Of Many Things
The United States needs to recognize women’s genius and hard work
The contributions of women—too often overlooked—speak to what Pope Francis has called the particular “genius of women.”
Your Take
The Letters
It was with dismay and disappointment that I read a letter to the editor written by Mr. Rudy Lopez in reaction to an article that I recently wrote for America.
Which foreign policy issue worries you the most? America readers weigh in.
Many readers also pointed out that in comparison with other foreign policy issues, climate change’s consequences are the broadest and have the most impact.
Editorials
The failure of the Dream Act would be a moral crisis—and a call to action
Catholic leaders have been vocal in their support for the Dream Act. The question is whether strongly worded statements from the U.S. bishops and others will be enough to shake Congress into action.
Responding to sexual abuse will take years—and it should
If the tragic revelations of the Catholic Church’s sex abuse crisis are any guide, the process of reckoning with problems that have been avoided for decades will itself take decades.
Short Take
Pre-Bethlehem: How the church can do more for expectant parents
The church has pre-Cana programs for marriage, but is it falling short in giving couples spiritual preparation for parenthood?
Dispatches
Can the ‘seamless garment’ approach to pro-life issues make a comeback in the Catholic Church?
Cardinal Bernardin’s consistent ethic of life could be helpful as the church grapples with issues like migration, health care and even taxes, some bishops say.
Catholic eco-activists frustrated that U.S. left behind as climate change efforts negotiated in Bonn
“What we need to do is just continue to live out the challenge of ‘Laudato Si’,’ which is to examine our relationship with the earth, with God and with each other to see how we can become better stewards of this gift of the earth.”
How Catholic university students are responding in Puerto Rico
Students “have lifted up this whole university, challenging us to go out to the margins, like Pope Francis asks.”
Trial of former Salvadoran colonel could bring new details of 1989 Jesuit massacre
Impunity on the Jesuit slayings in El Salvador has prevailed for nearly 30 years as many high-profile and incriminated individuals are still tied to power.
Features
Guadalupe’s Legacy: How a 486-year-old vision of Mary in Mexico continues to influence the church
My grandmother embodied a distinctly Guadalupan presence: prayerful, patient, joyful and strong. Whether nurturing a child, a friendship or a garden, she knew how to help things grow.
Racism is a sickness of the soul. Can Jesuit spirituality help us heal?
What ought to be the Ignatian contribution to the fight for racial justice, given our mission and our values?
Faith in Focus
Fear of Flying: Trying to Trust God at 30,000 Feet
I have been trying with all my heart—with all my mind, with all my soul, to live peaceably with a terror that has been grafted onto me.
Books
Bishop Robert Barron: A Fulton Sheen for the 21st Century?
A new book shows Bishop Robert Barron’s ambitious plans to evangelize culture in the United States.
Looking for good Christmas presents? Try these books
Every now and then, one comes across a book that seems unique. Its authors, editors and publisher are not so much meeting an already-expressed need as they are anticipating (or creating) one.
Review: Could Southern California drive a young man to join ISIS?
Khadivi writes well about three Southern California faiths colliding: nature worship, self worship and a generic desire “to know God.”
Father Greg Boyle’s new book offers the hard-earned wisdom of former gang members
“Barking at the Choir” allows the hard-earned wisdom of former gang members to reach a new audience.
Good nonfiction may teach us what to believe, but fiction teaches us how
Fiction moves us, engages us, finds for us truths we may not have recognized when first presented to us as fact. Fiction teaches us agility, the importance of leaping from word to meaning, and the pleasure that’s to be had in doing so.
Theater
How American Theater is wrestling with the Trump era
Three plays invite us to look back on the decade that launched Trump as a time of churning ambivalence and upheaval.
Poetry
The Witness
Our mistakes crack open. Each leaf veined distinctly, and we star-made music makers are finger printed as well. This is expansion: to stand as One with all. The mountains a dense explosion of trees. Night comes to us sexy, whispers to us about belief in light. Words tumble from us. Honesty, a naked falling. We…
The Word
Become the Light
“He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.”
How Long, O Lord?
She was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. (Lk 1:29)
Last Take
As Catholics and Americans, we can’t sit by while our country destroys the planet
From the Old Testament to Pope Francis’ “Laudato Si’,” Catholicism has recognized and treasured mankind’s intimate relationship with the earth and all the life that calls it home.
Faith
Guadalupe’s Legacy: How a 486-year-old vision of Mary in Mexico continues to influence the church
My grandmother embodied a distinctly Guadalupan presence: prayerful, patient, joyful and strong. Whether nurturing a child, a friendship or a garden, she knew how to help things grow.
Become the Light
“He was not the light, but came to testify to the light.”
How Long, O Lord?
She was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. (Lk 1:29)
Pre-Bethlehem: How the church can do more for expectant parents
The church has pre-Cana programs for marriage, but is it falling short in giving couples spiritual preparation for parenthood?
Fear of Flying: Trying to Trust God at 30,000 Feet
I have been trying with all my heart—with all my mind, with all my soul, to live peaceably with a terror that has been grafted onto me.
Can the ‘seamless garment’ approach to pro-life issues make a comeback in the Catholic Church?
Cardinal Bernardin’s consistent ethic of life could be helpful as the church grapples with issues like migration, health care and even taxes, some bishops say.
Magazine
The Letters
It was with dismay and disappointment that I read a letter to the editor written by Mr. Rudy Lopez in reaction to an article that I recently wrote for America.
Which foreign policy issue worries you the most? America readers weigh in.
Many readers also pointed out that in comparison with other foreign policy issues, climate change’s consequences are the broadest and have the most impact.
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts