Here is a small book of images artfully constructed and melancholy with only one story to tell but a story with two parts the end is coming life goes on As the title indicates each poem in this the 19th volume from Charles Wright contains six lines but six lines visually attenuated always

Family Reunion Re “Rome Open to Anglican Return” (Signs of the Times, 11/2): We are told that this promised apostolic constitution is a response to the many and frequent knocks that our separated brothers have made at the door of the Catholic Church. This easily brings to mind the parabl

As a fan of the writer Karen Armstrong -- a former nun who has become one of the leading authorities on religion and its deformation in the modern world -- I was intrigued to learn of an initiative she has just launched no less than a global charter calling for the restoration of the principle of c

I have a feeling that this week rsquo s readings were not geared to the Hollywood release date of 2012 but it works out well for those with apocalypse on the mind The first reading from Daniel 12 1-3 and the second reading from Mark 13 24-32 a chapter known to scholars as the little apocalyps

Edward Beck a Passionist priest nbsp and author of several books on spirituality including his compelling memoir God Underneath is a talented writer and explicator of the faith who regularly appears on ABC Now nbsp and Good Morning America nbsp He is intelligent moderate and helpful on t

Today is the anniversary of the birth of Servant of God Pedro Arrupe S J 1907-1991 superior general of the Society of Jesus from 1965 to 1983 nbsp The Irish Province has a fine website up though some of their links are on the fritz on the man called by some the Second Founder of the Jesui

Here s a real pastoral question to consider What place nbsp is there for nbsp the gay person in the Catholic church nbsp With the warning from the archdiocese of Washington D C that it would pull out of social services in the city rather than accede to a bill that would afford benefits to same

Tom Reese S J over at On Faith offers a thorough examination of the brewing controversy in Washington that is pitting the church against the DC city council As Michael O Loughlin noted earlier the archdiocese has threatened to stop offering social services if it is forced to abide by a propos

We might expect a man of eighty-eight one who has lived through the worst of the twentieth century to have a certain gloomy angst about the future of humanity and a reasonable doubt about our essential goodness Such is not the case of Ladislas Orsy S J the world renown professor of law at Geor

Don t miss Regina Nigro s nbsp new review on our online Culture page of the new sci-fi series V in which she praises the show s appeal nbsp but also dissects its hidden xenophobia nbsp The show s theme--aliens cultivate relationships with humans on earth--proves to be morally problematic

From yesterday rsquo s Washington Post The Catholic Archdiocese of Washington said Wednesday that it will be unable to continue the social service programs it runs for the District if the city doesn t change a proposed same-sex marriage law a threat that could affect tens of thousands of people th

Democrats were quick to impute Torquemada-like attributes to the effort by social and other conservatives neo- and paleo-conservatives to back the candidacy of Doug Hoffman in the special election in an upstate congressional race over that of the more moderate Dede Scozzafava who had been selected

Oh no prayer can only make it and her better especially if nbsp prayer is helping her nbsp to see things like this Gasp ndash my conscience is singed I fail in love every day no matter how much I try Managing unconditional love for the people in my house whom I like to think I would die f

I have never met Nancy Keenan the President of NARAL but I did once interview Jon O rsquo Brien the President of the fabulously misnamed Catholics for Choice He seemed like a very nice man although we obviously disagree about many things Both Keenan and O rsquo Brien are now desperate They had

In a comment on my blog post from this morning reader Michael Liddy points out that the Stupak Amendment does not in fact prohibit insurance companies from offering plans in the exchanges that cover abortion It only requires that the companies offer an identical plan that does not cover abortion

A public letter to Congressman Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island from Bishop Thomas J Tobin in which Bishop Tobin says I m not sure you fulfill the basic requirements of being a Catholic nbsp It was published in the Rhode Island Catholic here nbsp H T Robert Mickens nbsp The text of the

Some liberal Democrats are up in arms about the Stupak Amendment even though many of those same liberal Democrats voted for the final bill which included that Amendment They need to remember however that the objective here is to pass a health care bill and that inflammatory rhetoric may not help

Not long ago the debate was whether it was happening at all Today the question is whether global warming and consequent climate disruption will destroy industrial civilization as we know it and if so how quickly A sense of just how far we have moved can be found in the debate between environment-