Contemporary Catholics on Traditional Devotions
A surprising number of recent books and studies have suggested that young American Catholics are more likely than their immediate elders to gravitate toward traditional devotions. The reasons seem varied. Some surmise that younger Catholics, having grown up without being forced to participate in dev
Wholesomeness, Holiness and Hairspray
The Catholic Medical Association has urged U.S. bishops to screen out undesirable candidates for the priesthood, among whom they include homosexuals. According to the C.M.A., if a boy could not play sports because he was overweight or lacked hand-eye coordination, he may be in trouble. The letter su
An Exchange of Gifts
Almost 18 years ago I sat on the terrace of a Berkeley coffee bar waiting to meet John Howard Yoder, the well-known Mennonite theologian and ethicist. I was about to leave Berkeley to join the faculty at the University of Notre Dame, where since Vietnam War days Yoder had taught a course on military
The Rosary: Contemporary Catholics on Traditional Devotions
The rosary is the oldest and most popular of all private Catholic devotions, and one that has been strongly promoted by the church since the 15th century. The origin of bead circlets used to aid in prayerful meditation is lost in ancient Eastern customs—the Chinese Kwan Yin statue in my living
Holy Water: Contemporary Catholics on Traditional Devotions
I have never felt the attachment I should to the daily prayers of the church. Their depth and meaning have rubbed off with repetition, to the point where I am stirred by them only when I say them in a foreign language. Words are tricky that way. It is very different with my favorite ritual,…
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
Fresh flowers, lighted candles, live music—can this be the soup kitchen that just hours earlier had fed 400? Yes, a humble church social hall in Lower Manhattan had been transformed to a scene of celebration. The celebration in early December marked the 20th anniversary of a group named the Un
Letters
Letters
Accurate
The Rev. Andrew M. Greeley’s conclusion that The New York Times’s coverage of the sexual abuse scandal in the church constitutes virulent anti-Catholicism is irresponsible (The Times and Sexual Abuse by Priests 2/10). The Times, like most major newspapers that covered the scandal, never implied that most priests were predators. And this is especially true…
Editorials
AIDS Victims in Africa
The welcome surprise in President Bush’s State of the Union address was his proposal for an Emergency Plan for Aids Relief. The president described the initiative as “a work of mercy beyond all current international efforts to help the people of Africa.” He asked the Congress to co
Faith and Reason
It’s time to bring back devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has suffered cardiac arrest in recent decades.
Faith in Focus
Sweet’ Sacramental Moments
I am in the kitchen, whipping up a batch of fig cake, and as I sort through the handwritten recipes in my collection, I recall the two grandmothers who were related to me not by blood but by love. In 1988 my husband, his sister and I traveled to Brandon, Miss., to visit their grandmother,…
The Marriage Promise
I rise at 4:30 every morning to get a jump on a 70-mile drive to work. To keep some semblance of order, I try to do the same thing every day at the same time. It starts with getting out of bed, making the coffee and heading outside to pick up the morning newspaper. It…
Books
A Gospel for Living
Brennan Manning describes himself as a vagabond evangelist Author of 11 books he leads spiritual retreats in the United States and Europe His life story reads like a catalog of been there done that A former Franciscan a former Roman Catholic priest a formerly married man a recovering alcohol
A Universal Call
John Haughey rsquo s m tier is giving new life to moribund theological terms or those worn threadbare by overuse He strips terms bare reconstitutes them and then often stuns us with the precision of a polished and sometimes newly minted vocabulary The starting point and purpose of Haughey rsquo s
Our Earliest Feminists?
After completing a story on the Catholic nuns rsquo pension fund in 1986 and being intrigued by the lives and contributions of American Catholic sisters John J Fialka began work on the book Sisters Catholic Nuns and the Making of America Fialka a reporter for The Wall Street Journal rsquo s W
The Word
Take Your Places, Please!
I never cease to be amazed at how much difficulty people have with the directive Take your places please And it is not just children who cannot seem to follow it Try to get graduate students to form a line for commencement Many of our problems stem from our inability to know our place or…
Columns
Equal, or Fair?
Occasionally, I become so strongly convinced of a certain notion that I almost believe that if everyone would just accept it too, all the problems of the world would be solved. Although I’ve lived long enough to know that no such panacea exists, I still sometimes allow a particularly fascinati
Faith
It’s time to bring back devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus has suffered cardiac arrest in recent decades.
News
Signs of the Times
Vatican Backs Efforts to Prevent Iraq War, Disarm SaddamWith diplomatic moves and moral encouragement, the Vatican backed international efforts in mid-February to prevent a new war in Iraq and promote the country’s peaceful disarmament. Meanwhile, Catholic leaders and organizations joined a gr
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Culture
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Podcasts