Call to Renewal Announces Covenant Targeting PovertyRepresentatives of more than 50 multidenominational, faith-based service and policy groups organized as Call to Renewal announced a Covenant to Overcome Poverty at a rally on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on Feb. 16. At a time of record prosperity,

Although the architecture of its cathedral is Neo-Byzantine, the affairs of the Archdiocese of Westminster have usually been conducted in a straightforward English manner, appropriate to its setting between Victoria Station and New Scotland Yard. So the 4.1 million Catholics in England and Wales wer

I remember the darkened church, filled with a reverent silence interrupted only when an opened door allowed the sounds of traffic and voices to intrude momentarily. A heavy slam of varnished wood signaled the arrival of the next worshiper, who checked her name on the list and tapped the weary should

The 20th century has concluded. Thomas Merton remains the single most influential American Catholic spiritual author of that century. Judging from the number of current publications by and about Merton, his spiritual vision remains as captivating today as when he broke upon the scene in 1948 with hi

Report Says Hunger Can Be Halved in 15 YearsA new report from the Bread for the World Institute says world hunger can be cut in half over the next 15 years with the help of an extra U.S. contribution of $1 billion per year to nutrition programs. The trends in hunger eradication are promising, said t

An older Jesuit once told me he felt that priests have a much harder life than laypeople. We’re always "on call," he explained, and have so many responsibilitiescelebrating Masses, hearing confessions, living in community, preparing homilies and the like. Laypeople can set their own

A recent series of articles in The Kansas City Star on Catholic priests suffering from AIDS-related illnesses has focused attention on a difficult issue. Despite the incendiary nature of its topic, the seriesthough flawedaimed for balance and proved compelling. The survey’s main weaknesses lay

The Rev. Jim Consedine, a priest in the Diocese of Christchurch in New Zealand, is national coordinator for his country’s Restorative Justice Network. A prison chaplain for 21 years, he is the author of two books: Restorative Justice: Healing the Effects of Crime (1995, 1999) and, with Helen B