Today is the 30th anniversary of the martyrdom of four American churchwomen who worked among the poor in El Salvador Maura Clarke and nbsp Ita Ford nbsp two Maryknoll Sisters Dorothy Kazel an Ursuline Sister nbsp and Jean Donovan nbsp a Maryknoll Lay Missioner nbsp The story of their

I attended in mid-October in Rome at the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace a quite spirited three-day symposium on the topic of Caritas ihn Veritate and the American Church and Society Besides the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace the meeting was co-sponsored by the Institute for

I noted a while back that a new English translation of the Bible was published NT or in the process of being published OT and Apocrypha called the ldquo Common English Bible rdquo Like many biblical scholars I received a copy of the newly minted NT to consider and review Their website is

Advent is here nbsp Yes hard to believe I know nbsp Sometimes it seems that every year we nbsp skip Ordinary Time altogether and go nbsp directly from Lent to Advent nbsp nbsp Ou sont les dimanches d rsquo antan nbsp Before every Advent I tell myself that this year will be different nbs

The various revelations emerging from the classified material acquired and released by wikileaks org will certainly prove an embarrassment to U S diplomats and to security professionals whose job it is to protect government secrets ldquo But I just don rsquo t think the world is going to end or d

A bit of controversy developing in DC after the National Portrait Gallery pulled a video from an exhibit exploring sexuality in part due to pressure from Bill Donohue s Catholic League The exhibit Hide Seek Difference and Desire in American Portraiture is one of the more controversial exhi

On December 1 1958 a fire broke out at Our Lady of the Angels School in Chicago Illinois Ninety-two children and three nuns died in the fire that occurred 52 years today Afterwards sweeping changes were made in fire codes across the nation and firefighters in training still study the OLA fire

Daniel Madigan SJ an associate professor of theology at Georgetown and senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center is an Australian Jesuit and a distinguished scholar of religions nbsp Here he is on CNN com addressing the pope s recent comments on the use of condoms to prevent HIV AIDS a

nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp The Gospel today is what we know as Matthew 4 18-22 nbsp This is an account of Jesus call to Peter and Andrew on the one hand and to James and John on the other - all four to follow me nbsp There are two observations about this story which deserve some reflection

This week Joseph G Bock looks at the unique role of Catholic N G O s in Haiti s recovery efforts following the earthquake that claimed the lives of over 220 000 people this past January Our intern P J Williams produced the slideshow below based on the article For more of America s co

Advent is a time of desire nbsp We desire the coming of Christ into our lives nbsp The readings from the Book of Isaiah reveal even the earth desiring the presence of God nbsp The wonderful ldquo O antiphons rdquo sung at evening prayer and during the Gospel acclamations towards the end of

Depression and other mental health problems represent an increasing concern on college campuses Now to me this is worth some analysis and speculation as there are so many preventative services community mental health centers informed pediatricians skilled private practitioners extensive work-up

Like many I journeyed back to my hometown for the Thanksgiving holiday to spend time with family and friends Since moving to DC from New England these visits home also double as vacation offering respite from work and worry Sunday evening I had the opportunity to attend Mass at the parish wher

Do the improving fortunes of U S not-for-profits suggest the nation rsquo s economic bad times may be nearing an end The results of a recent survey are at least encouraging In October the percentage of public charities and private foundations reporting better contribution numbers improved from 23

Have you seen the new ad from General Motors the storied auto company that recently went public again after a partial government take over during the height of the economic crisis It seems remarkable for this sort of company to produce an advertisment that is so direct and forthcoming Have a look

Tomorrow is the the anniversary nbsp of the first ever abolition of the death penalty by a state -- the Grand Duchy of Tuscany on 30 November 1786 -- celebrated for the past few years as the International Day of the Cities for Life campaign organised by the Rome-based Catholic community of Sant Egi

Father Joseph Johnson in his homily for the First Sunday of nbsp Advent at the Cathedral of St Paul reflected on something that is very much in the air right now at least for me and those whom I know and read the continuing exteriorizing of life He chose to contrast the life of Facebook Twitter

Sometimes I m benumbed by many requests from charities that fill the snail mail or electronic mailboxes Still other times I m on the other side trying to publicize a good cause so that some will be encouraged to help out in some manner I suspect many readers of America have found themselves in si

Reuters FaithWorld blog has accounts by two Church of England priests who became Catholics in the early 1990s one of whom reverted after realising the depth of pain and controversy his move caused among those he loved The other seems very happy and only misses congregational singing and old churc

The timing of the conversation surrounding the Holy Father s comments on the prevention of HIV AIDS was not only important but as it turned out very timely Dec 1 is World AIDS Day nbsp Another contribution to the discussion is a superb new nbsp film called Into the Light about an Ta