Children of the Council
The Roman Catholic clergy in the United States report with dismay—and not a little self-pity—that their churches, once filled on Sunday, are now half empty. Some view this decline in Sunday Mass attendance as proof that the Catholic Church is falling apart, and many attribute the decline
The Threat of Same-Sex Marriage
Those who argue against the legalization of same-sex marriages insist that marriage is ordered toward the procreation of children and that the legal supports given to marriage are given with that end in view. Marriage needs the protection of laws because society must be concerned about its own prese
Religious Freedom in the Catacombs
This is not a good time for religious freedom in American law. More and more, U.S. courts are explicitly embracing arguments that religious freedom extends only to those religious practices that are confined and compartmentalized. Religious practices are explicitly receiving reduced protection if th
Of Many Things
Of Many Things
"They call me the Manhole Cover Lady,” says Diana Stuart, author of Designs Under Foot: The Art of Manhole Covers in New York City (Design Books, 2003). After attending her lecture on what might seem a curious topic, I spoke to her about her book and how she came to write it.Like most New
Letters
Letters
At the Bedside
In Must We Preserve Life? (4/19), Ronald Hamel and Michael Panicola present a forthright and cogent summation of the church’s traditional teaching on nutrition and hydration, drawing particular attention to the subtle, and now not-so-subtle, attempts of some to restrict this teaching narrowly during the last 20 years.
Must we preserve life? Each human…
Editorials
Endgame
The United States went to war in Iraq to destroy weapons of mass destruction and depose Saddam Hussein. No weapons have been found; Saddam is under arrest. The time has come to declare “mission accomplished” and announce a deadline for bringing the troops home. The administration has mad
Books
A South Buffalo Start
Not long ago an English critic and essayist Geoffrey Wheatcroft cast a cold eye on the rash of memoirs written by Irish Catholics from both sides of the Atlantic Would there ever come a day Wheatcroft wondered when an Irish-Catholic memoirist would have something good to say about his or her f
Storytelling at Its Irish Best
In the very useful Penguin Book of Irish Fiction 2000 editor Colm T ib n ultimately selected but one short story from the prolific Benedict Kiely an unenviable task to say the least T ib n chose Homes on the Mountain a modest-seeming tale about a 12-year-old boy and his extended family tw
Poetry
The Mouse and the Human
The mouse doesn’t really bother anyone.
The Word
All You Can Eat!
This feast combines two previously separate celebrations Originally each feast concentrated on one aspect of the awesome mystery of the Eucharist Christ rsquo s body or his blood Joined with each other they bring together the depth and richness of this theology Looking first at important theme
What’s My Line?
On the old quiz show ldquo What rsquo s My Line rdquo a panel of celebrities tried to discover the occupation of a contestant who was required to answer their questions honestly but without revealing any pertinent clues The contestant won if the panel failed In today rsquo s Gospel Jesus asks
Columns
The Jihadists of Luton
While the documentary filmmaker Michael Moore hardly speaks for most of those who believe the invasion of Iraq was a mistake, his efforts to portray Iraqi insurgents as heroic freedom-fighters heralds an intellectual crisis on the left. Do opponents of the war in Iraq also believe that the United St
News
Signs of the Times
Archbishop Closes Parishes, Urges UnityArchbishop Sean P. O’Malley, O.F.M.Cap., of Boston announced on May 25 that 70 of the archdiocese’s 357 parishes would be suppressed in the coming months. In addition to the suppressions, five new parishes will be formed and five other church buildi
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Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts