Author: Chris Tarantino

Chris Tarantino is the Communications Director for TOBET. He studied History at The University at Texas A&M and has written for the Tennessee Register and Nashville Catholic.

by Chris Tarantino | Catholic Life | Culture | Lent | TOB Elevator Pitch | TOBET | Virtues

For Whom the Bell Tolls
ByChris Tarantino March 31, 2026May 13, 2026

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines dignity as “the quality or state of being worthy of honor or respect.” We might also think of it as the minimum amount of respect owed to something. We intuitively know that not all things have the same degree of dignity. A book has a little more dignity than a brick because books convey ideas, but both of these inanimate objects have less inherent dignity than an animal which has life.

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by Chris Tarantino | Lent | Prayer | Saints and Holy People | Virtues

St. Patrick
ByChris Tarantino March 16, 2026May 13, 2026

On this day, Irish men and women—and we who want to drink green milkshakes with them—around the world celebrate the Feast of St. Patrick. Some celebrate for religious reasons, some for cultural reasons, and some just because they enjoy the festivities. St. Patrick’s Day has become one of those Catholic holidays that has almost lost its Catholic character because it has become so engrained in the wider culture. But let’s take a moment to reflect on the life of St. Patrick and what he can teach us about making a gift of self.

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by Chris Tarantino | Catholic Life | Family | TOBET | Virtues

Screen Time
ByChris Tarantino March 9, 2026May 13, 2026

Before jumping into the deleterious effects of screen usage, I want to mention one thing: giving your kid a device when he or she wasn’t ready for it does not make you a bad parent or a bad person. There’s a definite tension—do I want my child to be part of this group chat in middle school, or do I want him or her to be shunned? All of us are trying to do the best we can to navigate the very complex changes in our society, and the right decision isn’t always obvious. At TOBET, we don’t want to condemn; we want to help pave the path forward.

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by Chris Tarantino | Catholic Life | Culture | Lent | Prayer | TOBET Blog | Virtues

Lent is Here Again
ByChris Tarantino March 2, 2026May 13, 2026

Our bodies tell us of our inherent value, regardless of our productivity. While sitting around doing nothing can make us feel useless, we have to realize that our worth comes from the fact that God made us in His own image and likeness, not from the work we produce.

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by Chris Tarantino | Catholic Life | Culture | Family | Marriage and Love | TOBET | Virtues

The Church’s Definition: For Our Flourishing
ByChris Tarantino February 16, 2026May 13, 2026

The Catholic Church has caught a lot of flak over the years for defending the idea that the word marriage means “an indissoluble union between one man and one woman.” Some take issue with the “indissoluble” part, some with the “one” part, and still others with the “man and woman” part.

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by Chris Tarantino | Catholic Life | Culture | TOBET Blog | Virtues

Our Bodies and the Weather
ByChris Tarantino January 26, 2026May 13, 2026

Our bodies tell us of our inherent value, regardless of our productivity. While sitting around doing nothing can make us feel useless, we have to realize that our worth comes from the fact that God made us in His own image and likeness, not from the work we produce.

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by Chris Tarantino | Catholic Life | Culture | TOB Elevator Pitch | TOBET Blog | Virtues

Shared Bodily Experiences
ByChris Tarantino January 19, 2026May 13, 2026

In the age of the Internet, we consider it quite fashionable to talk about how much we want to do away with the ever-present distraction of our smartphones. And yet for many of us – myself included – we don’t often get past the talking stage when discussing getting rid of our phones. Some people switch to “dumb” phones, but often times we have to just learn to live with this distraction as a cost of living in a modern world. That begs the question, why do these devices which we hoped would connect us make us feel more distant than ever? You can probably already guess the answer: because the body matters!

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by Chris Tarantino | Catholic Life | TOB Elevator Pitch | TOBET

New Year, New Program
ByChris Tarantino January 12, 2026May 13, 2026

With the feast of the Baptism of Our Lord behind us, Christmas season has officially ended in the Roman Calendar. Though some will continue observing it until Candlemas, most of the Church has moved into Ordinary time. The excitement of the holiday season has calmed down, and we can look toward the year ahead. So, what’s next for TOBET?

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by Chris Tarantino | Catholic Life | Culture | Femininity | Masculinity | TOBET Blog | Virtues

Epiphany
ByChris Tarantino January 5, 2026May 13, 2026

Our bodies tell us of our inherent value, regardless of our productivity. While sitting around doing nothing can make us feel useless, we have to realize that our worth comes from the fact that God made us in His own image and likeness, not from the work we produce.

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by Chris Tarantino | Catholic Life | Christmas | Culture | Family | Saints and Holy People | TOBET | Virtues

Holy Days of Obligation
ByChris Tarantino December 29, 2025May 13, 2026

Our parents give us so much. From our very first heartbeat, they sacrifice no small amount of sweat, blood, and treasure to bring us to full adulthood. They love us unconditionally, and work to give us a good life. We, in turn, trust our parents implicitly, and try to give them the respect and obedience due to them. No other relationships in our lives can compare to the importance of that with our parents.

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