What is the future of religious life in the vocation crisis?
Lack of imagination and fear of innovation on the part of the church as a whole are two elements obstructing the renewal of contemporary religious life, for every baptized Catholic has a role to play in the task of reimagining this way of living. In declaring 2015 a year dedicated to consecrated lif
Guns and the demise of the American common good
The common good is the first victim of America’s gun culture.
Dear Pope Francis:Letters, with love, from young Catholic women
"Dear Pope Francis.…” Thus began many of the letters that were carefully placed in a blue binder in preparation for transcontinental travel to Rome. Others opened with the salutation: “Your Holiness,” “Most Holy Reverend Pope Francis,” “Querido Papa Fr
John Kerry: ‘We ignore the global impact of religion at our peril’
Secretary of State John Kerry writes about the role of faith traditions in diplomacy and global affairs
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
Mr. Bush was onto something: While government has a role to play in the pursuit of the common good, our charitable and voluntary associations are similarly indispensable, and those who have a religious worldview have historically led the way.
Letters
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Separate IssuesRe “Selling the Unborn,” (Editorial, 8/17): The tragedy of abortion is a mother finding herself in a situation where she decides ending the life of her child is her best option. “Pro-life” is a euphemism for taking this hugely personal and difficult decision an
Editorials
Do Americans work too much?
Economists are very good at quantifying the cost of labor, but we struggle greatly to talk about its worth.
Books
Today’s Moral Issues
‘Changing the Questions,’ by Margaret A. Farley
A Priestly Vocation
‘Thirty-Three Good Men,’ by John A. Weafer
Manila to New York
‘In the Country,’ by Mia Alvar
The transformational world of Jon Hassler
Jon Hassler’s sacramental imagination brightens a world grown gray with the banality of reality television and teenage paranormal romances.
Television
Our Moment of Zen: Saying Goodbye to Jon Stewart
Few things can humble me more quickly than a brief trip to the Home Depot. I recently found myself lost among the store’s countless plumbing supplies, and when I sought the help of an employee, he looked at me with what appeared to be the disgust of an English professor being asked to spell ca
Poetry
A Rose
I bring you a rosewhich you yourself created!Did you create the roseso that I could bring it,or me, so that Iwould find a roseand bring it to you? So, I give myself and a rose.Thank you for the giftof roses which I give back,with my hands opening. I love your roses and you.Can you smell wh
The Word
Caring for ‘the little ones’ lives out the Gospel
It feels good to belong mdash to one rsquo s family to a group of friends to a team mdash to be part of something bigger than oneself Belonging creates feelings of comfort joy peace and purpose How good must it have felt to be chosen as one of the Twelve Apostles And to have…
Columns
Is the Shroud Genuine?
Two years ago an Italian scientist published a book entitled The Mystery of the Shroud, an examination of the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin, the cloth that many believe to be the burial cloth of Jesus mentioned in the Gospels. This book asserted that contrary to scientific studies from the lat
Current Comment
Current Comment
A Papal Push in Columbia; New Face of Heroin Abuse; Russia at the Border
Of Other Things
The messy business of becoming a saint
The catalog of official saints provides a rich diversity of Christian guides.
Signs Of the Times
News Briefs
When Archbishop Blase J. Cupich of Chicago received the pallium, a symbol of his unity with the pope and brother bishops, at a special Mass on Aug. 23, he asked the entire church to join him in seeking out lost sheep. • The Diocese of St. Augustine will join the city of St. Augustine, Fla.,…
Court Approves Stay For Little Sisters
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 10th Circuit on Aug. 21 said that while the Little Sisters of the Poor and fellow plaintiffs appeal its July ruling against them, they need not comply with the mandate to provide contraceptive coverage or follow procedures to hand off that responsibility to others.
People of the Book
Before hitting the big screen, comics were stories our parents read to us.
Labour Picks a New Leader
The British Labour Party has long been marked by factionalism and splits, entryism and intrigue. The center and the right have it too, but they hide it better. With Labour, it is visible and endemic.It has happened again, as Labour tries to drag itself back from disaster after the Parliamentary gene
Ten Years After Katrina
On Aug. 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina buried one of the world’s most iconic cities in a flood of biblical proportions. More than 1,800 people lost their lives. “It was like a war zone. No sign of life,” said the now-retired archbishop of New Orleans, Alfred C. Hughes. Across the regi
Labor Deal
A new labor agreement between the Archdiocese of San Francisco and the union representing teachers at the four archdiocesan high schools states that Catholic teaching must remain paramount in the classroom and that teachers are accountable for personal conduct that could negatively affect their abil
Amid Accelerating Debt Crisis, Church Calls for Jubilee
As Puerto Rico’s government marches on toward a critical financial deadline regarding its $72 billion “unpayable” debt, there are hopes for a jubilee of the kind espoused in Scripture.Church leaders, like Archbishop Roberto González Nieves of San Juan, have offered diverse opinion
Vatican Dispatch
Not a Maverick Pope
Pope Francis comes to embrace all Americans.
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