Who was Irenaeus? What was the church like when he lived, sometime during the second century?
History
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Book Club
‘The prophet must not have died in vain’: The Jesuits, MLK and the fight for racial justice
John LaFarge, S.J., left an indelible mark on America—particularly in his unflagging devotion to the cause of racial justice for African Americans.
Posted inFaith, Podcasts
Lessons from Father Charles Coughlin: America’s first mass-media demagogue priest
A charismatic demagogue with millions of devoted followers. New media with little government regulation. The threat of violence in the streets. No, we’re not talking about the 45th president.
Posted inFaith, Short Take
R.I.P. John Padberg, a Jesuit historian and a historian of Jesuits
John Padberg, S.J., the noted Jesuit historian, died on Christmas Day. He is remembered here by his longtime friend and colleague, John W. O’Malley, S.J.
Posted inArts & Culture, Theater
‘To Kill a Mockingbird,’ ‘Assassins’ & ‘The Lehman Trilogy’ — the three ghosts of the 2021 Christmas season
Seeing these shows, I was reminded of Dickens’s famous ghosts, warning us about where we have been, where we are and where, if we’re not careful, we may be headed.
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
Nicole Kidman is fascinating as Lucille Ball, but that’s not enough to save ‘Being the Ricardos’
Aaron Sorkin’s take on the “behind-the-scenes” world of “I Love Lucy” depicts Lucille Ball in a most unsympathetic light.
Posted inFaith, Last Take
Remembering Charles R. Morris, who wrote about everything (including America Magazine)
Charles R. Morris, who died on Dec. 13, was a prolific author with a broad range of interests and expertise. He also wrote a two-part history of America Media for our 100th anniversary.
Posted inFaith, Jesuit School Spotlight
‘It isn’t Latin or Greek I’m teaching, but how to think’: Memories of a formative Jesuit educator
As a young teacher at Canisius High School in Buffalo, N.Y., John W. Donohue, S.J., worked with Thomas J. Jones, the senior member of the lay faculty: “From him I was to learn more about the practice of teaching than from any book or course in education.”
Posted inArts & Culture, Books
Review: A story of Indigenous family, trauma and survival
Diane Wilson’s book ‘The Seed Keeper’ is an immersive, affecting account of family and history, trauma and survival, seeds and gardening, stories and healing.
Posted inArts & Culture, Music
The history of a Christmas classic, ‘O Come, All Ye Faithful’
“O Come, All Ye Faithful” is a song almost everyone knows. But where did it come from, and why is it so popular?