (and lies) leading up to . . .
Tom O'Toole
May 23, 2009
Having had time now to look back at the events leading up to, as well as President Barack Obama's actual appearance (or shall we say "performance") at the . . .
Tom O'Toole
May 13, 2009
Do you want to offer yourselves to God, to endure all the sufferings He may allow, as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended and as a . . .
Tom O'Toole
May 12, 2009
Bishop D'Arcy
Fort Wayne Chancery
1103 S. Calhoun Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46801
Dear Bishop D'Arcy,
First, I'd like to congratulate you for speaking . . .
Tom O'Toole
May 2, 2009
Dear Mr. President,
Congratulations on your first 100 days. While we don't always see eye-to-eye on the issues (for example, I believe pro-choice people . . .
Tom O'Toole
April 15, 2009
Recently on FOX News I saw Kathleen Donahue, Notre Dame student and head of Notre Dame Right to Life, fend off questions about Obama's upcoming visit. And, . . .
Tom O'Toole
April 12, 2009
In remembrance of abortion's helpless victims, I am sharing my poem "The Blood of the Young Patriots," written shortly after 9-11, for your Easter consideration . . .
Tom O'Toole
April 9, 2009
"What's the matter with you guys? You're all Irish and you're not fighting!"
— Notre Dame halfback Pete Vaughan's 1909 halftime speech vs. Michigan; also . . .
Tom O'Toole
April 6, 2009
"Magna est veritas et prevalebit." (Truth is great and it will prevail.)
— The motto on Notre Dame's Laetare . . .
Tom O'Toole
April 2, 2009
"But don't you think people who hate Notre Dame can't accept this notion that so many Notre Dame players and fans say that praying to God helps the team to play . . .
Tom O'Toole
March 31, 2009
"In the past generation, it was Buffalo Bill. For this generation, it was Knute Rockne. The boy had a great respect for Rockne, and Rockne for the boy. Each . . .
Tom O'Toole
March 30, 2009
While taking an English course to attain my teaching certification at Elmhurst College (a local liberal arts school), I got into a debate with my professor. It . . .
Tom O'Toole
March 27, 2009
"Presidents from both parties have come to [give the commencement address] at Notre Dame ... we're delighted that President Obama is continuing that tradition." . . .
Tom O'Toole
March 20, 2009
When it comes to evil prophecies (i.e. Obama elected president, AND today's news that the spineless president of my Christian alma mater has indeed secured . . .
Tom O'Toole
February 1, 2009
With strong believers on both sides of the ball in today's big football game (although I'm personally pullin' for that back-from-the-dead former Arena Leaguer . . .
Tom O'Toole
January 16, 2009
About a week ago when I was surfing the Net about the upcoming "Big Event" (the Inauguration of the Obama-nation), I stumbled across the news that President . . .
Tom O'Toole
January 8, 2009
Largely due to a technicality, the United States Senate on Tuesday refused to admit Roland Burris, former Illinois State Comptroller and the ridiculous pick of . . .
Tom O'Toole
January 3, 2009
When she died last summer at the age of 87, it's doubtful my mother-in-law, Genevieve Ohlin, had even heard of her holy namesake, St. Genevieve of Paris. First . . .
Tom O'Toole
December 31, 2008
Reading the announcement yesterday of the Dec. 27th birth of Sarah Palin's 18-year-old unwed daughter Bristol's baby, it dredged up memories of the many . . .
Tom O'Toole
December 29, 2008
In the Catholic Church, each day's liturgy brings a different celebration or commemoration, either from the life of Christ or that of a saint or martyr who . . .
Tom O'Toole
December 27, 2008
Certainly, Notre Dame's decisive 49-21 Hawaiian Bowl victory over the host Hawaii Warriors accomplished volumes just on the Fightin' Irish football surface. . . .
Tom O'Toole
December 23, 2008
While it's fair to say I'm not the most qualified to judge President-elect Obama's choices for the Interior (I was never much for decorating) or the Treasury . . .
Tom O'Toole
December 21, 2008
Having just turned five years old, I was a little young (at least back then) to question the "holiday" law-of-the-land. Of course five-year-olds believed in . . .
Tom O'Toole
December 20, 2008
On the surface, something about Barack Obama picking Rick Warren to give his inauguration invocation seemed fishy. I mean, Warren was the man responsible for . . .
