Especially in places like the United States, where structures like pastoral councils are already relatively common, it is important to hear the synod’s call to ensure that consultation and dialogue are effective and not merely nominal.

The Vatican has announced the appointment of Capuchin Father Roberto Pasolini as the new papal preacher, succeeding Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa who served since 1980.

It is often the task of responsible citizens and faithful Christians to work patiently from wherever we are to plant new seeds, soften ugly impulses and blow on whatever promising sparks we may see

Giacomo Puccini, the composer of “La Bohème,” “Tosca” and “Madama Butterfly,” has been called the world’s most popular songwriter, and with good reason.

A Reflection for Thursday of the Thirty-second Week in Ordinary Time, by Rachel Lu

A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, Virgin, by Jill Rice

A Reflection for the Memorial of St. Martin of Tours, Bishop, by Kevin Clarke

A hymn to mercy and love, “Love Calls Us to the Things of This World” springs to my lips when my heart is quiet. I teach it as often as I can for my introductory poetry students. 

What caused Dorothy Day to stand out in her time, as it does still, is the way her spiritual life was expressed not only in her daily prayer but in her response to the needs of her neighbors, to the poor and to the demands of history.