A lifetime of re-reading Merton has convinced me that the existential note ringing through his body of work is key, not only to making sense of his wide-ranging thought, but to any real understanding of the man himself.
US Church
Posted inNews
After SSPX schism, some Catholics urge greater access to the older Latin Mass
But the cardinal who leads the Vatican’s liturgy office said Pope Leo XIV would not be lifting restrictions on the old Mass.
Posted inThe Weekly Dispatch
Archbishop Wenski condemns Catholic governor Ron DeSantis’s execution rampage
“I can’t explain the thinking other than that [Ron DeSantis] wants to come across as a tough guy,” the Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski said.
Posted inNews
Pope Leo appoints two US bishops as members of Vatican’s highest court
The bishops, Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco and Bishop Edward M. Lohse of Kalamazoo, Michigan, both hold doctorates in canon law.
Posted inThe Weekly Dispatch
Canada’s First Nations communities grapple with historic Ontario wildfires
Smoky air from Canada forest fires triggered air-quality alerts across the U.S.—but for some First Nations people the fires represented an existential catastrophe.
Posted inNews
Catholic Scouting in the U.S. has a new name—and the same adventurous mission
An interview with Bill Guglielmi, the national chairman of Catholic Scouting America, about the state of scouting today
Posted inFeatures
Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, were vilified by Trump. Now they’re bracing for the end of TPS.
Catholic organizations are helping Haitian immigrant communities prepare for what many fear will be a campaign of arrest and deportation.
Posted inNews
Half of Gen Z says Christian support for Trump keeps them out of church
A new study found that the strong alliance between Trump and Christianity has had a negative impact on churchgoing for many.
Posted inNews
Chicago priest and outspoken social activist under investigation for abuse allegation he ‘strongly’ denies
In his statement, Father Michael Pfleger—an outspoken activist against racism, gun violence and other social injustices—said he had been “threatened, slandered, and attacked” throughout the “51 years” of his ministry.
Posted inNews
Jesuits will consolidate from 5 novitiates to 2
The Society of Jesus in the United States and Canada will bring together its five current novitiates spread throughout the continent into two new novitiates starting in 2028.