The following is a guest blog post from freelance writer Mary Valle nbsp A friend Christine Lorenz posted this video on Facebook a few days ago It rsquo s a short video taken in her yard on January 13 2013 It was 68 degrees Farenheit in Pittsburgh and wolf spiderlings were running amok Most y

nbsp An intriguing essay in Slate compares two writers who one might be surprised to learn not only lived in the same century but shared the same religion In the corner of the afterlife where they keep the Catholic alcoholic geniuses Jack Kerouac and Evelyn Waugh are having a lovely time togethe

nbsp I have some very complicated feelings about Lance Armstrong 39 s upcoming confession and I presume apology on Oprah Winfrey 39 s show As a Jesuit a priest a Catholic and a Christian I believe that everyone deserves the opportunity for forgiveness nbsp Our faith is founded on a forgivi

nbsp I am often asked by people to help them understand and or enter into Ignatian spirituality It would be a mistake for most people to go directly to a copy of The Spiritual Exercises to try to simply read them As they exist the Exercises essentially are the retreat notes Ignatius himself took

Due to some site issues over the last few days we have temporarily turned off comments for all articles and blogs We apologize for this inconvenience We hope to have the system up and running again soon In the meantime if you would like to respond to an article feel free to email us at letters

Since the Newtown tragedy atheists have written essays defending their responses to such tragedies They want to show that atheists too can console those who mourn without resorting to faith in God or a future life Susan Jacoby has entered the lists with a recent New York Times article 1 6 13 ent

The New York Times reports on a seemingly counterintuitive theater collaboration in Boston where a one-man play about clergy sexual abuse is being staged at the Paulist Center in the heart of the city nbsp ldquo Conversations With My Molester A Journey of Faith rdquo chronicles the abuse of Mi

nbsp The Vatican rsquo s portraitist and official court painter is the Russian born Orthodox believer Natalia Tsarkova who has painted Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI among others She gave a brief video interview to the BBC in which we see her pet owl and is profiled in an article from AFP

Today markes the third anniversary of the 7 0 earthquake which devastated Haiti in 2010 leaving as many as 250 000 dead and destroying much of the capital Port-au-Prince 39 s government and church institutions My report on Haiti 39 s recovery can be found here More reports will be posted next we

Today is the 150th anniversary of the birth of Narendra Nath Datta, better known as Swami Vivekananda (January 12, 1863-July 4, 1902). The Swami was one of the original disciples of the Hindu saint and mystic Ramakrishna (1836-1886).

With this issue of America we welcome Professor John W Martens as the new columnist for quot The Word quot Dr Martens is Associate Professor of Theology at the University of St Thomas and director of the Master of Arts program in theology at St Paul Seminary both in St Paul MN He teaches

Fasting brings me to the edge mdash physically psychologically and spiritually There are moments when I hate it despise it and wonder why I ever entered into it But I must admit fasting always transforms me in beautiful and unexpected ways nbsp Today January 11 marks the beginning of the 12

The editors of America did not approve of Jack Kerouac—or J.D. Salinger or F. Scott Fitzgerald.

nbsp In an article entitled ldquo Dear Editor rdquo in a prominent Catholic magazine a 40-year-old diocesan priest Patrick Sanford writes on what he considers the five major problems among the priests he knows Sanford has just had a long talk with his editor friend prompted by the departure

nbsp The Oscar nominees were announced this morning and America has reviewed several of the Best Picture contenders quot Amour quot reviewed by John Anderson quot Life of Pi quot reviewed by Karen Sue Smith quot Lincoln quot reviewed by John Anderson quot Beasts of the Southern Wild quot

He was a soldier of fortune who became a mercenary for the usual reasons: fame, fortune, females. As the youngest son of minor Spanish nobility, there was small prospect of these at home, and his industry and bravery were paying off, when a French canon ball tore open his left calf and broke his right shin. I igo was confined to bed for months, his leg clumsily set, re-broken, and set again. A protruding limb was sawn off. His leg had to be stretched with weights. He passed his long convalescence reading books, either on chivalry or the saints. To his surprise, he began to enjoy the latter, to draw meaning and hope from them. They led to a much deeper Catholicism than Ignatius of Loyola had previously known.

In the context of globalization, the question “who is my neighbor” is both urgent and complex.

Coastal PlanningIn a letter to the editor (“Stupid Human Tricks,” 12/24), William F. Klosterman passionately addresses the difficulties caused by building on the sea coast. But he utterly fails to propose any reasonable solutions. Is he suggesting that New Orleans—with all its hist

As we approach the fourth anniversary of the earthquake in Haiti, a look back the efforts to rebuild the country.

The American church's widespread and intense commitment to Latin America has waned.