On Friday evening, Sept. 29, poets, musicians, theologians and friends gathered in the James Chapel at Union Theological Seminary in New York City to celebrate the life and work of the Orthodox priest Alexander Men. Among other delights, we heard from Father Men’s son Mikhail, currently vice g
David S. Toolan
Posted inOf Many Things
Of Many Things
If saints were still chosen by popular acclamation, those of us who knew Edward Skillin, the late publisher of Commonweal magazine, would be shouting his name from the rooftops. Edward stopped going into the Commonweal office only two years ago, at age 94. He first joined the staff in 1933, as a you
Posted inOf Many Things
Of Many Things
Next to religious leaders, the New Testament is hardest on the rich. Serving God and Mammon don’t mix, we are told. Getting a rich man to heaven is about as easy as passing a camel through the eye of a needle. And so on. But as the son of a rich man, I want you to know there’s another si
Posted inFrom Our Archives
Elin’s Fevered Island
The first big surprise on landing in Havana, Cuba, is the magnificent new José Martí International Airport. You’ve heard all the stories about the collapse of the island’s economy after the Soviet Union abandoned subsidies in 1989, and how since then, with the tightening of the U.S. em
Posted inOf Many Things
Of Many Things
A good deal of the zing has gone out of the race for the presidency now that both John McCain and Bill Bradley have withdrawn. I didn’t realize the intellectual loss until last month, as I listened to Al Gore being interviewed by Jim Lehrer. Lehrer brought up the topic of abortion. Gore chose
Posted inBooks
Unfinished Universe
In a series of very readable books over the last two decades John F Haught a professor of theology at Georgetown University Washington D C has established himself as one of the most intelligent voices in the whole science-religion debate Unfortunately for him and the rest of us Haught rsquo
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Five Days in Kosovo
Each crisp winter morning these days, I smell the steam heat creeping through the old radiators of my Upper West Side Manhattan apartment. The hot water for my morning shower also (almost) never fails. How remarkable these little comforts are! I have a fresh appreciation for warmth because two month
Posted inOf Many Things
Of Many Things
On the chilly afternoon of Nov. 30, I headed up Broadway bound for a party, the celebration of Commonweal magazine’s 75th anniversary. Arriving at Fordham-Lincoln Center’s McNally Amphitheater, I plunked myself down next to Bob Hoyt, Commonweal’s "senior writer," and Denn