A handful of books published over the past few years get at the question of just what makes 21st-century motherhood so uniquely tough and comparatively unappealing when compared to the child-free life.
Family Life
Posted inNews
Surrogacy reduces children to products for sale, Vatican foreign minister says
Surrogacy violates the dignity of both unborn children and pregnant women, reducing them to mere commodities and victims of exploitation, said Archbishop Paul R. Gallagher, the Vatican foreign minister.
Posted inThe Good Word
What is more fragile than family?
A Homily for the Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, by Father Terrance Klein
Posted inFaith in Focus
Mary is every mother who has lost a child
No matter how a mother loses a child, the mourning must feel like an abyss. Mary’s child is every child who has died too soon.
Posted inFaith in Focus
A Catholic mom’s guide for having a less-materialistic Christmas
All the people I know who are worried about materialism swallowing up Christmas really just mean: “Presents are a big part of Christmas at our house, and that makes me feel weird.” Don’t feel weird.
Posted inFilm, Interviews
Interview: Comedian John Candy’s daughter on new documentary about her father’s legacy
Many of Candy’s most popular and famous characters have a charm that makes the viewer feel like he’s your own father. “I think he kind of was recreating the relationship that he might not have had with his dad, or he wished he would have had with his dad,” Ms. Candy said.
Posted inShort Take
Our son has autism. We need accompaniment—not Trump’s medical advice.
We don’t spend much time speculating about what caused autism. We know Manny has it, and we will be here for him, whatever that looks like.
Posted inNews
Priest’s St. Monica Project helps accompany parents whose children have left the faith
“It’s a devotion that I created to help parents — and to encourage parents — in their prayer for their children to return to the practice of the faith,” Father Buhman said ahead of St. Monica’s feast day on Aug. 27.
Posted inThe Weekly Dispatch
Vatican workers now get 5 days of paid paternity leave. That’s 5 more than U.S. dads.
Alone among its international peers, the United States has no national mandate for paid maternity or paternity leave.
Posted inInterviews
Interview: Should Catholics adopt frozen embryos? Church teaching is still up for debate.
As in vitro fertilization continues to make headlines, the status of the many embryos created and frozen in this process is a key concern for Catholics. OSV News’ Charlie Camosy recently spoke with Kent J. Lasnoski.