friendships

Read "To the Man Who Marries My Best Friend", a best friend poem.

“To the Man Who Marries My Best Friend”

Watch the DSA hosts discuss how to make friends after college.

How Do You Find Friends After College?

Read to learn about how to deal with jealousy in any relationship.

When Jealousy Knocks, Should You Answer?

Read the poem "How to Stay Friends With an Ex".

“How To Stay Friends With an Ex”

Check out this list for how to celebrate Palentine's Day in Chicago.

Best Friends Unite! 30 Ideas for Celebrating Palentine’s Day in Chicago

Use these apps to get off your phone and spend time outdoors.

The Powerful Invitation to “Just Stop In”

Learn the meaning of scruffy hospitality and why you shouldn't be worried to clean up your home before having guests come over.

The Difference ‘Scruffy Hospitality’ Makes

Learn how this couple committed to building community by hosting regular potlucks.

“A Space Where Strangers Become Friends”

Have you been navigating office friendships? Keep these four things in mind.

Navigating Friendships with Coworkers? Keep These 4 Things in Mind

Make long distance friendships work with this author's suggestions.

How To Maintain Long-Distance Friendships

How-To-Make-Friends-After-College

How I Made New Friends After College

Learn how to make new friends as an adult by keeping these four tips in mind.

Making Friends After College Can Feel Impossible — These 4 Tips Can Help

Wondering how to create a community to make friends? Watch how this rock climber did just that.

Rock Climbing: How to Form Community

Gather round the table for some grilling and friendships!

The Art of Friendship, Perfected Around a Grill

Read this reflective narrative about long lasting friendships.

Finding Your People in Seemingly Unlikely Places

This org is helping make connections across different generations in the local community. Watch to hear their inspirational story.

Giving Older Women Makeup and Connections

Listen to Good and Decent's Ep. 5 about finding and maintaining friendships.

Podcast S1 | Ep.5: Finding Friendship

Can't make friends as a grown-up? Take this author's advice.

What to Do if You Have No Friends

Getting through a friend's funeral can be unbearable, but there can be some lessons to learn from it.

Seeking Answers When a Friend Dies

Play these games on Zoom the next time you connect virtually with your friends.

7 Group Activities to Do Over Zoom

Read what we can learn from Pope Francis' encyclical Fratelli Tutti.

Pope Francis is Calling Us to Dream Together

Create and build stronger friendships by learning from JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis.

JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis and the Lost Art of Friendship

Learn what the importance of an intergenerational friendship is and why we should foster them.

Why We Should Foster Intergenerational Friendships

Try these 5 strategies for maintaining social connection while we are practicing social distancing.

A Guy’s Guide to Thriving in the Era of Social Distance

Try these 3 fun things to do in the winter to make friends and beat the winter blues.

Beat the Winter Blues with New Hobbies and Friends

Build-Community

5 Tips for Using Trivia Night to Build Community

Read how this author decided to make friends with her neighbors, and it ended up changing her life.

How Befriending My Neighbors Changed My Life

A young woman researching how to make friends as an adult while sitting in loungewear on her couch, staring at her phone.

The Quick Guide to Making Friends as an Adult

Choosing-Friends

How Our Friends Impact Who We Become

Getting-Rid-of-Toxic-Friends

3 Tips for Dealing with a Toxic Friendship

Adult-Friendships

What to Know About Making Friends as an Adult

Consider these tips from new parents if you are one of those friends without kids.

10 Things Your New-Parent Friends Want You to Know

Read this reflective narrative about an example of strength in weakness.

“Strength in Weakness”

Read these 8 tips for planning a trip with friends.

8 Tips for Planning a Trip with Friends

An unlikely friendship developed through a volunteering opportunity, which changed my perspective on the world.

How Volunteering Led to an Unlikely Friendship

Here's how to determine whom to take advice from in life and why.

Why (& How) We Should Filter the Voices in Our Lives

Want to learn how to help a friend with mental illness? Read this therapist's advice.

3 Ways to Help a Friend with a Mental Illness

Read this author's reflective narrative about a new way of seeing.

“The Messages We Receive”

Think you might have a toxic friend? Read these 5 signs of toxic friendships and what you can do about them.

5 Signs You’re in a Toxic Friendship

Try these tactics to get to know your new neighborhood and for how to make friends with your neighbors.

How to Settle into a New Neighborhood

Read why the Minneapolis Miracle is an example of how strangers can become fast friends.

How the ‘Minneapolis Miracle’ Helped Me in Grieving

Guys and girls should be friends! Read these 4 reasons why.

Why Men and Women Can (and Should) Be Friends

These 5 adulting activities have been great ‘excuses’ for bringing new friends together.

5 Adult-ish Activities to Gather New Friends Together

These two brothers will be friends for life — the heartwarming interview of two brothers, one who has Down Syndrome.

The Joy of These Brothers is Contagious

One way to stay in touch with friends: two women tying their running shoes, getting ready for a run together.

4 Creative Ways to Stay in Touch with Friends Post-College

Read about how to make friends at church from an author who went through it when she came back to Mass.

How I Made Friends When I Came Back to Church

Seven bridesmaids, smiling and laughing, seeing the author Emily as a bride for the first time on her wedding day.

A Newlywed’s Promise to Her Single Friends

How to be hospitable to friends: host their couch-crash. Grotto illustration of a burgundy couch with two white throw pillows.

Why Couch-Crash Hosting is a Way to Become a Better Friend

Celebrating relationships between Catholic and atheist friends by toasting a beer.

Benefits of Atheist-Catholic Relationships

Notes on how to be a better friend. Handwritten notes about life events taped to a wall include the following: John's birthday August 21st; Maggie hears back about job interview on Wednesday; Elizabeth's sister's baby is due in June; Sarah is moving to a new house on Saturday; Chris's dog's name is Penny, favorite food is Chipotle; Gina is running the Chicago marathon.

This Simple Life Hack Makes Me a Better Friend

Explore more Grotto

Importance-Of-Voting

It’s More Important than Ever to Engage in Politics

Practice these morning stretches to start your day intentionally.

Start Your Day With These Yoga Postures

Watch how Aram's improv comedy class instills confidence and creativity in the Chicago community.

Creative Magic Behind Chicago’s Improv Comedy

Want to know how to do stand-up comedy as a hobby? Find out how to overcome your nerves and even grow as a person.

How and Why to Pursue Comedy as a Hobby

Find out how using humor to cope can help you see laughter as a promise and source of hope.

The Promise of “One Day, You’ll Laugh About This”

Stock your closet up with these French fashion staples.

5 French Clothing Staples for a Très Chic Look

Have a laugh, on us. Check out the Grotto team's favorite funny videos.

Need a Laugh? Here are the Grotto Team’s Recs

Join Jane and Mike as they discuss how to find your personal style with an expert.

How Do You Find Your Personal and Professional Style?

Find out more about Our Lady of Sorrows and listen to this playlist inspired by her.

Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows Spotify Playlist | #GrottoMusic

Learn how Noah realizes that laughter is the best medicine while dealing with an autoimmune disorder.

The Healing Power of Laughter