As a young seminarian serving at St. Agnes of Bohemia parish in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, I came to appreciate many customs and traditions that I had never heard of as the son of an Irish immigrant. One of these customs was la mordida or “the bite.” This custom is . . . .

As a child, I shared a room with my younger brother. I have fond memories of waking up in the morning to the sound of our mother coming into our bedroom and pulling back the curtains on the window. She would sing . . .