Dream
We were held captive, were being sorted. Most of us were given a choice: some indistinct camp or Great Lavra: an ancient monastery, a remote steppe. I knew that was the place, though winter was beginning. We might be able to scavenge for food (they said), for kindling. As we arrived, a late and weak sun shone…
The Pardon
Our prayers of narrow hope unfurlLike sudden petals. Captive to a tab of groundThe body opens itself, givesItself in supplication, Delicate, SpecificTo reprieve.Why bees crawl blindly back and forthWithin the cellIgnoring the inflorescence, The window ledge Furring with agonies of thirst,When they could fly awayCould floutThe iron bars, Aggrieves us, troubles our pleasFor freedom As unfettered movementAs the choice to come and…
Poetry review: Lyric wonder, again and again
In this year’s poetry roundup, some of the poets whose collections we discuss are Catholic, some are not. But regardless of their religious commitments, wonder shows up in these poets’ work again and again.
Review: Ross Douthat on why everyone should be religious
Ross Douthat addresses weighty topics in his new book, but his reasons for belief are often puzzling.
Review: The mysterious Muriel Spark
The force and clarity of Frances Wilson’s arguments in ‘Electric Spark,’ however debatable, do her subject the literary justice she deserves.
Flannery O’Connor’s artistic visions
Flannery O’Connor’s drawings, cartoons and paintings offer another way to take the measure of a woman who took the measure of our souls.
My son became a priest. I still felt conflicted about God and religion.
I’m still not what you would think of as the typical mother of a priest. But Patrick and I have come to better understand and better love each other.
How can we hear God’s voice when the internet can fill any silence?
Prayer is a conversation with God, but I don’t hear any words. Isn’t that a problem?
Meet the Catholic middle school students rowing toward a brighter future
At San Miguel Academy, teamwork begins on the water.
The editors: How the church can advocate for affordable housing
The failure to build enough affordable housing is symptomatic of a low-expectations society hoping for problems to go away instead of solving them.
Your take: Charlie Kirk’s assassination and its aftermath
In an online piece titled “Who is being served by making Charlie Kirk a saint: God or Caesar?,” Father Sawyer wrestled with the political and spiritual remembrances of Mr. Kirk in the wake of his assassination. He questioned the evangelical effectiveness of attempting to convert people to Christ through politics and wrote: “I fear that…
Pope Leo’s message for the American church
Pope Leo’s responses to questions from Elise Ann Allen demonstrated a realistic understanding of the American church.
Veiling as a metaphor in the art of Corita Kent
For Corita Kent, the presence, modification or absence of the veil in her wardrobe throughout her lifetime signaled moments of transition and resilience. Her manipulation of materials onto the fabric of the silkscreen also communicated such moments.
Review: Will our pets go to heaven?
In ‘A Heaven for Animals: A Catholic Case and Why It Matters,’ Christopher Steck, S.J., faces the ethical tensions within the Roman Catholic tradition that have swung between arguments for either wanting to use other animals for the sake of human convenience or showing them compassion.
Review: A new biography of Lin-Manuel Miranda tells his creative origin story
In his engaging new biography, ‘Lin-Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist,’ Daniel Pollack-Pelzner traces a career path that was hardly inevitable or solitary.
How this two-year Jesuit college is revolutionizing education for low-income students
The idea behind Arrupe College was to create an environment in which students who might fall through the cracks at traditional four-year universities would have access to layers of support, so that they would have the opportunity to thrive.
How Pope Leo plans to govern the church: From Rome to China to Gaza
Pope Leo raised the question of genocide in Gaza and spoke about how he intends to engage with China over the coming years in his first major interview.
Catholic delegation visits Holy Land after U.S. bishops call for a special collection for Gaza
The CNEWA visit was prompted by a letter on Aug. 12 from Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio, the president of the U.S.C.C.B., calling for parishes across the country to hold a “special collection to provide humanitarian relief and pastoral support for our affected brothers and sisters in Gaza and surrounding areas in the Middle East.”
Trump’s deadly strike on a drug-trafficking boat sets a dangerous example
The notion of targeted killings “was never lawful,” even when it was aimed exclusively at terrorism suspects, and it is thoroughly unlawful “when it’s aimed at drug trafficking suspects.”
Our Jesuit high school banned smartphones. Here’s why it needed to happen.
By removing phones from classrooms, hallways and community spaces, we are not rejecting the digital world but reclaiming something more fundamental: the capacity to learn, to relate and to be fully present.
Migration and Irish identity—in the era of Trump deportations
Just about no one in Ireland would say that Irish citizens living in the U.S. are being treated as badly as immigrant residents from Latin America or Africa. But consternation is on the rise about escalating deportations.
Listening to the Gospels—in the voice of Johnny Cash
When I encounter the Good News as read by Johnny Cash, I encounter it as a living proclamation—not as a dead letter.
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