Most nights, from 9 p.m. to dawn, about a dozen priests, a smattering of registered pilgrims and a few cats have the sprawling, dark basilica of the Holy Sepulcher to themselves.
August 2026
Posted inNews
Pope Leo explains why Vatican II needed to reform the Catholic Mass
The liturgy is “a living entity,” and it has always been subject to developments and changes over the centuries, Pope Leo said.
Posted inShort Take
Fulton Sheen, the love of God and the civil rights movement
Sheen preached eloquently that racism and other attacks on civil rights were direct attacks on all human beings and, ultimately, God himself.
Posted inFaith in Focus
Dolly Parton is in heaven
Today heaven is more musical. Today heaven is more generous. Today heaven is like a family reunion.
Posted inThe Word
Choosing, carrying and following
August 30, 2026, Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time: In contrast to the readings on recent Sundays, this Sunday’s readings address a more serious reality, the consequences of discipleship.
Posted inFilm
‘American Martyr: The Stanley Rother Story’ is a tribute and a campaign ad
A new film preserves Stanley Rother’s dignity while also making him something of a puzzle.
Posted inNews
Cardinal Cupich reinstates Chicago priest and outspoken social activist cleared of abuse allegations
Cardinal Blase J. Cupich of Chicago has reinstated Father Michael Pfleger—known for his longtime social justice ministry—as pastor after an inquiry cleared the cleric of abuse allegations.
Posted inCatholic Book Club
Why you should study the classics but not kill anyone: Lessons from Donna Tartt’s fiction
Donna Tartt’s ‘The Secret History’ is an engrossing read. But is it also a powerful expression of our human efforts to understand eternal truths?
Posted inScripture Reflections
The grace to see our own faults first
A Reflection for Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time, by Sam Sawyer, S.J.
Posted inScripture Reflections
An insomniac’s take on the call to ‘stay awake’
A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Augustine, Bishop and Doctor of the Church, by Brigid McCabe