Anniversary Thoughts
When he was elected in 1958, the 78-year-old Angelo Giuseppe Roncalli appeared to be a “transitional pope.” He did in fact become transitional—in unexpected ways. As Pope John XXIII, he inaugurated a new era for the Roman Catholic Church when he prayed for a “new Pentecost.&r
Goodbye, Democrats
Why do media moguls think we are interested in Ashleigh Banfield? Why do they believe that we couldn’t wait to be afflicted with Phil Donahue again? Why do they imagine that we are concerned about Rosie’s magazine? Why do they think that Ann Coulter would be a media fixture if she were a
When to Forgive
In his contribution to a recent volume on forgiveness, edited by Everett L. Worthington Jr., Martin Marty hazards the opinion that if there were a single word that expressed the very heart of the Christian message, it might well be “forgiveness.” Christians, he says, are called to exper
Hiding in the Thickets of the Law’
In the heat of a Dallas summer and the even more intense heat of national and international media scrutiny, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops met on June 14 to address what they described as a crisis without precedent in our times, namely the crisis within the Catholic Church sparked by the se
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
Oct. 16 is World Food Day—the founding date over half a century ago of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. But in view of the starvation that is claiming many lives in the poorest countries, Oct. 16 might more appropriately be called World Hunger Day. During a late-sum
Letters
Letters
Needs at This Time
The proposed national plenary council for U.S. bishops (Signs of the Times, 8/26) sounds like a desperate exercise in self-validation. The time would be better spent in a critical self-examination of bishops’ needs at this time in church history.
For example, what should be the job description of a bishop/cardinal in the 21st…
Editorials
Hope, Not Optimism
It takes great courage to speak candidly in the midst of a crisis. To speak serenely when surrounded by mayhem requires wisdom and tact. To speak at all these days to the members of the National Conference of Diocesan Vocation Directors requires fortitude. Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas, the coadjutor bis
Books
Keep the Faith
This is an important book Christopher Ringwald makes strikingly clear that spirituality is the ldquo soul of recovery rdquo from addiction Through interviews and research he shows that addicts have for over a century found the way to sobriety and to a positive contribution to society through so
Get Connected
Singing to the Dead recounts the experiences of Victoria Armour-Hileman a Catholic lay missioner from the United States among the Mon Buddhist refugees in Bangkok in the early 1990 rsquo s As the Burmese government intensifies its ethnic war on its Mon people Armour-Hileman engages in the daily
Monks’ Missives
Survival or Prophecy is the right book for Merton devotees seeking greater insight into Merton rsquo s thoughts about monastic renewal In his letters to his friend Jean LeClercq Merton candidly bares his own soul revealing frustration with his monastic situation at Gethsemani and a yearning to li
Poetry
Early Sunday, After Deciding Not to Go to Mass
I pull my wool sweater on over my nightgown
The Word
What Shall I Wear?
Recently I watched ldquo My Big Fat Greek Wedding rdquo a film filled with the exuberant joy of the human condition It culminates in a wedding feast with steaming plates of food much to drink and enthusiastic dancing Frequently in literature and drama weddings are the setting for a joyful deno
Faith
What Shall I Wear?
Recently I watched ldquo My Big Fat Greek Wedding rdquo a film filled with the exuberant joy of the human condition It culminates in a wedding feast with steaming plates of food much to drink and enthusiastic dancing Frequently in literature and drama weddings are the setting for a joyful deno
News
Signs of the Times
Vatican May O.K. Experimental Application of U.S. NormsThe Vatican is leaning toward approval of an experimental application of the U.S. bishops’ norms on sexual abuse by clergy, perhaps after some clarifying language is added, a senior Vatican official said. “This would not be a rejection b
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts