Jesuit School Spotlight
‘You can’t find God in following what other people tell you to love’: lessons from my Jesuit high school teacher
A graduate of a Jesuit high school in conversation with his English teacher from three decades ago on Ignatian and Jesuit education.
Of Many Things
Why are American Catholics obsessed with the politics of Communion? (Hint: Because we’re American.)
Such debates don’t really happen elsewhere in the Catholic world.
Your Take
Readers: What book would you recommend to Pope Francis?
With the arrival of summer, America asked its readers to give Pope Francis a summer reading recommendation, “beach read” or otherwise.
Editorials
Don’t let the plight of Palestinians fall out of the headlines (again)
The United States has dithered on establishing any policy to help bring an end to a conflict now in its eighth decade.
Short Take
Down with credit cards. Up the minimum wage.
Credit cards make it easy to ignore the reality of how much things cost and how little money most people actually have. This is no accident.
Dispatches
Is cursive dead? Not for this Catholic school 5th grader
Caitlyn Ngo, a student at St. Edmund’s Catholic Academy in Brooklyn, N.Y., was recently crowned the Fifth Grade Grand National Champion in the 2021 Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest.
Meet the Catholic sister who is willing to risk her life (again) to stop the violence in Myanmar
Sister Nu Tawng describes a nation living in fear of its own government, where arrest may come at any time or for any reason.
Mass without masks? It’s waiting for you—when you’re ready.
Many dioceses are dropping mask requirements and social distancing rules for fully vaccinated worshippers, relying on an honor system as pandemic restrictions ease further.
Pope Francis is worried about population decline. The U.S. will need more pro-family and pro-immigrant policies to continue to grow.
In April the Census Bureau estimated that from 2010 to 2020, the U.S. population grew at the slowest rate since the 1930s and at the second-slowest rate in the nation’s history.
Features
The Catholic Women Who Write Your Favorite TV Shows
“My hope is that the church can use the immense power of its storytelling to move toward more compassion, more kindness.”
Can Catholic social teaching redeem a post-Trump, pro-labor Republican Party?
Building a worker-friendly economy is a slow and difficult job. Stoking the rage and resentment of disaffected voters is much easier. Are pro-labor conservatives up to the task?
Faith and Reason
‘Rerum Novarum’ is 130 years old. What would Leo XIII say about today’s gig economy?
An an important anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s famous encyclical on workers’ rights, a look at how ‘Rerum Novarum’ applies to the vagaries of our new economy.
Faith in Focus
A spiritual diary about getting the ordinary, miraculous Covid-19 vaccine
A tribute to the shot that may be saving the world.
Older Catholics: We need to talk about our sex lives
Sex with someone you know and love is deeply satisfying. At our age it may not be as athletic or as frequent, but it is fulfilling. It is affirming. And it is fun.
A cop pulled me over when I was a Catholic seminarian for driving while Black. Thank God I was with white friends.
In 1980, I was pulled over at night after a cop saw me pass his parked car. I could have been another Daunte Wright—if there hadn’t been two white men in my car.
Ideas
Jordan Peterson is telling young white men what many of us already know: Neverland is a lie.
For some young white men with sufficient academic ability to comprehend Peterson’s writing and lectures, it is actually news that the worry-free irresponsibility offered in the seeming safety of Neverland has psychological, emotional and spiritual consequences.
Books
In this prequel to ‘The Great Gatsby,’ Nick Carraway finally gets his chance to shine.
The narrator of ‘The Great Gatsby,’ Nick Carraway, is the focus of Michael Farris Smith’s new novel, ‘Nick.’
Review: What does faith have to do with ‘getting it’? It’s a question for the whole family.
Brendan Hodge’s debut novel ‘If You Can Get It’ centers on two young women seeking meaning along the axes of work, love and faith.
Review: Dana Gioia’s love letter to teachers and mentors
Dana Gioia’s new book is a love letter attesting to the illuminating and poetic moments of his education.
Sohrab Ahmari makes the case for traditionalist Catholicism
There is much within Sohrab Ahmari’s new book that can and should speak to all Catholics, traditionalist or otherwise. More troubling from a Catholic perspective are Ahmari’s chapters on politics and on sex.
What an Italian Jesuit (and Georgetown’s ‘second founder’) thought about democracy and religious freedom in America
A Jesuit and an Italian, Giovanni Grassi, S.J., undertook a project to explain the United States to other Italians in 1818.
Poetry
Baby Mania
I’m tired of funerals, the pallbearing of myself
A message after the beep
No songs, no vicar, but why no humanist?
The Word
The power of the word ‘no’
Today’s reading gives biblical examples of expecting and accepting rejection and persevering despite the obstacles.
Want to lead? Learn to serve.
Jesus responds to needs quickly and effectively, demonstrating selflessness, adaptability and concern for the welfare of others.
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, models compassionate leadership.
Today’s readings teach several important points about leadership: the need for rest, retreat and recovery, and compassion.
Jesus says to expect rejection and dust it off
The readings remind us to be realistic and recognize that not everyone will respond favorably.
Last Take
Is it safe to bring my unvaccinated, unmasked 10-month-old to Mass?
The new health guidelines for attending Mass raise concerns for parents of young children during an already challenging year.
Faith
The power of the word ‘no’
Today’s reading gives biblical examples of expecting and accepting rejection and persevering despite the obstacles.
Want to lead? Learn to serve.
Jesus responds to needs quickly and effectively, demonstrating selflessness, adaptability and concern for the welfare of others.
Jesus, the Good Shepherd, models compassionate leadership.
Today’s readings teach several important points about leadership: the need for rest, retreat and recovery, and compassion.
Jesus says to expect rejection and dust it off
The readings remind us to be realistic and recognize that not everyone will respond favorably.
Readers: What book would you recommend to Pope Francis?
With the arrival of summer, America asked its readers to give Pope Francis a summer reading recommendation, “beach read” or otherwise.
A spiritual diary about getting the ordinary, miraculous Covid-19 vaccine
A tribute to the shot that may be saving the world.
‘You can’t find God in following what other people tell you to love’: lessons from my Jesuit high school teacher
A graduate of a Jesuit high school in conversation with his English teacher from three decades ago on Ignatian and Jesuit education.
Is it safe to bring my unvaccinated, unmasked 10-month-old to Mass?
The new health guidelines for attending Mass raise concerns for parents of young children during an already challenging year.
Mass without masks? It’s waiting for you—when you’re ready.
Many dioceses are dropping mask requirements and social distancing rules for fully vaccinated worshippers, relying on an honor system as pandemic restrictions ease further.
‘Rerum Novarum’ is 130 years old. What would Leo XIII say about today’s gig economy?
An an important anniversary of Pope Leo XIII’s famous encyclical on workers’ rights, a look at how ‘Rerum Novarum’ applies to the vagaries of our new economy.
Older Catholics: We need to talk about our sex lives
Sex with someone you know and love is deeply satisfying. At our age it may not be as athletic or as frequent, but it is fulfilling. It is affirming. And it is fun.
Politics
Faith
Culture
Vatican
Scripture
Podcasts