Talking About Sex
When I was about six years old, I went to my dad and asked him, “Where do babies come from?” He told me to take a look at the guppies in our fish tank. My mom says I stood transfixed in front of the fish tank for several hours each day for a week.Seven years…
Liturgiam Authenticam and the New Vulgate
The story is told of the Irish woman, 40 years married and the mother of seven, who left church after hearing a sermon from a young priest on marriage and motherhood and remarked, "Sure and I wish I knew as little about it as he does." Having spent the last 17 years working on Bible…
Rescuing School Choice From Its Friends
This generation has witnessed many proposals for school choice, but only a few have taken root in law and practice. What do states such as Wisconsin and Ohio understand that remains opaque to their sisters? Though the 10-year-old Milwaukee program is effective and popular, its vital insight has so f
The Call for Debt Forgiveness
Bishop James Hoffman of Toledo, Ohio, recently cancelled more than $1.38 million in delinquent debts owed by 24 parishes and institutions in his diocese. The parishes had incurred these obligations by not paying assessments—for example, for insurance coverage secured on their behalf by the dio
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
Visiting Cemeteries might seem an odd way to spend a vacation. As an obsessive, lifelong English major, however, I have an interest in the final resting places of those who made notable contributions to literature. During a week’s respite in the Boston area, I accordingly spent several hours a
Letters
Letters
"Here Comes the…"As I read the article by Thomas Sweetser, S.J., (7/2) on behalf of his 50 fatigued pastors, I couldn’t help but feel sad that this group apparently can no longer differentiate between a job and a vocation. A job can be quantified by the hours, but a vocation—
Editorials
Foreign Aid and World Hunger
However generous individual Americans may be toward those in need, as a nation we do not rank high when it comes to providing development assistance to poor and hungry people in other lands. This is one of the observations made by the Washington, D.C.-based Bread for the World Institute in its annua
Faith in Focus
Why I Won’t Cope
Recently I received a flyer in the mail inviting me to a clergy workshop that promised to help me "cope creatively." It’s being conducted by a friend of mine, a priest of faultless intentions, and will be given by a presenter known nationally as an expert on what the brochure calls &
Books
The Good Life
In preparation for his work Alan Wolfe the director of the Boisi Center for Religion and American Public Life at Boston College helped design a public opinion poll about American views on sex morality work children God and money The poll was conducted in March 2000 and published in a special
How We Get There
We know Kathleen Norris now by three books all of them well received all published in the last eight years They are Dakota A Spiritual Geography 1993 The Cloister Walk 1996 and Amazing Grace A Vocabulary of Faith 1998 There have also been three books of poems small volumes published a
Poetry
At the New Jewish Cemetery in Prague
“From dust you come and shall return”
The Word
Adult Baptism for All Christians
At the end of his magisterial survey of the quest of the historical Jesus in the 19th century Albert Schweitzer recalled Jesus rsquo command to every Christian to follow him and added quot to those who obey him whether they be wise or simple he will reveal himself in the toils in the conflic
A Gated Community?
Christians today overly concerned about impressive gates and religious identity may find some surprising table companions at the messianic banquet.
Columns
Spiritually Topping Out
My wife asked me the other day what I considered the time in my life when I felt most spiritually rich. She knew the answer, because I’ve talked about it many times: senior year in high school. But she wanted to deepen an ongoing discussion we’ve been having about the lackluster state of
Faith
A Gated Community?
Christians today overly concerned about impressive gates and religious identity may find some surprising table companions at the messianic banquet.
News
Clergy Rating A Belated Response to Andrew Greeley
The data in the Rev. Andrew Greeley’s paper, "Rating the Clergy" (Am., 5/7), came as no surprise to many of us. His proposed solution, however, did give me pause. In paraphrase, Father Greeley makes four suggestions for improving the situation: 1. Seminaries should realize their
Signs of the Times
Continuing Archival ControversyA group of Catholic and Jewish scholars established to study World War II archival material already published by the Vatican has suspended its work. In a letter dated July 20, the scholars said that in order to continue working together they would need "access in
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts