How and why should the church use empirical evidence for ministry and discernment? Empirical data and engagement with the broader context of Catholicism can help us to better understand the life of the church.
Faith
Posted inFaith, Features
Where is God in the liturgy? A way forward for reform and renewal
How do Catholics in the United States understand the liturgy today? Five different approaches are prominent, but some share more with Pope Francis’ synodal and liturgical vision.
Posted inFaith, Your Take
Our readers on the greatness of Catholic kitsch
Our readers offer their appreciation for Kerry Weber’s defense of Catholic kitsch.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Pope Francis marks 12 remarkable years leading the Catholic Church from his hospital room
As he enters his 13th year as pope, Francis stands tall as the moral authority in today’s world, a voice pleading for humanity, peace and respect for the dignity of all people.
Posted inFaith, Interviews
How to preach on the Gospel of Luke this Lent
Luke’s vision of Jesus is deeply attuned to God’s compassion, justice and concern for those most impoverished and marginalized, offering a radical invitation to all to enter into the kingdom of God.
Posted inFaith, Podcasts
Podcast: Pope Francis’ recovery and the church’s stance on gender dysphoria
On “Inside the Vatican,” Ricardo da Silva, S.J., talks with Gerard O’Connell about Pope Francis’ latest health updates and Cardinal Fernández’s recent comments on gender dysphoria.
Posted inFaith, The Good Word
Shakespeare and St. Luke agree: this life is like a dream
A Homily for the Second Sunday of Lent, by Father Terrance Klein
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Chest X-ray confirms improvements in Pope Francis’ condition
Pope Francis’ clinical condition “remains stable” within “the complexity of his overall situation,” and the chest X-ray carried out yesterday “confirmed the improvements that had been registered in the previous days.”
Posted inDispatches, Faith
Thousands of tourists flock to Ireland for St. Patrick’s Day. But one figure is missing: St. Patrick.
Tens of thousands of tourists flock to Ireland each year for the St. Patrick’s Day Festival. But in the midst of the concerts, parades and art installations, one figure is strikingly absent—Patrick himself.
Posted inFaith, News
Cardinal McElroy installed as eighth archbishop of Washington
During the nearly two-hour liturgy, Cardinal McElroy encouraged the faithful of his new archdiocese to be “pilgrims of hope in a wounded world.”