

Of Many Things
Bobby Kennedy’s anniversary is not a moment for mourning but an hour for hope.
As he did for Bobby Kennedy, God calls every one of us out of darkness and into his light.
Letters
The Letters
You give me hope for the future in a very grim present.
Your Take
What is the greatest threat to democracy in the U.S.?
Ninety-one percent of respondents to our survey told us that living in a democracy was either extremely or very important to them.
Editorials
The Creeping Normalcy of School Shootings
Apparently, just about everything contributes to gun mayhem in the United States—but not the 300 million guns themselves.
America’s editors on Irish abortions and the separation of family at the border
The news from Ireland and the United States reminds us of Herod, of Pharaoh. What culture betrays its children?
Short Take
China’s Cold War lesson: The Catholic Church has revolutionary potential
In Poland, the church created the space for people to breathe—physically, intellectually and spiritually.
Dispatches
Infographic: Revisiting R.F.K.’s poverty tour
Our measurements of poverty have changed since Robert F. Kennedy’s historic presidential campaign, but the poor and marginalized still need a champion.
Cautious hope from victims and advocates following resignation of Chile’s bishops
Bishops in Chile announced mass resignations on Friday, May 18, after an emergency summit meeting with Pope Francis.
Catholic Relief Services official: There’s little hope for an end to border violence in Gaza
The willingness to rush the border fence despite the I.D.F.’s overwhelming firepower is a testimony to the despair of the people living in Gaza.
Is Catholic identity hurting enrollment at Catholic colleges?
All colleges face budget challenges, but Catholic schools must also contend with marketing to an increasingly secular applicant pool.
Church in Texas issues IDs to help the undocumented navigate police encounters
“They want to know who they’re talking to,” Father Forge said of police. “Well, we already issue our volunteers with ID cards, so we jumped on that.”
Features
You have heard it said: Visit the imprisoned. But what about their guards?
From the very beginning, Christ came to deliver not only captives but their guards.
How to survive Trump: End the cult of the presidency
The presidency has become a cult to which we are expected to constantly direct our attention; the result is a disenchantment with democracy.
Faith and Reason
How can Catholics help bridge our nation’s racial divide?
Every individual, organization, institution and structure in the church must do something to counter the intensification of the racial divide in our country.
Faith in Focus
Announcing the winner of the 2018 Anne Frank Essay Competition
Congratulations to James Chapman, a sophomore at Creighton Prep in Omaha, Neb.
Even as pope, my teacher Joseph Ratzinger always wrote back
My acquaintance with J.R. dates back to when I was a fourth-grade student in Bogenhausen, a suburb of Munich, in the early 1950s.
Ideas
What the World Cup can teach us about everything
The entire planet will soon be gripped in a sudden and near-religious fervor.
From Shonda Rhimes to Issa Rae, the rise of black women in television
In recent years, thanks to shows like Shonda Rhimes’ “Scandal,” there has been a rise in shows featuring black women, both on and off the screen.
Books
Remembering R.F.K, 50 Years Later
Chris Matthews’s cri de coeur for a time and a spirit that is hard to imagine now.
Review: Is “New Power” changing the way we live and work?
The authors describe “new power” as “like a current of water or electricity: open, participatory and most potent when it surges.”
Want to compose new music for Mass? Learn from David Haas’s story.
David Haas gathers 132 songs from among his most widely known pieces, like “Blest Are They,” “We Are Called,” “Now We Remain” and “You Are Mine,” and others not as familiar.
Shakespearian tyrants, then and now
As the reader has no doubt anticipated, Greenblatt has emulated the Shakespearean endeavor: The book is a rumination on the current president, without once mentioning the man by name.
Theater
Harry Potter is now on Broadway and it might never leave
“Harry Potter and the Cursed Child” is both a sequel to Rowling’s iconic seven-book series and a canny rehash of many of its tropes.
Poetry
A wise and lovely metaphor
Nearly 1,000 poems poured in this year for America’s annual Foley Poetry Contest from writers of all ages.
Whales
I know not to tell you that one day you’ll be better, so instead I tell you this:
The Word
What mustard seeds have transformed your life?
The kingdom contains as much mystery as a tiny seed, and its growth is as inexorable as kudzu.
Does your life reveal God’s compassion to others?
Those places that might seem to hold no promise may in fact contain the grace that can turn the hearts of many to Christ.
Last Take
How one organization is fighting modern slavery in the Philippines
How can I say that I love God, when I fall short in doing good for others, especially for the least and the lost?
Faith
What mustard seeds have transformed your life?
The kingdom contains as much mystery as a tiny seed, and its growth is as inexorable as kudzu.
Does your life reveal God’s compassion to others?
Those places that might seem to hold no promise may in fact contain the grace that can turn the hearts of many to Christ.
How one organization is fighting modern slavery in the Philippines
How can I say that I love God, when I fall short in doing good for others, especially for the least and the lost?
Announcing the winner of the 2018 Anne Frank Essay Competition
Congratulations to James Chapman, a sophomore at Creighton Prep in Omaha, Neb.
Even as pope, my teacher Joseph Ratzinger always wrote back
My acquaintance with J.R. dates back to when I was a fourth-grade student in Bogenhausen, a suburb of Munich, in the early 1950s.
Magazine
The Letters
You give me hope for the future in a very grim present.






