Do We Need a New(er) Apologetics?
Apologetics has enjoyed renewed interest among Catholics of North America in the past 25 years. One sign of this is the burgeoning popularity of the so-called new apologists, figures like Scott Hahn, Gerry Matatics, Karl Keating, Mitch Pacwa, S.J., Peter Kreeft and Patrick Madrid. Their distinctive
John Paul II and The Mystery of The Human Person
As the literary output of Pope John Paul II has accumulated, expanding almost beyond the assimilative powers of any one reader, and as he celebrates the silver jubilee of his pontificate, I have been asking myself, as I am sure that many others have: What lies at the very heart of his message? Is th
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
Here’s an old chestnut I first heard as a novice: "He’s as confused as a Jesuit during Holy Week!" Ha ha. We Jesuits were supposed to be so addled about liturgical practices that the elaborate rituals of Holy Week were for us a mystery – and not the good kind of mystery.There i
Letters
Letters
Opposing Estrada
It appears obvious that John W. Donohue, S.J., (Of Many Things, 1/5) missed the fundamental reason for the refusal of Senate Democrats to allow the confirmation of Miguel A. Estrada to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia. The D.C. court is one of the most important courts in the country…
Editorials
Restoring Trust
The publication of the first annual report on the implementation of the Charter for the Protection of Children and Young People was a first step in the long and demanding journey necessary to restore confidence in the bishops’ moral authority, after the searing revelations of the way in which
Books
The Essence of Belief
The principal question this book addresses is hardly ever voiced in these words What do I have to believe in order to be Catholic Rather Catholics from all walks of life wonder about and struggle with the normativity of ecclesial doctrine by asking themselves and each other such questions as l
Weighing In
Margaret O rsquo Brien Steinfels has pointed out that the sexual abuse scandal so troubling the Catholic Church is more than a crisis about sexual abuse it is an ecclesiological crisis The crisis has generated various initiatives on the part of concerned Catholics among them Voice of the Faithful
Film
The Call of the King: ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’
Whether we love or hate the “Lord of the Rings” films, we have to admire them: they are a monumental cinematic achievement. Shot over 274 days for $281 million and lasting 558 minutes, these films have, at the time of writing and in the United States alone, grossed over $897 million.
The Word
Hand-Me-Downs
It is likely that while we were growing up many of us wore clothing or played with toys that had been handed down to us from an older member of the family At such times we grew into the clothing or took possession of the toys making them our own Now as independent as we…
Columns
Free Trade’s Losers
The hour was early, the morning was grey, and the new year was only days old. It was not a time when one’s powers of concentration are especially keen. But when I heard, or thought I heard, a radio announcer mumble something about job figures for December, I cringed out of sympathy for the poo
News
Signs of the Times
Two Archbishops Challenge Lawmakers on AbortionTwo U.S. archbishops have challenged Catholic legislators to be faithful to the church’s teaching on abortion and the sanctity of life. Archbishop-elect Raymond L. Burke formally notified Catholic lawmakers in the Diocese of La Crosse, Wis., that
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts