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Of Many Things
Of Many Things
James Martin, S.J.
For many years I have thought that the book that begs to be written is a book of Jesuit stories. Now, I’m not talking about a compendium of the holy lives of Jesuit saints and martyrs: for this see a fine book by Joseph Tylenda, S.J., entitled, not surprisingly, Jesuit Saints and Martyrs. And
Books
Rock-Solid American
Timothy Dugan

The following expropriation of Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself appears in The Partly Cloudy Patriot, a collection of 19 reflective, often witty essays by Sara Vowell, author, radio artist, editor, literary critic, presidential essayist and self-admitted Clinton apologist: “The best description of you [President Clinton] I’ve ever read was published in 1855:

Do I contradict myself?

The Abuse of Power
Edward Foley, Don Shan
Given the stories of sexual abuse that assault us from every direction, it is possible that any public discussion of liturgy could be dismissed either as frivolous diversion or highly ideological sparring. Catholics have serious issues to discuss, moral ground to retake and an obvious evil to repel.
Books
Keep the Faith
William A. Barry
This is an important book Christopher Ringwald makes strikingly clear that spirituality is the ldquo soul of recovery rdquo from addiction Through interviews and research he shows that addicts have for over a century found the way to sobriety and to a positive contribution to society through so
Hiding in the Thickets of the Law'
The Rev. John P. Beal
In the heat of a Dallas summer and the even more intense heat of national and international media scrutiny, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops met on June 14 to address what they described as a crisis without precedent in our times, namely the crisis within the Catholic Church sparked by the se
FaithThe Word
What Shall I Wear?
John R. Donahue
Recently I watched ldquo My Big Fat Greek Wedding rdquo a film filled with the exuberant joy of the human condition It culminates in a wedding feast with steaming plates of food much to drink and enthusiastic dancing Frequently in literature and drama weddings are the setting for a joyful deno
Poetry
Early Sunday, After Deciding Not to Go to Mass
Rebecca Rotert

I pull my wool sweater on over my nightgown

Editorials
Hope, Not Optimism
The Editors
It takes great courage to speak candidly in the midst of a crisis. To speak serenely when surrounded by mayhem requires wisdom and tact. To speak at all these days to the members of the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors requires fortitude. Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, the coadjutor bis
Books
Get Connected
John Predmore
Singing to the Dead recounts the experiences of Victoria Armour-Hileman a Catholic lay missioner from the United States among the Mon Buddhist refugees in Bangkok in the early 1990 rsquo s As the Burmese government intensifies its ethnic war on its Mon people Armour-Hileman engages in the daily
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
George M. Anderson
Oct. 16 is World Food Day—the founding date over half a century ago of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. But in view of the starvation that is claiming many lives in the poorest countries, Oct. 16 might more appropriately be called World Hunger Day. During a late-sum
Anniversary Thoughts
Gerald S. Twomey
When he was elected in 1958, the 78-year-old Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli appeared to be a “transitional pope.” He did in fact become transitional—in unexpected ways. As Pope John XXIII, he inaugurated a new era for the Roman Catholic Church when he prayed for a “new Pentecost.&r
Letters
Letters
Our readers

Needs at This Time

The proposed national plenary council for U.S. bishops (Signs of the Times, 8/26) sounds like a desperate exercise in self-validation. The time would be better spent in a critical self-examination of bishops’ needs at this time in church history.

For example, what should be the job description of a bishop/cardinal in the 21st century? What should be the job description for a priest? What are the educational needs that will bring bishops/cardinals up to speed to become competent managers? This is a serious issue. What programs need to be devised for the continuing education of bishops/cardinals?

The teaching office of the bishops is a relic of a church that no longer exists. We are no longer a congregation of ignorant peasants. Many faithful Catholics are better educated than their bishops. Additionally, it is time to re-examine the truths that the Catholic Church teaches in the light of history, scientific discoveries and biblical scholarship. Bishops need to learn to listen again to theologians who have pondered these revelations of God’s presence in our midst.

There are even more frightening issues to be faced. Do these men dare stand up to the Vatican and assert that they, English-speaking ecclesial authorities, have the competency to decide what should be the English-language translations of biblical and liturgical texts? Do they dare stand up to the Vatican and say that there is a crisis in the number of priests, and say that they will ordain whomever they please to assure that the faithful will have access to the sacraments? Probably not. But some time soon, dynamic leadership will have to emerge to save the church.

Jim Harvey

When to Forgive
Avery Dulles
In his contribution to a recent volume on forgiveness, edited by Everett L. Worthington Jr., Martin Marty hazards the opinion that if there were a single word that expressed the very heart of the Christian message, it might well be “forgiveness.” Christians, he says, are called to exper
Books
Monks' Missives
Richard J. Hauser
Survival or Prophecy is the right book for Merton devotees seeking greater insight into Merton rsquo s thoughts about monastic renewal In his letters to his friend Jean LeClercq Merton candidly bares his own soul revealing frustration with his monastic situation at Gethsemani and a yearning to li
News
Signs of the Times
From AP, CNS, RNS, Staff and other sources
Vatican May O.K. Experimental Application of U.S. NormsThe Vatican is leaning toward approval of an experimental application of the U.S. bishops’ norms on sexual abuse by clergy, perhaps after some clarifying language is added, a senior Vatican official said. “This would not be a rejection b
Goodbye, Democrats
John F. Kavanaugh
Why do media moguls think we are interested in Ashleigh Banfield? Why do they believe that we couldn’t wait to be afflicted with Phil Donahue again? Why do they imagine that we are concerned about Rosie’s magazine? Why do they think that Ann Coulter would be a media fixture if she were a
Faith in Focus
Clerical Culture Both Beauty and Beast
Emil A. Wcela
Mama Leone’s was a famous restaurant in midtown Manhattan a few decades ago. A combination of location—West 48th Street between Seventh Avenue and Eighth Avenue—food, atmosphere and entertainment attracted tourists into waiting lines that often stretched into the street. If the ma&
Columns
Betting on Dreams
Lorraine V. Murray
My dad was a gambler. One of my earliest memories is seeing him checking the racing results in the newspaper and circling likely prospects for the next day’s betting. My father’s habit wouldn’t have been a problem had we been a rich family, but we weren’t. When he and my mom
Yes, Gay Men Should Be Ordained
Thomas J. Gumbleton
One major fallout of the current crisis of leadership in the Catholic Church is the scapegoating of homosexual priests and seminarians. One bishop was quoted as saying that his “unscientific conclusion is that most sexual abuse by priests is against adolescent boys and therefore is rooted in s
Working With Prisoners: An Interview With Simone Ponnet
George M. Anderson
Walking up Willis Avenue, one of the more desolate thoroughfares of the South Bronx, I was on my way to interview Simone Ponnet of the Little Sisters of the Gospel, who is the executive director of Abraham House. Abraham House (www.abrahamhouse.org) is a residential program for prisoners assigned th