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Vatican II and American Politics
Thomas J. Shelley
During much of our history as a nation, many Americans wondered what their Catholic neighbors would do if someday they became the majority of the population. Would the teaching of their church require them to declare Catholicism the official religion of the country and to limit the religious freedom
Books
Source of Salvation
Denise Lardner Carmody
If you are looking for a concise and clear introduction to Christology look no further Like the fine teacher he must be as professor of theological studies and department chair at Loyola Marymount Los Angeles Thomas P Rausch S J uses the work of many scholars to wrestle with the question W
Books
150 Reasons to Reform
Terry Golway
Is there a high school student in the United States who does not know the story of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire Thirty years ago the answer would have been obvious and emphatic No The terrible tale of the disaster that took place in a relatively few minutes on March 25 1911 was part of
FaithThe Word
The Point of Suffering
Dianne Bergant
Suffering of various kinds and intensities explodes in the life of every human being.
Blessed Is She
Patricia A. Kossmann
It was on a balmy day in early autumn, some 20 years ago, that I was privileged to meet Mother Teresa personally. She was in the United States making visitations to some of her Missionaries of Charity communities. At this particular time she was at their house on 145th Street in the South Bronx. Act
Television
God and the New Fall Shows
James Martin, S.J.
This year the question of which new fall shows to review proves unusually easy. For two new series feature a character familiar to readers of this magazine: God. In CBS’s wonderfully inventive new drama Joan of Arcadia (Friday, 8-9 p.m. ET), the teenage Joan, daughter of the local police chief
Books
Literary Road Map
Tom O
If she rsquo s not careful Susan Wise Bauer will wind up a guru on PBS Her maiden name doesn rsquo t hurt her chances but neither do her ideas which are both erudite and down-to-earth wise yet in touch with the commonplace If she talks the way she writeswith spark and flair but also the right
Books
Through an Urban Lens
Richard A. Blake
Woody Allen has never been in the Spielberg or Lucas class of popularity with American audiences yet the critical literature surrounding the artist and his work continues to grow beyond any correlation to his box-office numbers With the possible exception of Hitchcock Allen may be the most scruti
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
George M. Anderson
Movies have long been one of my passions, but considering the ticket prices—an average of $10—first-run films in New York City seldom find me in their audiences. As a child, I rarely missed the Saturday features at my hometown’s sole theater, the Milo, located across from the court
Clash-Talk
John Renard
As uncertainty and anxiety over global political, social and economic instability rise, so does the quest for the intellectual equivalent of comfort food. Conspiracy theory, reductionist interpretations of history and sweeping demonizations of whole ethnic and religious communities—in short, b
Letters
Letters
Our readers

Sisters Still Say...

As the chaplain at a large motherhouse of Dominican sisters, many of whom are elderly and infirm, I write to thank you for the extraordinary editorial Valiant Women (9/22).

It is a magnificent and well-deserved tribute to all sisters everywhere to whom the church in our country is so indebted. In the name of the Dominican Sisters of Sparkill, I express our/their gratitude.

To celebrate Mass each day and to see in the chapel balcony so many faithful sisters in wheelchairs or using walkers; to sit at table and listen to so many reminisce cheerfully about their years of ministry; to be the beneficiary of countless lived homilies; all this is a special privilege for this aging Dominican chaplain.

Though the sisters may no longer be engaged in active apostolates because of age and poor health, this is still a rewarding and effective ministry of presence.

To this day the Catholic faithful can still profit and grow spiritually because Sister says....

Raymond Daley, O.P.

Books
A Bridge Crossed
Richard J. Hauser
The Inner Experience is a significant addition to Thomas Merton rsquo s 1915-68 books in print In this text Merton the most prolific and widely read Christian spiritual author of the 20th century gives an orderly approach to his thought on contemplation available in no other text Further the
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
Patricia A. Kossmann
Children are a fascinating lot. In their innocence, trust, playfulness and inquisitiveness they can often be our teachers. They question and wonder about big and small things; they hunger for knowledge. There’s no end or limit to their sense of wonderment. And this will never change.   Th
A Light for the World
Mary Ann Walsh
As part of the celebration of the 25th anniversary of the pontificate of John Paul II, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has sponsored a handsome new book entitled John Paul II: A Light for the World (edited by Mary Ann Walsh, R.S.M.; Sheed & Ward). Accompanying the many photographs by off
Letters
Letters
Our readers

Memory of Millions

While Nicholas Mele makes some important points in his article The North Korea Conundrum (9/8), he begins with a comparison that fundamentally weakens his overall argument. In the second paragraph of his essay, he states that while the policies of the North Korean leadership have resulted in the starvation or malnutrition of millions, which is reprehensible, Americans should perhaps consider the impact of the current and previous U.S. administrations’ policies on the American poor before stigmatizing the North Koreans.

While the American people and their elected officials have often ignored the principles of social justice in legislating policy that affects the poor and marginalized, in no way can one seriously compare America’s past and present faults with the crimes against humanity perpetrated by Kim Jhong Il, his father and their cronies. Such a comparison does violence to the memory of the millions of North Koreans who have died at the hands of the monsters who have led their nation for the past decades, whose atrocities can rightly be compared to those of Hitler, Stalin and the Khmer Rouge.

Anthony D. Andreassi

Books
A Prodigious Intellectual Effort
Luke Timothy Johnson
Robert Wilken states his book rsquo s purpose in the introduction to depict the pattern of Christian thinking as it took shape in the formative years of the church rsquo s history It is a large task but one that Wilken carries out with great learning and deep appreciation This is not a book writ
Editorials
A Pope for the World
The Editors
Pope John Paul II’s trip to Great Britain in late May 1982 was such a smashing success that The London Times said if there were such a title as First Citizen of the World, John Paul would win it. That designation would be neither the only nor the most relevant way of describing the 263rd succe
News
Signs of the Times
From AP, CNS, RNS, Staff and other sources
Proposed Vatican Document on Liturgy Returned to CommitteeA proposed Vatican document on liturgical norms was sent back to its drafting committee after cardinals and bishops raised objections and encouraged changes. Among other things, the draft, presented to consulting prelates in June, reportedly
Portfolio
Twenty-five Years as Pope: A Pictorial History
The Editors
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the election of John Paul II, we figured that if a picture is worth 1,000 words, then the only way to describe his pontificate briefly is with pictures. To see these photos, click here to display a PDF version of these pages in America.A PDF file is easy to read
Books
Lady With a Cause
Pam Kingsbury
Dorothy Height thinks of her life as a unity of circles Some are concentric others overlap but they all connect in some way Sometimes the connections don rsquo t happen for years But when they do I marvel As in a shimmering kaleidoscope familiar patterns keep unfolding Too well-bred to compl