Michael J. O’Loughlin

From the New York Times ALBANY mdash One of New York State rsquo s leading Roman Catholic bishops said on Tuesday that it was not appropriate for church officials to comment on whether specific elected officials should be allowed to receive holy communion Bishop Howard J Hubbard the leade

What does unconditional love and acceptance look like in twenty-first century America today Sometimes she wears a dress made of raw meat To her millions of fans and admirers Lady Gaga the 24-year-old pop superstar represents acceptance and affirmation when their peers the media and society a

Back in August I posted about Newt Gingrich his conversion to Catholicism and his pontificating on various moral issues of the day even as he battles questions about his own moral failings The New York Times yestrday offered a profile on Gingrich s faith and politicking which is receiving renew

Senator Scott Brown the rising-star Republican from Massachusetts is on a media blitz this week promoting his new book Against All Odds Reviews describe the book as a compelling account of Brown s escape from a troubled youth–moving 17 times in only 18 years with 7 marriages between his two pa

The New York Times magazine notes that if Rahm Emanuel wins election for Chicago mayor next week as is widely expected it will mark the first time in 80 years save once that the city hasn t been led by a Roman Catholic mayor But Emanuel who is Jewish appears to have some close connections to

Is protesting outside a place of worship an acceptable way to express yourself I ve been considering this question today after reading the news of a group in Chicago marched in front of Holy Name Cathedral over the weekend to make Cardinal Francis George aware that they disapprove of his campaign ag

Noting that the majority of Catholics who serve in the 112th Congress are far more conservative than those in the previous two former George W Bush speechwriter Michael Gerson asks in the Washington Post ldquo What influence is this shift likely to have rdquo The short answer in Gerson rsquo

In an article that one might reasonably mistake for being from The Onion the BBC reports Catholic church gives blessing to iPhone app The Catholic Church has approved an iPhone app that helps guide worshippers through confession The program – called Confession – went on sale last week through i

From The Economist A LINE of Bibles snaking out of the door of the Friends of Israel Biblical Baptist Tabernacle means the afternoon service is about to start The church has been extended three times in ten years to seat over 10 000 people but it is still so busy that the faithful use Bibles

Reflecting a bit on Robert Putnam s warning that churches should resist the urge to act as political power players lest they risk alienating key demographics especially millennials I chuckled a bit to myself when I read two headlines from EWTN s newsfeed yesterday The first article Massachusetts